What is a CDR's responsibility regarding witness demeanor during a deposition?

The key responsibility of a Certified Deposition Reporter (CDR) regarding witness demeanor during a deposition is to document the demeanor as it may be relevant. This means that while the CDR is responsible for accurately recording the spoken words of the witness, they also take note of non-verbal cues such as body language, tone of voice, and emotional reactions. These aspects can provide context to the testimony and may influence how the information is perceived in legal proceedings.

In legal settings, a witness's demeanor can play a significant role in understanding their reliability and the weight of their testimony. Therefore, careful documentation of a witness's behavior is important, even though the CDR's primary role is to create an accurate and impartial transcript of the deposition. This record of demeanor can be reviewed later by attorneys or the court to help assess the credibility of the witness and the impact of their testimony.

The other choices involve activities that either exceed the CDR's role—such as advising the witness on how to behave or evaluating the credibility of the witness—or are too narrow in focus by suggesting to concentrate solely on the content of the testimony without considering relevant contextual factors such as demeanor.