Whenever I’m not busy with my duties as Training Program Manager at Stenograph, I’m frequently out taking pictures. Landscapes, sunsets, flora and fauna, night skies – I adore capturing and sharing a photograph that makes someone smile. Because I’m serious about this pursuit, I invested in good equipment (camera body, lenses, tripod, accessories) and software (Adobe Creative Cloud Photoshop and Lightroom). Like any skill, this isn’t something you just pick up and do: it requires learning and practice.

When I looked for training, I ran into the same problems that a lot of court reporters face in learning how to use their own equipment and software. There are a lot of training methods and content out there, and while many were fun and interesting, I couldn’t find any that were a good fit for what I needed. The more affordable options were not tailored to my personal needs, they were inconveniently scheduled, and often included information I didn’t need and couldn’t use. I enjoyed the video training, but often, the 5 minutes of information I needed was buried in a 90-minute presentation. Sound familiar?

Some friends suggested I check out photography groups on social media, as there were plenty of good people out there who were willing to answer questions. I tried that, but although it’s true that there were a few people who tried to be helpful, it was also true that everyone seemed to be competing, lack of knowledge was often greeted with impatience and judgmental commentary, and occasionally ugly sniping broke out. Bet that sounds familiar, too!

On a vacation a couple of years ago, my husband and I hired a photography guide and that was the best! It wasn’t inexpensive, but wow, was it worth it. It was an immersive experience. We were taken to the best spots and given specific advice to get the best shots. When I had trouble with anything I wanted to shoot – whether or not it was on the guide’s agenda – he could tell me exactly what to adjust to get the results I wanted. He clearly knew what he was doing and knew how to communicate to me, a beginner, and my husband, an experienced professional. I imagine that this experience was very similar to what a professional reporter or scopist enjoys when they hire a Stenograph Certified Independent Training Agent to work with them; it’s an absolutely outstanding experience.

But of course, a professional guide can’t hang out at home with me and help me with my everyday picture taking! Nor would I really want that: I don’t need someone constantly, just every once in a while when I have issues and questions. I’ve often thought how nice it would be if I could pay a service to have a consultant available on an on-call basis when I needed one; someone who took time to understand what I was trying to do, and who would be able to answer questions and focus on what I needed. I also would love to have a friendly, supportive, nonjudgmental community to lend me the benefit of their wisdom and experience! (Note: this isn’t tech support, there’s nothing wrong with my equipment or software; it’s training: I needed to know how to use it to get the results I wanted.)

This is why, when I created Ascend Training by Stenograph, I made it a place that I knew would meet this need. There were already a ton of methods by which people could learn their software; so why create one more? Because it fills the gap that isn’t available from any other method. It doesn’t take the place of the one-on-one training experience, or duplicate other classes or texts. It’s the place to go in between those times, where you can find the help you need, just when you need it, plus the support of colleagues who are only there for the same reason you are: to learn.

Here’s why Ascend Training by Stenograph is something I know you both need and want:

• The webinars and Live Q&A sessions are on topics that the members have requested.
• Each session is recorded so that members can watch them any time it’s convenient, and as many times as they want or need.
• Each video is accompanied by a time-referenced content guide. Like an index page in a transcript, this guide means you can go directly to the information that is important to you. You don’t have to sit through a whole video if you don’t need all of the information; you can fast forward to the spot that covers the specific topic you need.
• Everyone in the community is there specifically to learn, so you benefit from other members’ questions and the answers to those questions.
• You have access to an expert consultant that understands what you do, and who is willing to tailor the answer to your question to meet your needs.
• There are times when you don’t want to sit through a video; you just want to be able to read and reference information: articles on requested topics are regularly posted.
• There are quizzes on a monthly basis that enable you to test your own comprehension.
• When integrated Help or manuals don’t make a concept clear enough, it’s nice to be able to get the same information in a different form!

Ascend Training by Stenograph – the webinars, the Live Q&A sessions, the video recordings, the articles, weekly tips, and a diverse community of colleagues participating in a nonjudgmental, respectful space is available at a very reasonable price. For more information, visit https://www.stenograph.com/ascend today!