Last week, our forum saw vibrant discussions centered around improving the tools and techniques for court reporters. Members shared insights on making real-time screens less daunting for newcomers, while others tackled the persistent issue of crosstalk during Zoom depositions. There was also a lively exchange about continuing education courses that enhance transcript accuracy, reflecting a shared commitment to professional development.
This Week’s Hot Topics
A calmer realtime screen for new reporters
This thread dives into strategies to make real-time screen displays less overwhelming for new reporters. It’s a valuable read for anyone mentoring fresh talent or looking to enhance their own setup. Read more here
Crosstalk headaches on Zoom depos
Dealing with overlapping speech in virtual depositions remains a challenge. This conversation explores practical solutions to reduce crosstalk, which could improve clarity and capture accuracy in remote settings. Read more here
CE courses that sharpen transcript precision
A discussion focused on the best continuing education courses that help court reporters refine their transcript precision. Perfect for those seeking to enhance their skills and keep up with industry standards. Read more here
Have a great week ahead, and feel free to jump into any discussions that catch your interest.
The one change that cut my Zoom crosstalk in half: I pre-brief counsel to use Zoom’s hold‑space push‑to‑talk for objections (enable “Press and hold Space to temporarily unmute” in Audio; how‑to: Using hot keys and keyboard shortcuts), which keeps one voice at a time — though iPad users need a quick mute/raise-hand workaround. Anyone else using this?
, crosstalk on Zoom drives me nuts — what’s helped is having counsel enable “Original sound for musicians” and turn off “Automatically adjust microphone volume” so Zoom stops ducking overlapping speakers… It’s a free, 30‑second tweak in Audio settings; I send them this link ahead of time: Changing audio settings during a Zoom meeting. Small caveat: you’ll hear a bit more room noise, but the overlaps make it into the record — worth it?
Ran into this on two Zoom depos last week — hosting, I keep only the examiner and witness unmuted and tell everyone else to use Raise Hand for objections. We add a simple “name, objection, two‑second pause” rule, which keeps the realtime screen sane; minor downside is it steals 30 seconds from the pre‑on‑record spiel.
Piggybacking on @cporter70, the thing that’s saved me when overlap still happens is enabling Zoom’s “Record a separate audio file for each participant.” It doesn’t fix real-time, but it let me clean up a messy expert depo last week fast; just make sure everyone’s okay with the setting beforehand.
When I sense overlap brewing, I ask the witness to dial in by phone for audio and stay on the laptop for video — phone lines tend to preserve two voices better than laptop mics fighting auto gain. I then merge/rename the phone participant to the witness’s name so the separate tracks stay tidy with @cporter70’s tip; downside is you lose HD, but clarity beats crosstalk.