Anybody who has ever learned shorthand has, at some stage, experienced the "speed plateau". It's not a nice place. No matter what you try, it seems you're stuck with a certain speed. We blame our hands (they just can't go faster), we blame our brains (it just can't go faster) we may even blame shorthand (why did I learn this lousy system in the first place). First things first. Plateaus with shorthand speed are natural. You'll get them in pretty much any activity you could think of - sprinting, piano playing or ping pong. I believe plateaus are where knowledge and skill consolidate, levelling and steadying the ground for further progress. The key is to use our plateaux as a srpingboard for the leaps forward we are about to make. If we don't do this, we run the risk of our plateaux becoming a rut. So what's the plan? Essentially, breaking out of a plateau is a two-fold process - consolidating what you know and pushing yourself onto pastures new similtaneously. Sound difficult? It needn't be. First, establish your maximum speed - the speed at which you can only just keep up with the speaker, where you only get down a hint of an ...

Creating online resources to help shorthand students get up to speed was a key talking point at the annual shorthand seminar run by the NCTJ in London, on June 6. Various exercises to make acquiring the essential journalism skill more accessible were discussed at the event, which drew together tutors, members of the NCTJ and its shorthand board, to share ideas and best practice, and enhance training. Making shorthand lessons and speed practice passages available online was a popular idea, allowing students to access these at any time, maximising the amount of practice they can do. The seminar, held at Bloomberg, in Finsbury Square, was the ideal opportunity for NCTJ chairman Kim Fletcher to present the two annual shorthand awards. The recipients were both graduates of the University of Sheffield’s MA in Newspaper Journalism. Lucy Ewing, 25, won the NCTJ Shorthand Award, for the best 110wpm shorthand note and transcription at 100 per cent accuracy, during the past academic year. Rick Burin, 24, was awarded the Harry Butler Award, for the best 100wpm shorthand note and transcription at 100 per cent accuracy. Lucy now works at the Bolton Evening News, and Rick at the Harrogate Advertiser. Each received a certificate and a cheque for £50. Presenting the awards, ...

So, you’ve mastered the basics of the Teeline alphabet and you’re starting to put it use. But how do you increase your speed from here? The key, at least at this stage in learning shorthand, lies in the use of blends. [caption id="attachment_125" align="left" width="150" caption="TR Blends in Teeline Shorthand. To enlarge click on the image"][/caption] Once you’ve mastered the main blends, you’ll see your speed jump considerably, and when you’re doing dictation exercises you’ll find yourself far more able to catch up with the narrator – especially if she is using a large number of the most common words. In this tutorial, we’ll be looking at the most common blends – DR and TR. Words using these letters are incredibly common – and once you’ve mastered the blend, you’ll come to realise just how common they are. First off, what do we mean by “blend”? In Teeline, we’re talking about the letters T and R or D and R appearing in the same word. Remember we leave out vowels in Teeline unless absolutely necessary, so you’d find the TR blend in words like “water”, “matter”, “letter” and “motorist” and DR blends in words like “draw”, “driver” and “wider”. How do we denote that there’s an ...

Common outlines for words or phrases are essential if you wish to see just how fast your Teeline can take you. To fully grasp the enormous range of special outlines available to you, I’d recommend getting a copy of the TEELINE GOLD WORD LIST. In the meantime, I hope what follows will give you some insight into the scope offered by special outlines. One of my favourite things about Teeline as a shorthand system is its inherent functionality. It is a “working” shorthand. By this I mean it seems to have developed organically, reflecting in its forms the very uses to which it is put. There’s no clearer example of this than the special outlines that exist in Teeline. [caption id="attachment_120" align="left" width="150" caption="Special Outlines in Teeline"][/caption] The Teeline system seems inherently suited for the creation of special outlines which reflect the uses this particular system is most often used for – journalism and, increasingly, secretarial work. As you will see on the right, many of these special outlines are for words or phrases that so often dominate the words and phrases used in official speech, words and phrases that are long and potentially damaging to overall shorthand speed without the ...

If you're learning shorthand, chances are you'll have to sit an exam at some stage (probably sooner rather than later). But don't worry, Shorthand World is here to cut out some of that exam trepidation with our handy guide to exams. The Build Up: 1. Find out exactly what the shorthand exam involves. Is it 2+2 (two minutes with 30 second pause followed by two minutes) or five minutes straight through? Once you know, practice to the format of the exam in the weeks leading up to it. 2. In the fortnight leading up to the shorthand exam, start using shorthand tapes or discs for 20-30 minutes each day to boost and test your speed (and get used to exam formats). (to purchase discs head over to the shop). 3. Ensure you have everything you'll need for the shorthand exam. Shorthand World strongly recommends getting a good pen. We love gel ink pens and find they can help add up to 5wpm to your shorthand speed. Try the bookstore for a comprehensive range of decent pens. Exam Day: 1. Sleep well the night before - go to bed early and avoid doing any shorthand the evening before. 2. Remember to check AND DOUBLE CHECK your transcriptions ...

Each year thousands of people sit in classrooms learning the fine art of shorthand. The courses they attend are prepared and executed by expert shorthand coaches. In turn, the students learn the theory of shorthand, they take their first tentative steps towards writing in this strange new script and then they sit an exam. All of a sudden the world welcomes in a new batch of shorthand practitioners. But could these same people have saved themselves hundreds of pounds in course fees and simply taught themselves? Obviously the answer could well be yes. There's a plethora of fabulous shorthand books out there which take would-be speed scribblers through their paces and produce some quality shorthand practitioners. And many excellent shorthand practitioners are entirely self-taught (indeed the founders of new shorthand systems had to learn and develop those systems and so qualify as being self-taught). So why bother attending a course? The starting point here is probably to look at what a taught course actually offers. With a tutor-in-person you get: Expert guidance and advice Someone you can ask questions of Someone who can flag up problems of technique Someone who can offer timed dictation exercises Other classmates with whom you can share tips and problems An external motivator A structured ...

Learning shorthand takes time, practice and dedication. To help you on your way, we've drawn together a general hitlist of tips drawn from the advice of some of shorthand's leading exponents. 1. Try short bursts at a higher speed than you think you're capable of. You won't keep up for long, but you will have proved you can do it, and next time, you'll stick at the speed for longer. 2. Use a good pen. The new generation of gel inks are excellent and very smooth flowing, making them ideal for shorthand. I like pencils, though they can drag across the page. 3. Keep your outlines accurate and as compact as possible - remember, gaps between outlines involve your writing hand moving, which takes time, which reduces speed. Generally, the closer your outlines, the less wasted movement, the higher the speed. 4. Try not to think between outlines, just hear and try and send signals to the ear straight to the hand 5. Learn outlines and shortcut outlines of words and key phrases (especially important in Teeline). It may sound detrimental to speed building, but writing accurately is better than scrawling something you won't be able to read later. Your mind will build speed ...

Like most things in life, flogging yourself to death without a purpose won't help you achieve your desired aim. And it's the same with shorthand. What follows is a quick guide for getting the mostout of the time you spend learning shorthand, whether it be Gregg, Teeline or Pitman. Follow these simple rules and you'll soon be on your way to shorthand success and should note a dramatic improvement in your shorthand learning. 1. Away from class you want to practice in focus bursts of 20 to 30 minutes every day. Don't do more - it will prove counter-productive and harm your motivation. Try and set a regular time for your practice - this is a good idea with all learning, not just shorthand! 2. Use a reporter's notebook with lined pages and keep it flat on your desk or table - don't fold the pages back on themselves. Its also a good idea to loosen each page of a new notebook as they are often compressed together when new.. 3. If you're right handed keep your left hand poised towards the bottom left corner of your shorthand notebook page to aid rapid turning of the page as you reach the end of the ...