The ‘total communication’ began one cold rainy day; one I thought could not end soon enough. Cold in Texas here is low 40s. Yes, I know thousands will roll their eyes, but it was damp, cold and windy.

The lengthy work day was wrapping up when an email arrived from Francis Dobson.  As I read it, I burst out laughing. As Francis wrote ‘supplemental’ emails, she continued to share and to entertain my world.

On the third email, I requested to share in my column. I was impressed with her credentials and skills, never having seen such diversity.  Now I share with each of you and hope you are intrigued and impressed. Thank you, Frances, for sharing and communicating with me, your consumers and international peers.

“Some people have described me as a total communicator, because of my qualifications.  I, Francis Dobson, am certified in all the following:
 British Sign Language; Lipspeaking for lipreaders; Certified Court Reporter (Steno); Deafblind Interpreter (Manual and via a Steno Machine). Currently learning Braille and voice writing. I am the Honorary Secretary of the Association of Lipspeakers, www.lipspeaking.com I am the Head of the Qualifications and Standards Committee for the British Institute of Verbatim Reporters, www.bivr.org
 
My background is: I left school with no qualifications to my name because I was a musician talented to be accepted at the Royal College of Music where I studied piano, double bass, percussion and boys.  
 
My first job was working for the BBC as a musician, but I was working as a musician on the road before I left school.  Then I became a ‘rock chick’ on the road, bass guitar slung around my shoulders until I reached 40, when I thought I should change career.  Life begins at 40, so I learnt to drive.
 
Then I went to college and University and studied psychology, sociology, biology, English, Humanities, pumped iron every morning in one of those bodybuilder gyms, learning beading and quilting in the evening.  Then I thought I have to get a job, so I enrolled a secretarial course.  
 
After my studies at Pitmans College in London in word processing, typing, pen shorthand, bookkeeping, they showed me a steno machine.  I liked the machine, so I decided to go on and do a one-year course at the only school in the UK, Stenograph College, where I learnt the machine with people working at the Houses of Parliament.  That was the Thatcher period, and I was invited to see her in action at Prime Ministers question time at the House of Commons.  She is much shorter than you think and walks fast, like she is on castors.
 
After my course, I landed a job with Marten Walsh Cherer working at the Royal Courts of Justice, our Supreme Court.  Sadly, the firm lost the contract -- not my fault -- and I got a job working at Chelmsford Crown Court in Essex.  That was mainly criminal work, but it was top tier cases with murders wall to wall.  Again, very interesting work.  Stayed there perhaps a little too long, seven years, but I did become senior court reporter there.  Then I moved to a famous court in London where I was deputy senior court reporter.  The Old Bailey has not changed much since the days of Charles Dickens; there are mice in the shorthand writers room. I have written lots of high profile cases there and worked for the top Criminal Judge in the England.  
 
Then I started private work for the Royal Air Force, the Police, Vets, Law Society, Nurses, Press Conferences i.e., Robert Maxwell.  Again, all very interesting jobs, very good experience.  

I have never written a deposition, but I have attended one to observe how one should be handled with an American reporter over here.  I have also had a go at T.V. captioning, but not on air.  Way too dangerous looking at my dictionary.  I have every swear word and all the derivatives in there.  
 
In the last few years, I have realtimed live theatre captioning for people who are hearing impaired.  As you might glean from my communication qualifications, I am interested in people who for some reason or another have communication difficulties.  Technology interests me and all modes of communication.  

I have provided remote communication with a hand-tapper for deafblind people, Braille and a machine that enables people to access realtime and type with their eyes over the Internet.  
 
Today I have been working at Cambridge University with a 3rd Year student earning a History Degree. There are 30 deaf students at Cambridge University.  I have heard a few American accents there.  I am realtiming for a student who likes to have speech-to-text, as it is called over here, or CART as you know it, because he does not lip-read or sign very well. It is difficult for him to access seminars without communication support. I love working with people who are hearing impaired.  It is such a joy to have my shorthand skills appreciated.   
 
My ‘aims’ as a verbatim reporter is to do great realtime translations on any subject.  Well, I think that all boils down to being more efficient and effective, but I am much too busy to organize myself.  Fortunately, I am happy to be bullied by someone else who has got all that sorted and is a person I can trust.  That is where you come in.  
 
Your qualifications impress me. I have known about you for a long time.  I have been an associate member of the NCRA since 1991.  I hoard all the magazines, so you could say I have a file on you.  

We do not have any CART teachers in the UK, and I am trying to learn as much as I can from the American model.  I feel so guilty now for going on about myself.  Perhaps I should have ‘done’ the note-takers course.   
 
As you can see from my CRRBooks & CD order, I like spending money for Britain.  Sadly, people never put me in a position where I can make decisions about spending their money, but I will continue to promote the idea of verbatim reporters investing in sound knowledge and training experiences and taking responsibility for their own career development.  

My motives are as white as snow, and I do these things for the benefit of all.  There are no qualified machine shorthand teachers, no sound training schools, and everyone thinks they are ‘professional’ and right.  They are, of course, confident, but wrong because they can't all be right.  I have a strong sense of what is professional and right, and the Government agrees with me, so I think I might be more right than wrong.  I am old enough to have an opinion now, and argue my corner with supporting evidence.    
 
As usual, I am rushing around.  It's my birthday tomorrow, and our mothers are coming over today for dinner.  I am not available for my own birthday.  Must drag the Hoover out and give it a quick waltz around the floor.”

Monette:  Each day I work with talented professionals, instructors and students.  Francis Dobson is a fascinating person, truly a total communicator. After receiving her CDs and books, she emailed: “All set to rock and roll. WOW!  Who needs a ‘tele’ when you can have this much fun?” Francis may contacted at: frances.dobson@btinternet.com

About the Author:
Monette Benoit, B.B.A., CCR, CRI, CPE, is a JCR Contributing Editor for the National Court Reporters Association, NCRA, author of multiple books to include the state and national CSR, RPR, RMR ‘Written Knowledge Exam’ textbook, workbook, study guide, ‘CRRT WKT’ CD and the ‘CATapult Your Dictionary’ CD series. Books, CDs and articles may be referenced www.CRRbooks.com.

Monette is a consultant, realtime court reporter and CART provider. She teaches, tutors and coaches home-study students and professionals. Monette speaks to groups at state, national and international conventions about motivation, technology, expanding skills and Deaf, Oral Deaf, Hard of Hearing.

Monette may be reached at: www.CATapultdix.com, www.CRRbooks.com and www.ARTCS.com