In a dinner conversation a Generation X friend casually stated that she was thinking of taking a course in Shorthand. “Shorthand,” I shot back? “I took that in high school a thousand years ago.”
Shorthand uses the phonetic sound of the speaker, meaning that you are recording the sounds of the speaker, not the English. Silent letters are omitted. Phrases are combined and over a period of time you learn to develop your own characters, phrases and shortcuts.
With all the new technology it boggles my mind that a 30-year-old would consider such an arcane way of writing. But wait, on second thought, there are enormous advantages to writing as fast as someone else talks (without the skills of a court reporter), quickly committing thoughts to paper, and having almost complete privacy on anything you’ve written in Shorthand.
In the last two years I’ve taken multiple Internet courses (Webinars). Taking notes has never been an issue, no matter how fast the instructor spoke. In addition, I find that listening and writing at the same time increases the memory curve by at least sixty percent.
Generally you write on only the left hand side of the paper, leaving the right side for additions, thoughts or corrections.
As a lefty, I often turn the legal pads upside down so the spine won’t interfere with my writing.
If you’re looking for a quick, practical method for taking accurate, efficient notes, consider Shorthand. It will be a handy skill you can carry with you!
(Deciphered) I hope that this post has given you some valuable information to consider using in the future.
To Our Massive Success,
Dar
February 9th, 2010 at 7:58 pm
Looking at my desk, reading the mess of notes,I can see that I need shorthand! I never thought of it! Great idea!
Linda G Cox´s last blog ..Create a Wonderful Life: fall in love with yourself
February 9th, 2010 at 8:48 pm
Thanks, my friend. It’s lots of fun and a handy life-long tool. You’d pick it up in no time flat:)
February 9th, 2010 at 11:30 pm
Darlene I must be the only woman my age that did not learn shorthand at school. I have always wished I had as my writing when I take notes is awful and much of the time I cannot read it later. Good to know it is still available. Sue
Sue Price´s last blog ..Residual Income
February 10th, 2010 at 8:25 am
Sue, The beauty of Shorthand is that 20 years later I can still pick up old notes and read them. Just Google Shorthand and you will see a lot of options to choose from.
February 10th, 2010 at 5:53 pm
Well I must also put my hand up as never having learned shorthand. There’s been times whilst taking notes in seminars etc I’ve wished I had
February 13th, 2010 at 5:33 am
Wow! I learn something all the time from you gal! You have the BEST ideas. Although I’m a rightie, my handwriting is painfully slow and tedious for me, so note taking while critical is not my favorite task. Today as I’ve developed wrist issues that’s even more of a problem. It’s great to know resources like this exist. Thanks for this awesome idea!
Kimberly
Kimberly Castleberry´s last blog ..Free Social Media Connect With Me Buttons
February 14th, 2010 at 7:35 pm
Hi Darlene
I am so impressed by people that can write in shorthand. It seems to be a dying art and one that i hope can stick around for the next generation. With all this technology, even some things never die: faxes, shorthand etc. They are just such good skills and i would love to know how to write in shorthand as my brain works quicker than my hand can keep up.
Thanks for the post Darlene
Cheers,
Matt
Matt Jones´s last blog ..5 Steps To Realising Your Goal – Part 2
February 15th, 2010 at 11:05 am
Hi Darlene,
Good post and video! I wish that I would have learned shorthand years ago. I come with an engineering background and we always wrote in upper-case letters. Talk about being slow taking notes! lol Dawn is my note taker and does an excellent job at it.
Dave and Dawn
Dave and Dawn´s last blog ..Jeff Olson’s The Slight Edge