by Sarah Hall
The key ingredient in developing a good working relationship between a reporter and a scopist is the same thing that makes our other relations work: Consideration and respect.
I believe the current psychobabble buzzword is "validation." If a reporter doesn't believe that the scopist is offering a valuable service and that it doesn't require expertise and intelligence, that relationship is doomed.
The common goal of the reporter and the scopist should be to make the other's job easier. I'm sure I don't have to tell you that time is money. Listed below are some things that make the scopist's job easier:
Furnish your scopist as much information as you can in the way of spellings, particularly of proper nouns. This is particularly important if your scopist is not local. Names of streets, buildings, cities and counties that are common to you require research on the part of the scopist.
Make sure you have defined your speakers before you give the job to your scopist.
It also helps if you have the title pages and appearances included. This aids the scopist in figuring out misstrokes, et cetera. Send your scopist your Include files. This will keep your parentheticals consistent and make her job easier.
Check the global and dictionary entries your scopist sends you and incorporate them into your dictionary, if warranted.
Try to eliminate as much driving as possible. If you expect your scopist to use the exhibits while scoping, try to make a copy, unless they are too voluminous, so that the scopist can return the job to you via e-mail.
Here in Texas, we are fortunate to have a reliable overnight mail service called Lone Star Overnight whose rates start as low as $7.50. U.S. Mail works well, too.
Get the job to your scopist as soon as possible to allow the scopist to manage her time wisely. Sometimes, at first, the reporter will decide to scope a job herself and then will get bogged down and send it to the scopist at the last possible moment. This is certainly the reporter's prerogative; but remember, rush to a scopist is whatever the two of you have arranged, and it is independent of whether you get paid rush rates for the job.
Forewarn your scopist as far in advance as possible if you are expecting jobs requiring daily copy or expedited delivery.
The scopist and the reporter should communicate openly about vacation plans or obligations that will prevent them from working.
Pay your scopist's invoices in a timely manner. If you are having financial problems, be up-front with your scopist. Let her make the decision before the work is performed if you need her to wait more than a month for payment.
The Internet has been a boon to the court reporting industry, but glitches do occur. After you have sent a file to your scopist, follow up with a phone call to make sure it has been received. Ask your scopist to do likewise.
I found a very good preference sheet on Shirley Barrett's web site, http://home.carolina.rr.com/ shirleybarrett/PREFSHEE.htm, for reporters to fill out and furnish to scopists. It addresses such things as the use of semicolons versus commas or periods, numbers, and such.
I have addressed here how the reporter can help the scopist. There are at least as many things that the scopist can do to make the reporter's life easier, but perhaps that's the subject for another column.
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