Good Sense: a necessary practice in the Shorthand Speed Training.

Attachment: good_sense_a_necessary_practice

(by Waldir for
group greggshorthand)

 


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  1. Interesting!

    This is precisely the opposite of what I would expect. Is there no place for working on a dictation speed that is beyond my skill level?

    Seems like I would be building synapses on the parts I am getting. Maybe, the danger of building incorrect connections is more important.

  2. Of course you have to work beyond your skill level! How are you expected to progress if you don't get challenged? As I understand, the point that Prof. Cury is making is not to overdo it. There is no sense to challenge you to take a 150 wpm dictation when you cannot do 100 wpm. That's one of the reasons the speed building exercises are constructed in narrow ranges: 80-100 wpm, 90-110 wpm, etc. This is akin to lifting weights.

  3. I use to apply the following scheme (and it works!):

    1) The student practices many dictations of a certain speed. For example: dictations of 5 minutes at 60wpm.
    2) The student goes on practicing more dictations at 60wpm and one dictation of 1 minute at 65wpm is added.
    3) The student goes on practicing more dictations at 60wpm and more dictations of 1 minute at 65wpm.
    4)The student goes on practicing more dictations at 60wpm and begins practicing a dictation of 2 minutes at 65wpm.
    5)The student goes on practicing more dictations at 60wpm and begins practicing dictations of 3 minutes at 65wpm.
    6) The student goes on practicing more dictations at 60wpm and begins practicing dictations of 4 minutes at 65wpm.
    7) The student goes on practicing more dictations at 60wpm and begins practicing dictations of 5 minutes at 65wpm.
    8) When the student reaches this point – of 5 minutes at 65wpm (and has proved, through tests, that he is very good at 60wpm (the synapses were created to that speed), he goes on practicing dictations at 65wpm and then one dictation of 1 minute at the speed of 70wpm.

    That is, in my opinion, a very good, a very effective scheme, that produces the result that is intended: speed building without trauma, without the harmful effects that a training overload would certainly cause, including the giving up of the student and the false sense of incompetence for shorthand.
    Others schemes will certainly work if used with good sense.

  4. A question about speed training:

    Last Monday, I began to practice for improving my speed.
    I took a text, I did marks every 30 seconds and then I recorded myself dictating the text for 5 minutes.
    I started at 95 wpm. It was an almost known text to me.

    I took a completely new text, and recorded it at 98 wpm… I couldn't do it, I couldn't follow the dictation; I guess I lost almost 30% of the text (that's too much). So, I slowly wrote the whole text in shorthand, paying attention in every stroke. Then, I resumed the dictation and reached almost 100% of the text.

    1st q: Is it normal to lose so many words when a new text is dictated?
    2nd q: If "1st q" is true, then, how do reporters deal with that?
    Any comments would be appreciatted.

  5. A question about speed training:

    Last Monday, I began to practice for improving my speed.
    I took a text, I did marks every 30 seconds and then I recorded myself dictating the text for 5 minutes.
    I started at 95 wpm. It was an almost known text to me.

    I took a completely new text, and recorded it at 98 wpm… I couldn't do it, I couldn't follow the dictation; I guess I lost almost 30% of the text (that's too much). So, I slowly wrote the whole text in shorthand, paying attention in every stroke. Then, I resumed the dictation at reached almost 100% of the text.

    1st q: Is it normal to lose so many words when a new text is dictated?
    2nd q: If "1st q" is true, then, how reporters deal with it?
    Any comments would be appreciatted.

  6. My guess is that you didn't do a preview of the shorthand for the new passage, correct? If so, then yes, you will loose words. If you previewed the shorthand, then the speed is too fast.

    When learning, you need to do previous. This is considered learning, because you're expanding your vocabulary. The way to deal with an unknown word during dictation is to write whatever comes to mind, then correct your notes afterwards.

  7. Very little is new to fully-trained reporters. They don't need to preview because they've already seen just about everything many times before. They can take dictation faster than normal speech, so on the rare occasion when a new word appears, they can go a bit slower and still catch up. During training, they've become used to seeing new words, so they're used to doing that.

    IIRC, even fully trained reporters like to look over the preliminary documents before a case, to preview names, places and technical terms. One article describes a new secretary who took home her employer's catalog and previewed all the products, then did the same for the competitors' catalogs. They don't need to, but it makes the actual dictation easier.

  8. Question:

    I'm about half-way through the theory. I can take passages from the chapter cold at 40wpm at 95% accuracy and with practice push to 60wpm fairly easily.

    Most of the passages in the book are about 80-150 words (1-3 minutes). Should I combine them to make longer passages, or keep working at each passage on its own? The last few passages in the book (GSF2) are the same length. By then, that will be under a minute per passage.

  9. I wouldn't make longer passages until you can write the selections of the Simplified book easily and without effort at 60 wpm. That's the minimum you should be at when you finish that book. The longer passages come later with the speed building books.

  10. So it's not being too easy on myself? Yay!

    I'll keep with the current system (cold 40, drill to 60) till I'm done the theory, use the appendix to build y cold speed to 60, then work on length with the next book.

    (In other news, Dtr prefers I stay with the other parents and watch karate class rather than drive to the library for shorthand practice. Christmas knitting is pulling ahead, shorthand once again falling behind. 2 nights a week was nice while it lasted.)

  11. I worked as a parliamentary reporter for 35 years. When I began working, there were no tape recorders to help us. We were 40 reporters and worked in pairs: two reporters writing down in shorthand the same part of a speech. We worked in turns of five minutes each.
    To be admitted as a parliamentary reporter, one should sit an examination in shorthand (also in Portuguese and typewriting).
    When working as a parliamentary reporter, I used to practice shorthand speed at home – every day. That was a habit I acquired: after breakfast, one hour of practicing shorthand dictations and repeating many times the difficult words.
    The habit was so deep-rooted, that I became frustrated the day I could not do it.
    I did so because I was (and I always have been) convinced that a parliamentary reporter is like a musician. He must practice every day in order to be proficient.
    I had so to say two important ways of practicing shorthand: at work and at home.
    A parliamentary reporter, as well as a court reporter or any other professional reporter should practice shorthand (and most of all the difficult words) everyday to be in good trim.
    In much the same way, one who wants to make good progress in shorthand speed should practice everyday (rain or shine) – methodically, religiously and, most of all, with enthusiasm (that “internal fire” the Greeks talked about).

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