I began writing this column in Ghent, Belgium, in a room with two dozen Chinese court reporters quietly engaging in the Intersteno equiv alent of NCRA’s Speed Contest. With fingers tapping and pressing away as the ambient noise, I can remark that this event — Intersteno — is remarkable on a number of levels. What strikes me most notably is that an event of undeniable global scale takes place — even on a biannual basis — effectively rests on the shoulders of volunteers.
That’s asking a lot of volunteers, and NCRA does the same. And we’re now asking for more.
Over the course of the past year, the NCRA Board has assembled a strategic plan. Within this plan are six general areas of focus or, as I have come to call them, “buckets”:
- Awareness
- Advocacy
- Education
- Professional development
- Resources
- Member tools
Each of the strategic buckets represents areas of focus that you —NCRA members — have identified as critical to the profession over the next five to 10 years. As an example, we need for more people to know and appreciate the value of stenographic court reporters; hence, we have an awareness strategy. As another example, we need to get more students enrolled in court reporting schools and move reporters out into the field, so we have our education strategies.
We have a lot to accomplish, and we have finite resources — both in terms of human capital at the staff level and in, well, cash. So, we lean disproportionately on volunteers to execute on the tactics in fulfillment of our strategy.
The Board has outlined aggressive new charges for our volunteer committees and attempted to align their activities with our strategy. Virtually all of our committees now will rely on individual NCRA members to carry the responsibility of not only coming up with great ideas, but executing them as well.
Think of it this way: If we, as an organization, have 1,000 lbs. to carry, our old way was to rely on 10 people to carry 100 lbs. each. But with our new direction, we’re seeking 100 people to carry just 10 lbs. each, thus distributing the weight and perhaps, over time, enabling us to carry even more than we ever have in the past.
For our awareness strategy to work, when we come to you, the members, to spread the word about Court Reporting and Captioning Week, we will only succeed if you are inspired to get involved. For our education strategy to accomplish its ambitious goals, when we come to you to engage with prospective students in your area, we will be far more effective if you are willing to make a presentation at a local high school or take part in a career day with a neighborhood court reporting school.
You’ve given us direction. We have taken action. Now, we need you to be on guard for your marching orders. It’s the best way you can serve your profession and its future. It’s the best way you can engage with your court reporting community. Soon, we will bring these volunteer requests to you: Are you ready to lift your 10 lbs.?
