CATalyst Workshop FAQs

Seating is limited, so advance registration is strongly advised. Our workshops tend to be very popular and some may be sold out several weeks in advance. (Stenograph recommends that you register for the workshop before making any non-refundable travel arrangements!)While we will be happy to register and seat “walk-ins” if the class is not sold out and if there are materials available, classes are frequently sold out and walk-ins may be turned away. The instructors cannot guarantee that they will be able to "make room" for last-minute attendees. Workbooks provided for the classes are only guaranteed available to those who have registered by the Monday before the first class.

While we will be happy to register and seat “walk-ins” if the class is not sold out and if there are materials available, classes are frequently sold out and walk-ins may be turned away. The instructors cannot guarantee that they will be able to "make room" for last-minute attendees. Workbooks provided for the classes are only guaranteed available to those who have registered by the Monday before the first class.

Stenograph limits class size to a maximum of 60 pre-registered attendees per class.  This enables us to ensure a high quality learning experience at the lowest possible cost for our workshop attendees.  Registration involves much more than simply providing a chair.  Each registered attendee requires an unimpeded view of the screen; sufficient table space on which to place a laptop computer and workbooks; access to a power outlet, food and beverages.  The courses have been designed to permit most questions from a class of this size or smaller to be asked and answered during the course of the class.  Plus, limiting the total group size ensures that each attendee can access the instructor for brief, individual questions before classes begin or during breaks between classes.  As we cannot guarantee that it would be possible to "add another chair" and offer the same quality experience for everyone who attends, we adhere to a firm limit on class size.

Plus, you can also choose to attend remotely, via GoToWebinar. Simply select the REMOTE option in registration and you will receive a link for each of the classes for which you register.

There are three options:

1) You can attend the class remotely, via GoToWebinar. Simply select the REMOTE option in registration and you will receive a link for each of the classes for which you register.

2) Send an email to training@stenograph.com with your name, email address, phone number with the location, date and class names for which you wanted to register and Stenograph will take care of adding you to the waiting list. You will be contacted if/when a cancellation makes a seat available.

3) If your need for CATalyst training is urgent and you do not want to wait to see if a seat becomes available, and you do not want to attend the workshop remotely, please contact one of the certified independent training agents listed here to arrange one or more in-person training sessions. If the nearest local agent is unavailable to provide you with in-person training, contact one of the certified independent training agents offering remote (live, interactive) CATalyst training via phone and Internet via an application sharing program.

We understand that many reporters have to carry their computer and writer with them all the time and would appreciate the option not to have to bring equipment if it isn’t strictly necessary; therefore all of the classes have been designed so that equipment is entirely optional and not required.

If you wish to bring your equipment, a computer is all that may be helpful for Friday classes; a computer and writer may be helpful for Saturday classes.

There will be at least one power strip per table, however to ensure you can conveniently plug in a laptop computer, we recommend you bring your own extension cord and power strip. 

IMPORTANT NOTE: Please be advised that due to the limited amount of time and in consideration for other attendees, the instructor will not be able to provide individual troubleshooting assistance for your equipment. If you are having any issue with your computer, your software, your peripherals (such as microphones, external drives, ports, sound cards, etc.), or have been experiencing any sort of technical issue, do not bring it to the workshop for the instructor to "take a quick look at it." Instead, please contact Technical Support before you attend a workshop so any/all issues can be resolved prior to attending a workshop.

We've questioned past workshop participants regarding their preferences and a majority indicated that they preferred to make their own arrangements rather than pay the increased prices that would be necessary if we included everything in a “package” including accommodations and transportation.

Complimentary snacks and beverages will be provided. Lunch is on your own.

No. Unlike national or state association meetings with hundreds of attendees, our workshops are small, local events and there are insufficient out-of-town attendees to enable Stenograph to negotiate reduced room rates and/or cost-effectively reserve a block of rooms. 

Hotel room availability at the venue is not guaranteed. If the venue is sold out and you need overnight accommodations, we recommend you visit your favorite travel site to locate a nearby facility. You can also send an email to training@stenograph.com for a list of other hotels near the workshop venue.

When you register, you’ll receive several emails in response. One is a confirmation email, to let you know we’ve received your registration information. Shortly thereafter, you’ll also receive one email for each class for which you registered, containing a second “registration” link that enrolls you online and enables you to connect to each class’s GoToWebinar link on the day of the workshop. 

On the day of the class, you will open your web browser and click the appropriate link to connect to the class, and watch the class.  A PDF version of the handout will also be sent to you. After  each  class, your attendance start and end times are automatically recorded, and if you included your NCRA ID Number in your registration information, we will take care of submitting those details to NCRA for national continuing education credit.  All remote attendees will also receive a “verification of attendance” PDF certificate that they can submit to a state agency to apply for continuing education credit, if needed.  (Note – The state of Louisiana does not permit earning continuing education credit remotely.)

1 class = $107
2 classes = $214
3 classes = $321
4 classes = $428

Your credit card will be charged immediately upon purhcase.

Promo codes are available for currently enrolled court reporting students and/or court reporting instructors who teach CATalyst. If that description fits you, send an email to training@stenograph.com with the name of the program where you are currently enrolled or where you teach and we will send you the appropriate promo codeto obtain the applicable discount.

Yes.  Before you register, send an email to training@stenograph.com with your customer number and the number of classes for which you plan to register.  We will respond with the appropriate promo code which will allow you to apply your vouchers to the total workshop price. (You can pay the balance with a credit card.)  If you register for the on-site workshops, you will be required to turn in your vouchers at the class.  If you register for remote workshops, you will be requested to mail the vouchers to the attention of Patty Smullen, STENOGRAPH, 596 W. Lamont Road, Elmhurst, IL  60126. When the vouchers have been received, we will send you emails with GoToWebinar links for each of the workshops for which you registered.

Based on feedback from past workshops, we have designed our CCATalyst classes to be helpful to as many CATalyst users as we can. Our attendees have many different jobs and backgrounds, come from many different levels of experience with CATalyst, and have many different needs as to skill development.  These courses have been designed to meet the widest possible range of needs. 

If you have viewed all of the Essential Skills Integrated Training Videos, completed all of the practice exercises in the Training User, and/or have read the Essential Skills Self-Study Guide and have some experience using CATalyst for transcript production, any/all of these classes are likely to be helpful.

We recommend that new-to-CATalyst users who do not yet have experience with transcript production using CATalyst seek personal, one-on-one basic skills training with a certified independent training agent prior to taking any of these workshop classes. All certified training agents are listed here. (Remember that you can also receive CEUs for training time spent with a certified independent training

You may find benefit from any of these classes. Please read the course descriptions and outlines carefully before deciding whether or not you would benefit from attending.

None of the features in CATalyst are particularly “advanced” or difficult – some features are simply more flexible and have more options and/or offer more opportunities for customization than others.  If you are primarily looking for help with customization (for example: setting up automatic indexing; creating a job report template; creating or modifying include files, or a developing a new layout) you will be better served by working individually with a certified independent training agent. All certified training agents are listed here.

If the nearest local agent is unable or unavailable to assist you, we recommend that you contact one of the certified independent training agents offering live, interactive CATalyst training via phone and Internet via an application sharing program.

The Friday classes (What’s New in Version 18, Plus… and Edit Tips and Tricks) will be beneficial to scopists as well as reporters.  Scopists are, of course, welcome to attend the Saturday classes and will likely find those to be interesting, but as those classes will focus on translation features, they will be more directly beneficial to reporters.

Any/all of the courses will be at least partly beneficial. Remember, though, that as with most learning, “use it or lose it” applies. A teacher or student may not be able to “use” some of these techniques or features immediately, because the “tips” are techniques that would apply to real-world transcript production vs. school exercises.

We have had many students and teachers attend each of our workshops, and based on statements made in their workshop evaluations, the majority have found the classes to be beneficial.

The classes are designed for reporters working in legal and government reporting, however, both Saturday classes feature techniques that may also be helpful to CART providers and/or captioners. 

Please note that the classes focus on CATalyst, not  CATalyst BCS.  If you would like additional training on =CATalyst BCS, please contact Pam Szcezcinski at pam@tutor4computers.com:  Pam is a certified independent training agent who offers in-person and remote BCS training services.

The course descriptions and outlines at the registration web site explain what topics will be covered at each of these classes. We're limited in the amount of material that can be covered in each class, so of course, not every CATalyst feature will be covered in the two days of these workshops.

If you need assistance learning a feature that is not covered in these workshops, please contact the nearest certified independent training agent or remote training provider; listed here.

Also, there are a number of training resources built into your software, including “Exceptional Extras” and Self-Study Guides on the most popular, requested topics (including audio, indexing, macros for realtime and edit, realtime features, speaker identification features and number conversion).

In each class, you’ll get a very detailed workbook which includes comprehensive “what is” and “how to” information for everything covered in that class.  So in addition to your in-class experience, you’ll have excellent reference resources so that you can take advantage of all of the class information when you’re back on-the-job, and need to apply that knowledge.

Everyone is welcome to attend our workshops, however, please understand that if you are not currently using  CATalyst Version 18 or planning to update, you will likely not get the same benefit as someone who is actively using the most current version of the software.  

Yes! You’re very welcome to attend. Someone who is not currently using  CATalyst might experience the CATalyst classes at these workshops as a very advanced and detailed demo of the software without a sales pitch. It will also give you a very clear idea as to how easy it is to learn the various functions in CATalyst.

We do not make arrangements for Internet access for workshop attendees. It is possible that Wi-Fi connection may be available at some sites; however there is no guarantee of service. Therefore, we recommend that you click Help, Check for Updates and update prior to attending the workshop.

You can earn .3 CEUs for each morning class, and .2 CEUs for each afternoon class.  You can earn 1.0 CEUs over the two days of classes. (For states that count credit in hours vs. CEUs, this would be up to 10 hours of credit.)

Stenograph will take care of all of the necessary documentation for NCRA; there are no additional forms or fees or any other steps for the attendee. When you register online for the workshop, your NCRA ID# will be requested, so that we can submit an application for credit for you after the last workshop.

Stenograph has applied for pre-approval from numerous states that require continuing education credit; however we cannot guarantee that the workshops will be pre-approved by every state. The instructor will provide you with a signed Verification of Attendance form at the end of your class that you can submit to any state board, council or association that requires proof of attendance (over and above your NCRA transcript). 

Yes – all attendees will receive a "Verification of Attendance Certificate" that can be used for any proof of attendance requirement.  Simply ask the instructor to sign the form after your last class, before you leave.

If you need more than one form (e.g. to submit to a state for credit as well as to an employer for proof of attendance), just inform the instructor when you sign in for your first class and an extra form will be provided at the workshop.

Cindi Lynch, Stenograph’s Training Program Manager is scheduled to be the instructor at all of the CATalyst 2017 Workshops. Cindi has trained thousands of court reporters, captioners, CART providers, scopists, teachers and students all over the English-speaking world on a variety of CAT and other software for machine shorthand professionals for more than 27 years.  Graduate of the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, she holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts.  She manages Stenograph's Certified Independent Training Agent Program, is the author of the eight  CATalyst Self-Study Guides and creator of the Exceptional Extras files and documents included with Case CATalyst. She wrote and programmed the Integrated Video Training video lessons and the Essential Skills course practice files included with  CATalyst. She is also the creator of the “Ask Cindi” video series and “Cindi’s Corner” tips feature on Stenograph’s Facebook page. Cindi is a primary online liaison for Stenograph on Facebook and at a variety of social media sites for court reporting professionals and students.  She is a two-time recipient of Stenograph’s President Award for dedication and commitment to customer service and Stenograph.

It’s possible (but not guaranteed) that the district sales manager and certified independent training agents from the local area may be in attendance and available to assist you as needed.

Quite probably!  Your instructor always has the newest writer at classes and you are welcome to play with that writer during breaks or after classes. If the district sales manager for the local area is able to attend the training event he or she typically brings a writer for demo purposes either before classes or during the breaks between classes

Selected cases and various accessories for your computer and writer will be offered at discounted prices for workshop attendees (for a limited time). You may order as many as you like. All ordered items will be shipped to you after the workshop. 

No, the use of audio recording and/or videotaping equipment is not permitted.

Please dress comfortably. It’s also a good idea to bring a sweater or jacket, as hotel room temperatures are frequently not under the control of the instructor!