Let's say, hypothetically, that I got a surprise assignment today to take down a meeting in a higher office. Say too, that they need a verbatim transcription (thank God for the tape), but it occurs to me that I don't have a guideline for deciding what information is pertinent. Some things should obviously be excluded from the record, like a speaker asking me if he should speak more slowly, but others, I am not so sure about. Perhaps our resident stenotypists, trained in court reporting, could help me out. Here are some situations—include or omit?
1. A participant accidentally alluded to something which apparantly was not supposed to be alluded to, and I was asked not to include it. (a) Do I include it? (b) Do I include them asking me not to include it?
2. A break was taken to secure additional documentation, during which some pertinent discussion continued. There I was with my pen, so I kept writing, naturally.
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