December/January/February/March • The Florida Reporter 1 ` Advertising Special Needful People WANTED! Need a job? Need a reporter, Your stories to share with other Contact to advertise in 8 issues agency owners? Contact reporters. (2 years) of this magazine and Placement Chairman Sandi Submit an article and receive .15 get a special 15% discount on Nargiz at 850-878-2221 or Fax: CEU points if published in The top of our low rates! Call FCRA 850-878-2254 or Florida Reporter. Email your story Headquarters today at [email protected] to 407$-774- 7880.$ $ [email protected] MARK YOUR CALENDAR! Address Changes ARE YOU ON FACEBOOK? ADDRESS CHANGED? FCRA 2019 Annual Convention PHONE NUMBER CHANGED? If so, join the FCRA Group by Fax your changes to looking up Florida Court Naples Grande Beach Resort Headquarters at 407-774-6440 Reporters Association… all the Naples, Florida As soon as possible! latest updates right at your June 28-30, 2019 fingertips! Stenograph Special Order Your Florida Manual DON’T MISS E-FLASHES! Stay up to date on Florida Rules Be sure your email address is Get last-line pricing with and Procedures. Call 407-774- current. Call FCRA Stenograph supplies, as a 7880 to order your electronic Headquarters and give them version of the Florida Manual or your email address today (407- member of FCRA receives visit www.fcraonline.org to order. 774-7880) or email your changes a rebate. $ $ $ Just $75.00 for members! to [email protected] WEBSITE SPONSORS ARE YOU MOVING? Be on the Lookout for WANTED CHANGING A PHONE NUMBER? Upcoming Florida Contact CHANGING A FAX Professional Reporter FCRA NUMBER? CHANGING OR GETTING AN EMAIL (FPR) Test Dates! Headquarters, 407-774-7880 ADDRESS? If so, let FCRA Headquarters know right away. Simply fax 407-774-6440 today to make any necessary changes to the information we have on file for you! December/January/February/March • The Florida Reporter 2 FCRA OFFICERS & DIRECTORS DEPARTMENTS President Sharon Velazco, RPR, CLR, FPR [email protected] Bulletin Board....................................................................................................... 2 President Elect President’s Message: Forever Shine Bright Like a Diamond.......................... 4 Amy Marie Yarbrough, FPR [email protected] Editor’s Message: My Publisher’s Hat............................................................... 5 Vice President Immediate Past President’s Announcement………………………………….. 31 Richard Scire, RPR [email protected] Treasurer Tracy Finan, RPR, FPR [email protected] ASSOCIATION BUSINESS Secretary Cathy Carpenter, FPR Trial Ready in Jacksonville………………………………………………………….. 8 [email protected] Northern Director Unmask Your Potential………………………………………………………………. 9 Tiffany Treffeisen, RPR, FPR [email protected] NCRA Photo Gallery………………………………………………………………... 10 Central Director Student Corner: The Qualities of an Exceptional Instructor………………… 11 Laura Landerman, RMR, CRR, FPR [email protected] NCRA Convention Happenings…………….……………………………………. 12 Southern Director Jessica Donnelly, FPR Twinspiration: Heads Up…………………………………………………………… 13 [email protected] Becca’s Boot Camp: Shift Happens………………………………….………… 14 Directors at Large Michael Scire, RPR, CMRS The Benefits of Seven Calendar Day Standard Delivery……….……………. 18 [email protected] Shari Smargon, RDR, CRR, CRC, MA, FPR Fixer Upper: Court Reporting Edition……………………………………………. 20 [email protected] The Mentor Process…………………………………………………………………. 21 Immediate Past President Lori L. Bundy, RMR, FPR, CRR The Diamond Vault: The Third Decade, Part II………………………………… 23 [email protected] The Key to Success………………………………………………………………….. 32 Editor and Publisher Richard Scire, RPR [email protected] Associate Editor Michael Scire, RPR, CMRS [email protected] FCRA WELCOMES Executive Director ________________________ Lynn Hupp 222 S. Westmonte Drive, Ste. 101 Altamonte Springs, FL 32714 Membership Application…………………………………………………..…….. 33 [email protected] W: 407-774-7880 • FAX: 407-774-6440 Membership Pre-Authorized Payment Plan Form…………………………… 34 Statements of fact, opinion, and all advertisements are made on the responsibility of the author or advertiser, alone, and do not imply an opinion or endorsement on the part of anyone connected with FCRA. Materials may not be reproduced without written permission. Address all correspondence concerning content of the magazine to the editor. All correspondence regarding membership and advertising should be sent to FCRA Headquarters, 222 S. Westmonte Dr, #111, Altamonte Springs, FL 32714. Phone: 407-774-7880, Fax: 407-774-6440; www.fcraonline.org. December/January/February/March • The Florida Reporter 3 Well, since the theme of this year’s what you've been through and who you are, convention is diamonds, let me start by saying it's court reporters. I know that each of you has an honor and a privilege to be in the midst of such experienced the intense heat of a fiery cross- a treasure trove of accomplished individuals and examination or struggled with a witness or to serve with such a priceless, dedicated board. attorney who just cannot be heard because of I'm in awe of others who've stood where I am now the room's ambiance, interruptions by others, or standing and would like to recognize the past the simple fact that the witness is soft-spoken. You presidents who continue to work behind the go through those situations every day. You scenes tirelessly for FCRA. You consistently demonstrate your immeasurable worth because demonstrate your passionate commitment to our in the fire of your expedites and your dailies and vocation and inspire all of us. the general difficulty in dealing with your constant I'm also inspired by everyone I see. pressures, you take the stress without cracking, Because of your attendance at the convention and you get that transcript out! and your participation in FCRA, for which we're so Where the beauty and value of a grateful, I know I speak for the whole board when diamond is largely based on the four C's of cut, I say we were all so happy to be with you and to clarity, carat, weight and color, the value of the serve with you in our goal of advancing our court reporter can also be measured in four C's: profession. When it finally hit me at the Our character, our competence, our conviction, convention last year that I was going to be the and the way we care for our profession. next president, I knew exactly what our theme Our character is the sum total of who we would be: Diamonds. Not only because it's my are and the qualities we bring to what we do. favorite stone, but I thought it was appropriate to Every day the challenges we face help to shape use the metaphor of diamonds to stress your us into brilliant gemstones and help to carve the importance as court reporters. You are facets that make us shine so brightly. Some of us invaluable. The stones in my tiara may not have may be princess-cut or marquise while others are value like real diamonds, but you do. the more traditional solitaire. Our value is further I love the adage, diamonds are forever. enhanced by our willingness to evolve and be You can reshape them or reset them, but they're reshaped, and this reshaping is usually done still diamonds. And looking out at all of you, I am through our experiences. There is nothing like dazzled by your collective brilliance. On the walking into two-week trial about chemical Mohs Hardness Scale, which is the standard by dumping and being told right then and there, which all minerals and stones are measured, the "Oh, by the way, we need this right away, and diamond sets the bar for its ability to withstand can you get it to us, like, right after lunch?" pressure under duress. The most brilliant of Somehow, though, through panic and diamonds are those that are formed under perseverance, you get it done -- mostly panic -- extreme pressure at the highest temperatures. All and you've added yet another facet to your life of you reading this shine so brightly because of as a court reporter. Continued on page 6 December/January/February/March • The Florida Reporter 4 My Publisher’s Hat Alexander Hamilton said, “I never expect who was a philosopher, essayist, poet, and to see a perfect work from an imperfect man.” If novelist, who stated, “Those who cannot Mr. Hamilton read the last issue of The Florida remember the past are condemned to repeat it.” Reporter, he might have either been proud by On the cover of this winter edition of The the mistakes or eaten his own words. None of us Florida Reporter are the reporters who made it to is perfect but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t this year’s NCRA’s Annual Convention in New strive for perfection. After all, isn’t it our attention Orleans. NCRA’s convention theme was to detail as reporters and captioners that makes “Unmask Your Potential,” and that theme us as great as we are? continues with this issue. You can read more In this issue you will get to read ALL of about that in an article I have written. Madam President’s “President’s Message” that Also, please be inspired by Becca Tebon’s was inadvertantly missing from the summer issue. column , “Becca’s Bootcamp.” Ms. Tebon loves While I read through all the articles before they writing for us since she presented at our 2017 are sent to the publisher, I am only looking at the convention. With all the holiday partying and overall layout and thus missed the errors, which I food, the new year brings a new time to set goals now recognize are blatant. I am not at all and motivation to unmask our potential. blaming the publisher. I am ultimately the editor What a busy year it has been! The FCRA and the fault therein lies with me. Board has been hard at work this year for its That is why for this issue, I decided to take members.