#83 - What NOT to do During Remote Proceedings: Mistakes I've Learned Over Zoom

Court reporters hold one of the most important roles in the justice system.

We're entrusted with the official records of the courts, and we also have to run our own businesses, which is not something most of us were prepared for.

I'm Bryn Seymour, court reporter and life coach, and I invite you to join the discussion about the problems we face and the solutions we create on the unique journey of a stenographer.

Welcome to the Court Reporter Podcast.

Hello, my friends, my beautiful, beloved court reporting friends.

Today we're going to talk about some mistakes that I have personally made over the course of my career as a court reporter, especially as we started venturing into more and more remote depositions.

Someone emailed me and asked me, sent me, like, a long list of questions about remote proceedings because of a video that I released on TikTok and Instagram.

It was like a short video with some tips on how court reporters show up super prepared for a remote proceeding, meaning getting all your gadgets and wires and technology in place so that there are no glitches and no awkward.

Hold on, let me troubleshoot that.

So I received this question and just was feeling inspired to record an episode about it because it got me really thinking and reflecting on all the mistakes that I've made and how, you know, making mistakes is one of the best ways to learn.

So I think sharing them is a good way to help other reporters ensure that they don't make the same mistakes that I made.

So there's something that nobody talks about when you first start doing remote depositions.

It's not the big things that mess you up.

It's like the tiny little innocent moments where you're like, oh, my gosh, I was just trying to be helpful.

Like those moments that seem harmless in the moment, like, you really wanted to go above and beyond.

You really wanted to be helpful.

You try.

You were trying your best.

And because of that, I'm going to do something a little bit different.

Instead of just giving the list of tips or a list of answers to that email, I'm going to tell you in the stories of exactly what happened, the real things that actually happened to me.

Moments where I thought I was doing the right thing and learned the hard way that I absolutely was not.

Number one, the read and sign situations.

I'm on a zoom deposition.

Everything's going well.

I'm feeling good, feeling on top of it.

And toward the end of the deposition, I hear the magic words we'd like to reserve read and sign, which is great because sometimes they just actually, most of the time, they don't even bring it up.

And in New York, again, we're going back to the systemic New York problems.

But in New York, it's kind of like no one really, like, we don't necessarily bring it up if the attorneys don't bring it up.

And it's not really something that is emphasized, I guess.

Except recently I did work with a, with a client that actually, no, it was an agency.

And that agency asked me if they waived the read and sign because I didn't note anything about the read and sign.

I didn't include an errata sheet or a read and sign document paper at the end of the transcript.

So she asked, did they waive the read and sign?

So I just said, no, they didn't mention it at all.

So usually if they don't mention it, we just don't include that.

But for that specific agency, I guess it has to be mentioned.

So if they don't mention it, I would have to speak up.

But what happened?

This story that I'm talking about where at the end they said, we'd like to reserve a read in sign at that moment.

This was back in the day, you know, when remote proceedings were just starting to become more and more prevalent.

So they asked about read and sign.

And I'm like, okay, amazing.

I know exactly what to do.

So confidently, confidently, I say, okay, Council, if your witness would like to read and sign, I'll just need their email address so I can send that right over.

Silence.

Not a normal silence, that type of silence where you just can feel that something is wrong.

Yep, that silence.

And the attorney goes, why would you need my witness's personal email?

And immediately my brain sirens start going off in my brain, oh, no, no, no, no, no, we're in trouble now.

And he continues, you can send it to me, I'll forward it.

I'm like, yes, of course, absolutely.

That makes perfect sense.

I don't know why I said that.

I don't know why I even feeling like I don't even know why I exist right now.

So the lesson I learned is if they don't bring up read and sign, you don't bring it up.

So that's why I kind of got into that habit.

And then that recent agency that asked me if they had waived the read and sign caught me off guard.

But if they do bring it up, you do not assume how they want it handled.

You have to ask, would you like me to send it to you directly or.

Sorry, would you like me to send it to you or directly to the witness?

That's it.

Because what I thought was being proactive was actually stepping outside of my role.

And attorneys notice those things immediately.

Here's the next story.

The email that created a problem.

This one is even worse because I thought I was being efficient.

So early on I had this idea.

I was like, you know what?

Let me just collect the witnesses email

at the beginning of the depot so I don't forget later.

Because I always forget those things, the little details.

So I'm just going to be super proactive and just gather all the info in the beginning.

Genius, right?

Wrong.

So I say, could we also get the email of the witness so I can for the read and sign?

And the attorney goes, I wasn't planning on offering read and sign.

I'm like, oh, so now because I brought it up, now he feels like he has to offer it.

And I just created more work for everyone, including myself, for no reason.

So the lesson learned.

Do not introduce things that haven't been requested, even if you think you're being helpful.

Because in this job, helpful can quickly turn into you just complicated the entire proceeding.

All right, this one's pretty humbling.

So I joined a deposition.

I see the witness's name, Ryan, and without thinking, without pausing, without using any of my brain at all, I go, good morning, sir.

How are you?

And then the witness turns on her camera and goes, I'm good.

In a.

In a nice feminine voice.

And I'm like, oh, that's not a sir.

And then I just wanted to disappear from existence.

Lesson learned.

Never assume gender.

Never ever.

Not from the name, not from the voice, not from the zoom box, nothing.

Just say, good morning, counsel.

Good morning, witness.

Good morning.

Just good morning.

You don't have to say witness.

That's kind of weird.

Neutral, clean, and safe.

Because once you say it, you can't unsay it.

And some people really get so offended.

All right, the fourth story is the exhibit disaster waiting to happen.

Actually, this one didn't go wrong, but it almost did, and I caught it at the last second.

So the attorney was marking exhibits, moving quickly.

Exhibit one, exhibit two, exhibit three, everything's flowing.

And then the next one was he.

Let's mark exhibit five.

So I'm looking at my notes, and I'm like, wait, what about four?

Did he mean to do that?

And now I have a decision to make.

Do I stay quiet and fix it later, or do I speak up?

And I'm telling you, every instant, every instinct in your body will say, don't interrupt.

Don't say anything.

But I unmuted and said, council.

The last Exhibit marked was 3, so this would be 4.

I decided to take my chances on that one.

And he goes, oh, thank you.

Short, simple, done.

So the lesson I learned in that

one was speak up early, fix it in real time, because if you don't, you end up with two exhibit fours or just like a missing exhibit, a chain reaction of corrections.

I think actually what happened was they had already marked Exhibit 4 and they were asking, and then they were going to mark exit before we.

Yeah, that's what happened.

It wasn't that they skipped one.

I mean, this has happened multiple times.

And I always just, if I catch it, I, I stop them.

And honestly, I've never gotten in trouble for that one.

They always appreciate it.

So if you don't, you end up with two exhibit fours, a chain reaction of corrections, and then like a whole mess to fix later.

Confused attorneys and just like a transcript nightmare.

So trust me, they will not be happy if you try, if you want them to try to fix it later, or if you try to fix it later, it's going to be a huge mess.

So.

So in those situations, you want to speak up early.

All right, story number five, the zoom

mistake that nobody talks about.

This one is subtle, but it matters more than people realize.

So one time I had zoom, not, like, minimized, but I had my case cat on top of it.

So it was completely, almost completely covered because I'm like, I don't really need to look at them if I can hear them clearly, which was totally not like this was.

I've never done this again.

So that was wrong because there was a time that someone lost.

There was a time someone lost audio.

Someone was waving.

They were typing in the chat.

Like all this stuff was going on on the screen, but it wasn't actually audible.

So I'm just kind of oblivious to everything.

And then it just like, then suddenly someone's saying, like, reporter, reporter.

Like, hello, are you there?

Do you.

Do you see what's going on?

So what I always do.

And even, like, you have to keep it open because you have to be able to see who's talking.

So many times I've been like, misident, like, almost misidentified speakers and objections because I wasn't looking at the screen to see who spoke in that moment.

But, you know, so that's really important because sometimes voices don't sound distinct.

Sometimes they sound very similar to each other, and it's difficult to pick up on exactly who's speaking, especially when there are multiple.

Multiple Attorneys.

So what I always do is just

make it really small in the corner, like, on the side.

I'll put it as, like, a vertical bar where I can still see everyone, but they're just a little bit smaller.

And then casecat, I have on the rest of the screen so that I can monitor my writing in real time.

So the lesson learned, always keep zoom visible.

Always.

We are not just capturing words, but we're also managing the room, even if it's virtual.

All right, So, I mean, there are so many more things that I could probably think of.

I'm sure tomorrow I'll be thinking of

more things and I'll be like, oh,

my gosh, why didn't I include that?

But for now, if you take anything away from this episode, let it be this.

It's not the big, dramatic mistakes that get you.

It's the little ones, the ones that feel like I'm just helping.

I'm just.

I'll just say this quickly.

It's probably fine.

Those are the ones that come back later.

But the good news is you don't have to learn the hard way, because I already did it for you.

If you ever have a moment like this where you were like, I just wish I could redo that entire interaction, I'd love to hear it.

Because, honestly, those are the stories that make you and everyone else around you better, and they're the ones that nobody talks about enough.

And again, I want to say that I don't.

This episode is not intended to make you be on the edge and extra, extra, extra careful.

It's just, I just want to share my experiences so that you can have that knowledge in your toolkit going forward.

It's not so that you can be walking on eggshells all the time.

I'm all about making mistakes.

I think making mistakes are part of what shapes you into the amazing professional that you become.

Like, that's the best way to learn.

When you make a mistake and you experience the feeling that comes with that, you.

Something happens in your brain, in your neural pathways that helps you to really understand what's important, what's not important, what you should do and what you should never do again.

All right, quick update on the latest news in the court reporting industry.

The NCRA issued a press release posted by Global Newswire on March 19 just a couple days ago regarding the NCRA backed AI oversight bill receiving sponsorship, US Representative Hageman and US Senator Wicker and Welch introduce bipartisan and bicameral legislation to ensure the oversight of AI and ASR in the justice system research and oversight of AI and Courts act of 2026 would establish oversight mechanisms for these technologies used in judicial proceedings.

March 19, 2026 2:00 Eastern Time National Court Reporters association the NCRA Reston, Virginia March 19, 2026 Global Newswire National Court Reporters association, the country's leading organization representing stenographic court reporters, captioners and legal videographers, announced on March 19 that U.S. rep. Harriet Hageman from Wyoming and U.S. senators Roger Wicker from Mississippi and Peter Welch from Vermont have introduced the Research and Oversight of AI in Courts act of 2026, bipartisan and bicameral legislation backed by the association that would establish comprehensive oversight mechanisms for artificial intelligence, AI and automatic speak speech recognition technologies used in judicial proceedings.

The bill comes as courts nationwide are increasingly considering using AI powered and automatic speech recognition, transcription and recording systems, raising concerns about accuracy, security and the preservation of due process rights.

NCRA has been actively campaigning to inform the public about the impact of using these transcription technologies in the courtroom with the theme the Real AI Accuracy and Integrity.

NCRA President Cindy Isaacson, rpr, an official court reporter from Shawnee, Kansas, says, the integrity of our judicial system depends on accurate, secure and reliable court records.

As new technologies are integrated, we we must ensure proper oversight and accountability measures are in place.

Ncra, the leading organization representing court reporters, captioners and legal videographers, has raised concerns about the reliability of AI powered and automatic speech recognition court reporting systems.

The association argues that human court reporters remain essential for ensuring accuracy and maintaining the confidentiality of sensitive legal proceedings.

NCRA's executive director, Dave Wenhold, says court reporters undergo extensive training and certification to provide the precise, secure transcription services our justice system requires.

While technology continues to evolve, human expertise remains irreplaceable in capturing complete, complex legal proceedings.

The bipartisan and bicameral bill would also establish a task force comprised of judicial officers and court reporting professionals charged with investigating the consequences of AI and ASR technologies implemented in court systems.

That sounds like a cool job.

Recently, more than 70 members of NCRA who attended the association's leadership and legislative boot camp held in Alexandria, Virginia, met with their lawmakers and staff members to advocate for them to support the value of the stenographic profession by sponsoring and supporting the bill.

The bipartisan Collaboration on the Research and Oversight of potential AI in Courts act underscores the importance of ensuring accuracy and accountability in the judicial system across party lines.

The legislation now awaits committee assignment in the House of Representatives.

Rep. Hageman, a practicing attorney for 34 years before entering Congress, has been active in judicial reform legislation.

She earned her law degree from the University of Wyoming and served as a litigator for 34 years.

She currently serves on the Senate Judiciary Committee.

Earlier this month, she introduced the Fair Artificial Intelligence Realization.

Acronym is FAIR act to ensure federal AI systems operate truthfully and without bias.

Senator Roger Wicker, who serves on the Senate Commerce Committee, has been a vocal advocate for protecting judicial integrity and ensuring technological innovations serve justice rather than compromise it.

His committee service includes Chair of the Senate Armed Services Committee and senior Member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation.

Senator Peter Welch earned his Law degree in 1973 from University of California, Berkeley, before settling in White River Junction, Vermont, where he worked as a public defender before founding a small law practice.

He serves on the Senate Committee on the Judiciary and Ranking Member and as ranking member of its Subcommittee on the Constitution Court reporters and captioners rely on the latest technology to use stenographic machines to capture the spoken word and translate it into written text in real time.

These professionals work both in and out of the courtroom, recording legal cases and depositions, providing live captioning of events and assisting members of the deaf and hard of hearing communities with gaining access to information, entertainment, educational opportunities and more.

If you're looking for a career that is on the cutting edge of technology, offers the opportunity for work at home or abroad, like to write, enjoy helping others and are fast with your fingers, then the fields of court reporting and captioning are careers you can explore at NCRA discover steno.org the NCRA a Z Intro to Steno Machine Shorthand program is a free online six week introductory course.

It lets participants see if a career in court reporting or captioning would be a good choice for them.

The program is an introduction to stenographic theory and provides participants with the opportunity to learn the basics of writing on a steno machine.

There is no charge to take the course, but participants are required to have access to a steno machine or an iPad they can use to download.

Oh or an iPad they can use to download the stenopad app.

What is that?

Oh wow.

Oh my gosh.

I need to.

I need to look into that.

I didn't know that there was a steno Pad app.

That's awesome.

Okay, so to arrange an interview with a working court reporter, captioner, legal videographer, or a current student court reporting student, or to learn more about the lucrative and flexible court reporting or captioning professions and the many job opportunities currently available, contact prcra.org the U.S. bureau of Labor Statistics reports that court reporting field I'm sorry that the court reporting field is expected to be one of the fastest areas of projected employment growth across all occupations.

Career information about the court reporting profession, one of the leading career options that does not require a traditional four year degree can be found at ncraasdiscoversteno.org SAM.