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Feature releases, updates, inspiring stories, and productivity tips & tricks.

The Idea of Stenovate:  Where it All Began

The Idea of Stenovate: Where it All Began

What is Stenovate? Before we begin discussing how and why Stenovate came about, let's briefly define what Stenovate is. Stenovate is an online platform designed specifically for transcript professionals – court reporters, scopists, and proofreaders – to organize...

How to Write a Job Post to Find the Right Scopists and Proofreaders

How to Write a Job Post to Find the Right Scopists and Proofreaders

As a court reporter, finding the right scopists and proofreaders is essential for saving tons of time, increasing your reporter income, and ultimately keeping your sanity. However, creating the perfect job post to attract the right candidates can be tricky. All too...

Tripod vs. Lap Desk Showdown: Who Will Win?

Tripod vs. Lap Desk Showdown: Who Will Win?

As a court reporter or stenographer, you know the importance of having the right equipment.  Whether in the courtroom, at a deposition, or reporting from home, finding the ideal setup can be crucial for your long-term, overall physical health.  While steno machines...

What’s up with those bossy stenographers?

What’s up with those bossy stenographers?

Have you ever noticed a stenographer (court reporter) being a little..."bossy"?  Whenever people begin to speak at once in the courtroom or during a deposition, the stenographer is quick to intervene and remind them to speak clearly and slowly.  But why is that? ...

How Stenographers Type Faster Than the Speed of Speech

How Stenographers Type Faster Than the Speed of Speech

Have you ever wondered how stenographers, also known as court reporters, can write (type) so incredibly fast?  How do they manage to capture every word uttered during a court proceeding or a deposition without missing a beat?  It’s no small feat, and it takes...

Guilt-Free Massages for Court Reporters

Guilt-Free Massages for Court Reporters

Have you ever noticed during a work comp deposition that your back hurts because the witness keeps talking about how much their back hurts?! Pain can be quite distracting and uncomfortable, which are just two reasons to schedule some self-care!  Let's take a closer...

5 Ways to Grow your Freelance Scoping Business

5 Ways to Grow your Freelance Scoping Business

New to scoping and looking to get more clients? Or perhaps you’re a seasoned scopist just looking to increase profits and make some more money? Here at Stenovate, we are all about helping you be the best scopist you can be! We’ve put together our top 5 tips on how...

Fantastic Scopists and Proofreaders and Where to Find Them

Fantastic Scopists and Proofreaders and Where to Find Them

Finding the perfect scopists and proofreaders may feel like a daunting task.  Luckily, Stenovate has the resources to help you find them!   Is My "Perfect Match" Out There?   Most of the time when someone is asked if they use a scopist, they’ll say one of...

Sleep. How to do it better. 😴

Sleep. How to do it better. 😴

Tired of counting sheep?  Here are some of Stenovate’s top tips on how to catch some more Zzzs (and how to make some more money too! 💸💸💸)   Why Are We Talking About Sleep?   Scientists aren’t really sure why we sleep, but they do know that it...

Why You Should Join a Professional Organization

Why You Should Join a Professional Organization

We’re often told that “membership has its privileges” (see: AmEx marketing) but many times we find that we’re hard-pressed to see them. “What have you done for me lately” issues often lead our thinking.    Here’s a primer on what membership in a...

What Your Rate Sheet Says About You

What Your Rate Sheet Says About You

Scopists & Proofreaders. This one's for you!    Having trouble getting long-term reporter clients? Get a lot of inquiries but nothing more? Let’s take a closer look at your rate sheet and see if this is what’s scaring potential clients away!   5 Key...

Preparing to Work with Scopists & Proofreaders

Preparing to Work with Scopists & Proofreaders

We know that starting a new scoping or proofing relationship can be scary. But with a little preparation, you CAN start to understand and communicate your expectations.   Now, this isn’t the first time we’ve talked about How to Find, Vet, and Hire Scopists...

Overcoming the Fear of Working with Scopists & Proofreaders

Overcoming the Fear of Working with Scopists & Proofreaders

Are you nervous about using a scopist or proofreader?  There’s no doubt about it.  You’re definitely not alone.    Relinquishing Control 😱   Our small Stenovate team fully understands that many reporters prefer to do their own work because –...

The Court Reporter Panic Post

The Court Reporter Panic Post

If you’ve explored a forum that is designated to connect court reporters with scopists and proofreaders, you’ve likely encountered a post that reads something like this: “HELP!  I need a [scopist or proofreader] on [insert CAT software here] for a 300-page...

Changing Your Work Paradigm: Be Willing to Let Go

Changing Your Work Paradigm: Be Willing to Let Go

Let it go!  Let it go!  (We’ve all got the song in our heads now, don’t we?  Sorry!) Is the thought of letting a scopist look at your raw, unedited writing...comfortable?  A little scary?  Or maybe even downright terrifying?  Well, guess what? You were...

Court Reporter Shortage: Bridging the Gap

Court Reporter Shortage: Bridging the Gap

Every stenographer, scopist, and proofreader knows about the court reporting shortage…unless you’ve literally been living under a rock without Internet.  And it would be really hard to do our jobs without the lnternet.  You’ve likely heard about the Ducker...

What Just Happened in Texas?

What Just Happened in Texas?

Something pretty magical just happened in Texas last week. Court Reporters finally got someone to listen to their concerns about “low-cost digital alternatives.”  The Backstory Texas is a licensure state, and its reporters are governed by the JBCC which...

The Fearless Stenographers Conference RECAP!

The Fearless Stenographers Conference RECAP!

Shaunise Day, steno advocate and event planner extraordinaire, hosted one of the most remarkable steno-centric events we’ve seen in the last decade.  If you’ve ever attended a multi-day conference, you know there is a LOT to organize. She almost single-handedly,...

Raising the Bar with Ratings & Reviews

Raising the Bar with Ratings & Reviews

When you are browsing Amazon for Christmas gifts or planning a vacation and looking at hotels and restaurants, what’s the first thing you look at?   The reviews, of course!  Ratings and reviews dramatically improve the likelihood that you’ll be satisfied with...

Court Reporter Tips for Managing Scopists and Proofreaders

Court Reporter Tips for Managing Scopists and Proofreaders

So you’ve built your dream team. You found a scopist and proofreader ready to help you get more done and grow your transcript business.  Now it’s time to switch gears from hiring to managing so that you can build winning partnerships with your transcript...

How to Find, Vet, and Hire Scopists and Proofreaders

How to Find, Vet, and Hire Scopists and Proofreaders

The next time you pull an all-nighter to finish a surprise expedite, you’re going to wish you had a transcript team What’s a transcript team?  It’s you (the court reporter) and your go-to scopist and proofreader.  These teammates are invaluable — and they...

How to Crush Expedites with Confidence in 4 Steps

How to Crush Expedites with Confidence in 4 Steps

Years ago, as a new court reporter, nothing raised my blood pressure more than a surprise expedite.  I’ll never forget my first BIG, scary job — a heated doctor deposition. Not only was the medical jargon flying faster than 225 words per minute, but the...

Lesson 7: How to Beat Procrastination… For Good!

Lesson 7: How to Beat Procrastination… For Good!

Picture this: It’s mid-morning and you sit down at your desk with a big, hot cup of coffee.  The sun is shining through your office window. You boot up your computer, ready to knock out your first task: Scope yesterday’s transcript. But instead of opening up your...

Time Management Lesson 6: The Art of Delegation

Time Management Lesson 6: The Art of Delegation

Court reporters are like unicorns.  Powerful. Magical. Rare. Your skills are in high demand and in short supply. You graduated from a rigorous training program. You’re constantly building your dictionary and improving your skills. You basically keep the entire US...

Lesson 4: Protect Your Time by Setting Boundaries

Lesson 4: Protect Your Time by Setting Boundaries

Barbara Corcoran — the famous real estate investor and ‘Shark’ on ABC’s Shark Tank — has learned hard-fought lessons about time management.  “Years ago, I gave my time away to just about anyone,” she said in an interview with Entrepreneur Magazine....

Lesson 3:  Scheduling & Planning for Court Reporters

Lesson 3: Scheduling & Planning for Court Reporters

Welcome to Lesson 3 of Time Management for Transcript Pros! Who knew a simple calendar trick could change your life? Get More Done with Time Blocking.   “Either you control your calendar, or it controls you.”  In the last two lessons, we learned how to set...

Lesson 2: How to Prioritize Like Oprah and Eisenhower

Lesson 2: How to Prioritize Like Oprah and Eisenhower

Welcome to Lesson 2: Prioritization for Transcript Professionals! Today, we'll learn how to use a simple tool that keeps us focused on our most important tasks: The Eisenhower Matrix     What do you, Oprah Winfrey, and President Dwight D. Eisenhower have in...

Time Management Lesson 1:  Setting (and Crushing) Goals

Time Management Lesson 1: Setting (and Crushing) Goals

Welcome to Stenovate's Master eCourse on Time Management for Transcript Professionals!  In this first lesson, we'll lay the foundation for successful time management: Setting Goals   Nothing feels better than CRUSHING your goals. But sometimes we get...

3 Productivity Tips to Grow Your Transcript Business

3 Productivity Tips to Grow Your Transcript Business

Ever have those days where you feel more like a firefighter than a transcript professional? Running around from crisis to crisis, you put out fires while new ones ignite. You're working more, earning less, burning out, and spending less time doing things you love....

Court Reporting: The Sexiest Underrated Job in America

Court Reporting: The Sexiest Underrated Job in America

We’ve all heard about the court reporting shortage. Youngins aren’t rushing off to court reporting school like they used to. But why? The debate rages on, but at the end of the day, it boils down to a simple fact: People don’t think court reporting is sexy....

An Important Message About Stenovate’s Launch

An Important Message About Stenovate’s Launch

To say, "We live in interesting times," is a massive understatement. For reasons I am about to share, we must temporarily postpone Stenovate's public beta launch. It breaks my heart to deliver this news. You have been part of the Stenovate journey from the beginning,...

NEW! Progress

NEW! Progress

After reviewing the brand new Transcript Dashboard, you know that you have access to a complete picture of your workload and progress at a single glance. (Yaaaay!) Diving a little deeper, every transcript has a "Workspace" with great tools for you and your teammates....

NEW! Transcript Dashboard

NEW! Transcript Dashboard

You need a transcript dashboard. Let us explain. We know you have your own system for organizing your transcript-based business, but here’s the thing: You’re working too hard to keep it all straight, and it’s slowing you down! Believe us when we say we have no...

NEW!  Files

NEW! Files

We’re just going to come out and say it. For transcript professionals, Stenovate kicks Dropbox’s boo-tay in storing files for several reasons. Yes, you heard me. I said we’re better than Dropbox (and just as secure) because Stenovate is specifically built for...

NEW!  Network

NEW! Network

Find Yourself a Dream Team…without Facebook! Some reporters have found their dream team of scopists and proofreaders, and others are still searching for their wordy and witty matches made in heaven. There’s a reason why the most popular Facebook groups for...

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