February 28, 2002

I Want to Learn Shorthand

I'm sort of the designated note-taker around my office. This is mostly because I have a tendency to write down things people say during meetings that, when taken out of context, are mildly amusing. I'd give examples, but most of them involve people with more important jobs than mine saying silly things. So just take my word for it that after big meetings, people tend to cluster around my desk so I can read them quotes from the meeting they were just at.

The other kind of note-taking is the more direct "Sitting in a meeting and writing down what people say" variety. That frequently drags me into meetings where I don't, strictly speaking, belong. People who are more important, or at least have more decision-making power, sit around and bicker with each other while I record the discussion for future generations. This gives me a lot of secret power, because if I happened to think one of the sides of the argument is foolish, it wouldn't take a great deal of effort to slant quotes a certain direction.

I don't really do that (as far as anyone knows); I take fairly accurate notes. The only editorial control I exercise is that when people start repeating themselves, I take a break. And sometimes, people have to make a really good point if they expect me to start a new page for them. The problem, though, is that I don't know enough about note-taking. Right now, I'm relying basically on a good memory and a fast hand. And on the fact that no one really notices if I'm quoting them accurately as long as I get it mostly right.

But I keep thinking I should learn how to take proper notes. And as it happens, there's a time-tested system: Gregg Shorthand. You know, like sassy secretaries in 40s movies use. Somewhat to my surprise, it's still in use. I think. Well, I know they're still selling books on it and it's technically what steno pads are supposed to be used for. So I assume there are people using it.

the main reason I want to learn it is to become better at my job, albeit a fairly tangential part of it. But also, I don't like being bad at things. If I'm going to be taking notes, I want to take professional notes, darn it. In general, I want to either not do something or do it fairly well. Also, shorthand seems like the quirky sort of skill that it couldn't hurt to learn. I mean, I'm not a secretary, but you never know when the random finger of corporate layoffs will descend upon me, and it seems like it might be a good idea to have extra things to put on my resume.

Also, shorthand is a lot like knowing a secret language. And that's obviously just cool.

So I think I'm going to get myself a shorthand book. That's normally what I do when I decide I want a new skill, and it doesn't always work out. It was a lot of work to learn to ride a unicycle by reading a book, for example. Some things don't really lend themselves to book-learnin'. Although shorthand should work out okay. I see that the most recent edition of the Gregg Shorthand Manual still has the old pictures, which I approve of. Although I think I can save money and get it used, which might mean that I could get a cool old book, which is always a plus.

Also, nobody at work knows shorthand. Like, at all. So if I get tired, I could probably just put random doodles on a page and convince people I was working.

Hey Bud! I mean Monty! You are so cool!!! My name is Letha and I live in Rye, Colorado. I have used my shorthand for over 30 years. I have 4 diaries all full of nothing but shorthand. Be careful when you try choosing a shorthand to learn. With Gregg Shorthand, there are many versions: Pre-Anniversary, Anniversary (50 yrs), Gregg Simplified, Diamond Jubilee Series (75 yrs), 90 Series and the Gregg Centennial. You might think the Centennial version is best but it takes longer to write because so many of the brief forms were done away with. Brief forms, abbreviations, word beginning and word endings speed up your shorthand writing skills. The Diamond Jubilee and 90 Series are easiest to learn. The 90 Series takes a little longer because most words are written out instead of abbreviated and again, some of the brief forms have been deleted. I know, because I just finished 2 Gregg Shorthand online courses and neither of them were the Diamond Jubilee Series I learned in high school. Don't get me wrong, I was able to read, write and complete all the tests just fine. It just seemed the long way around. Diamond Jubilee is much faster and more accurate in my opinion. Gregg Simplified is ok but has a huge memory load in order to use it efficiently. Any of the versions prior to the Diamond Jubilee will require you to memorize more brief forms, word beginnings and endings, more abbreviations, etc... It could take a serious person, quick of learning, a good year to master everything. In less than a month, you could learn Gregg Shorthand, Diamond Jubilee Series and be already using it on your different dictation jobs. In 3 months you would have mastered it as long as you practice faithfully. And, believe me, practicing is pretty fun! If you're determined, you will make it happen! Go to Universalclass.com and sign up for the Gregg Shorthand class as well as the Shorthand Refresher class. This will give you an excellent learning concept of the Gregg Shorthand, 90 Series. I am in the process of creating the Gregg Shorthand, Diamond Jubilee Series course using Universalclass.com's teaching online capabilities. I will not be finished with it for another month. So, in the meantime, check out the 90 Series shorthand classes taught by Ms. Tracy Farnsworth. They run about $20-$30 each. Check it out and see if this is what you are looking for. I use my shorthand everyday even just for phone messages. If you'd like, I would even agree to write you shorthand lessons in the mail or just to have you as my shorthand pen-pal. I promise you, you will love Gregg Shorthand. There is nothing like it. I can sit at my kitchen table and write my thoughts, to-do-list, whatever and no one in the family can see my feelings/emotions, thoughts, concerns. No one's feelings can get hurt because they cannot read what I doodle! And, when I really like a song on the radio or a CD? I get all the words, everytime; especially since some songs you have to wait for the music to pass! I'm going to end this email since I want to read more about you. Bye. Ms. Letha Kay

Posted by: Letha Kay Sanders at August 6, 2003 01:38 PM

Oh my goodness. Why anyone would want to go backwards to learn and ancient, obsolete, archaic, dinosaur of a skill like shorthand is beyond me. I learned it in highschool 30 years ago. In today's NEED IT NOW, WANT IT NOW office, where overnight mail, email, hand deliveries and faxes are as abundant as the amount of "bosses" that a secretary will "support" (as it is called these days), shorthand has all but disappeared, and thank God. That is to say, it has disappeared and been replaced with hand-held dictating machines that can be used any place, any time, even in the gym while you're taking a walk on the treadmill. Shorthand is not only an intrusion to today's secretary, but it is a real time waster. To sit and write down every pearl of wisdom that falls from someone's lips, then to run to the computer and basically do that work over again, reinvent the wheel on virtual paper so to speak, is a ridiculous waste of time taking into consideration that there is more than likely a stack of work from the other "bosses" that has to get out the door. Having your secretary sit with you while you pontificate is a true luxury. I for one, am glad it has died a tortured death so I can get on with getting the work done...instead of wasting my time, pen in hand, basically doing the work...twice.

Posted by: DC at October 10, 2003 12:29 PM

Oh my goodness. Why anyone would want to go backwards to learn an ancient, obsolete, archaic, dinosaur of a skill like shorthand is beyond me. I learned it in highschool 30 years ago. In today's NEED IT NOW, WANT IT NOW office, where overnight mail, email, hand deliveries and faxes are as abundant as the amount of "bosses" that a secretary will "support" (as it is called these days), shorthand has all but disappeared, and thank God. That is to say, it has disappeared and been replaced with hand-held dictating machines that can be used any place, any time, even in the gym while you're taking a walk on the treadmill. Shorthand is not only an intrusion to today's secretary, but it is a real time waster. To sit and write down every pearl of wisdom that falls from someone's lips, then to run to the computer and basically do that work over again, reinvent the wheel on virtual paper so to speak, is a ridiculous waste of time taking into consideration that there is more than likely a stack of work from the other "bosses" that has to get out the door. Having your secretary sit with you while you pontificate is a true luxury. I for one, am glad it has died a tortured death so I can get on with getting the work done...instead of wasting my time, pen in hand, basically doing the work...twice.

Ummmm...do you get the irony of the double post? Actually, I caught a typo in the first line where "and" should have been "an". Alas, I was typing on one of those dread ergonomic keyboards where my fingers kept tripping over themselves. I wasn't at my own desk; no - I asked for reassignment. As I simultaneously write/read my own words, I sense my own anger? resentment? of my self-caused predicament. Was it really self-caused or was it the result of some circumstances beyond my control causing me to take action and make my own fate? Yea, it was THAT. The LATTER. Also, I realize I'm replying to an entry in a journal that is soooo old, probably no one will ever come across it, lest they type "shorthand" into a search engine and wade through screen after screen looking for something, anything, that will prove once and for all...shorthand does not a good secretary make. Yea, I can take shorthand. Will I? NO NO NO. See the entry above and you'll learn why. So long for now all in internetland. Dear Monty, you seem like a cool fella and I've "favorited" your site. Take care and adios.

Posted by: DC at October 10, 2003 07:16 PM

I took shorthand in high school and was pretty good. Well to tell the truth that was 20 years ago. Now I work for a boss who accepts the fact that I can take really quick long hand, remembering some of the character...."dear sir", "enclosed"..etc...but I really want to brush up so I dont have to keep saying to him while he's on a train of thought...."hold on"....

Posted by: Cyndie at October 15, 2003 07:40 PM

Well, I have atrocious handwriting and always type because it's much faster and I can take detailed notes. Due to my overdependence on the computer, I have no memory whatsoever, but I am between foldable keyboards on my clie handheld, yet still have to talk to people and remember what they say. Which explains why I thought shorthand would be useful, and searched google, and clicked this, the first result! I remain unconvinced of its non-utility.

Posted by: cak at October 30, 2003 11:44 AM

I am about to start law school in the fall. I would like to learn shorthand for those days when I may not have my laptop with me. Does anyone think this will be helpful?

Posted by: D at November 19, 2003 09:20 AM

I am searching for books on Shorthand so that I may teach myself. I found an old set of books in the local library but they are out of print and haven't been able to find a copy to purchase. It was not the Gregg system of shorthand. This system was more longhand and based on phonetic alphabet. After searching the internet, it seems Gregg is the only system out there. I wonder if anyone uses (or has used) anything else? I welcome e-mails and would like to hear from others about their experiences with Shorthand. The Gregg system looks strange to me as I doubt my artistic ability to draw the correct symbols, etc. This is why I was so happy to have found the other books that involved more writting and only a few symbols for phonetic sounds, prefixes, endings, etc. Thank you for posting this website and all the information within! I love to hear from people.

Posted by: Carol Dietz at December 2, 2003 12:57 PM

Personally, I am a Gregg Shorthand Simplified writer. I have been so for less than six months, however, I am getting better at it as the days go on. :) Gregg shorthand is certainly wonderful and, in my opinion, easier than longhand. It is excellent for note privacy, as well as note speed, of course. It is much faster to write "I have not been able" in that one phrase stroke in shorthand than to write it out in full, for instance. I love this series of shorthand. It isn't as abridged as Diamond Jubilee or Series 90, but is certainly easier than anniversary and pre-anniversary. It is a comfortable system as far as I have used it, and few who learn it efficiently ever regret it. Gregg is also quite beautiful.

There are other systems out there, but few are half as natural as Gregg. Pitman shorthand was popular before Gregg and it involved more awkward, geometric writing. The same goes for Teeline. However, if anyone becomes mastered at any shorthand system, he or she can achieve stunning speeds of 200 wpm! (The record for Pitman is 350). Ultimately, it does not matter which one you use so long as you practice often.

Posted by: Andrew at December 22, 2003 08:18 AM

Hi, I have been a Pitman shorthand writer since 1960, I learned the Stenograph shorthand machine and have a Gregg Shorthand Simplified book. I tried becoming a Court Reporter but although I could go at up to 190 words a minute I could not keep it up for half an hour at a time. I think high-speed writers are like ballet dancers or surgeons, its skill plus inborn talent. Anyway, I find shorthand useful for songs, notes and I have taken dictation from people who are free to think while I, in turn, transcribed what they meant to put, after brushing up the grammar and checking the details. A good stenographer was a luxury of a long-gone age. The theory only takes a few weeks to learn, then you need to practice, with a tape recorder.

Kind regards and good luck,
from Paul

Posted by: Paul at February 9, 2004 09:02 PM

Adding to my last post: learning shorthand is much the same effort as learning another language and becoming fluent in it - you are learning the squiggle that belongs to each word in the language, and there are about 20 000 used in English. The good part is that say 75 per cent of what people say comes from about 2 000 words. The same effort as learning the piano, I find. If I was starting again I would treat it as one subject at school for one year, same as keyboarding. Its great to be able to get the actual words as the lecturer speaks, by the time its on the whiteboard you have it down and are already copying the diagrams, and you know you have got it right.Being able to take good notes at meetings is a useful skill which gives you the inside edge. At work I write one word in shorthand for the things I must do and cross them off - I thereby have a daily diary of all I have done. Pitmans shorthand seems shorter to me than Gregg, but Gregg looks easier to write. Get up to about 120 wpm, which means that it is by then automatic - like typing, you don't have time to think, its fairly automatic. Until the boss says hippopotamus (he was writing to a client in Africa) and that threw me. He used to dictate in the morning with a phone to each ear and his executives lined up before him, as he barked instructions, and scrunched each letter up and threw it to me, so I had to write on the back something to identify it, and keep on taking the next letter. Of course, 40 years ago, people were concerned about good grammar and spelling, and nicely set out letters: typed with no errors, not even corrected ones, with seven carbon copies.

bi now
Paul

Posted by: Paul at February 10, 2004 09:14 PM

As long as there is a need to take fast notes by hand (when you don't have your laptop ... or the batteries just died), you could justify the need for shorthand for practical reasons.

Putting "practical" arguments aside, a person could justify learning shorthand for reasons of aesthetics alone: it truly is beautiful to look at, due to the inherent graphic nature of the alphabet and word forms -- every word looks different, as do old Chinese characters. And this is just ... cool. This is reason enough -- for me at least.

Posted by: malcolm at February 11, 2004 10:01 AM

I get the impression that "DC" up there is a bit angry, regardless of his/her refutation of that claim. Not all employers have the money for dictation machines--and some employers are just downright stingy when it comes to using corporate funds that may make their employees' jobs easier. In our corporate "kill-yourself-for-the-good-of-the-company" world, the bottom line is whatever boosts profits, and sadly, sometimes it's cheaper to require longer hours for employees than it is to shell out money for high-tech gadgets that increase individual efficiency.

It seems to me that there are any number of practical applications for shorthand--both in and out of the business world. If I had known shorthand in college, note taking would have been immensely easier. Now, I am an administrative assistant who doesn't take dictation of letters for either of my bosses. However, I get a lot of incidental and important information that I am expected to know in order to be an efficient assistant. This information is always coming at me, and I am rarely sitting in front of my computer with an open document ready to write whatever they say. Plus, when they want to talk, it's my responsibility to go to them; they aren't supposed to come to me. Why be chained to a black box and a keyboard when there is an easy alternative? Since a steno pad is portable, it's easy to take with me into any office. I can write whatever they tell me in an understandable way--no going back and being unable to read a hastily written note. Shorthand ensures that I take accurate notes of the many, many things they tell me. It also ensures that I have an accurate record of events if either of them forget what they have asked (or not asked, as is often the case) me to do for them. I can cover my hiney without getting a nasty hand cramp from trying to write longhand. Also, I write in my journal a lot, and it's so much easier to write in shorthand. I get the benefit of the tactile feeling of putting pen to paper, (which I like) and my speed of writing can keep up with my thoughts. One last thing--I take a lot of phone messages, and people speak so quickly nowadays. It's as if they think the faster they talk, they more they are saying. This is not always the case. Shorthand lets me get things down without having to ask them to repeat things. Just because something was part of an "archaic" system, doesn't mean that it can't be reapplied to fit the needs of our fast-paced, "get it done NOW" society. In an environment where speed is everything, it seems to me that being able to write faster than the average person would be a great asset to have.

Posted by: Rebecca at February 19, 2004 09:44 AM

Learning shorthand would be cool and convenient. I mean, think about it. You could copy down what saomeone was saying verbatim!
Please send me some info on learning shorhand. And would it be better to learn through a book or a computer?

~Liz

Posted by: Liz at March 1, 2004 12:43 PM

I am currently learning Gregg Shorthand through the Simplified manual. It's quite a bit of work to train yourself--I wish there were more classes of this taught locally! But I'm interested in it for the very reasons Rebecca stated--I can't always have my laptop with me and taking longhand notes is difficult. I absolutely despise dictation machines and find taking notes from a live person much easier--plus it builds a good working relationship.

We shall see how this goes!

Posted by: Nik at March 17, 2004 09:18 AM

*chuckles* I typed shorthand in a search engine and waded through reams of posts looking for: something... anything... interesting about shorthand.

This was helpful since I�d like to learn shorthand out of 1) curiosity 2) to incorporate it aesthetically into my art 3) my future tablet PC comes with a stylus for... writing things down...

My how things come full circle ;) I swear the keyboard will go the way of the dodo bird.

Posted by: dogsgomoo at March 22, 2004 08:54 PM

All - I too am interested in learning shorthand. After looking for what seemed like forever for a free training site on the web, I found this site that gives some pages of a shorthand textbook (seems like there's definitely enough there to get a pretty good start on Gregg shorthand).

http://www.werelight.com/shorthand/

He's made a left-hand version by photocopying and reversing the notation, but the original version is also there.

Hope you enjoy it as much as I have - and thanks to Luke for posting the pages!

Posted by: mcclar at March 30, 2004 07:09 PM

I got of kick out of DC's reasons for not using shorthand. I used to be a transcriptionist for many years and used a dictaphone machine continuously and could type over 200 wpm. The problem with dictaphones though is there reliability, tape quality, tape space, and remembering to change to Side 2 half way through the meeting, portability, etc. I remember we were told that if parts of the tape were unclear, to place an underline there and continue and then return the tape to the dictator to redo the unclear portions (sometimes we would have to send the tape back two or three times). Some speech patterns are more difficult to decipher than others (especially the folks that talk very low or slur their speech).

Also, I have brought a recorder to meetings and people tend to dislike them, as they know everything is being recorded word for word and they don't speak as freely as they normally would. Some companies have policies against using them. Also, they record the people in the room ok, but those attending by phone are not clear at all.

With shorthand, you can bring it anywhere, it's confidential (until transcribed) and you don't have to worry about whether you have enough tape left or how your batteries are doing. Also, when you're away from your keyboard and need to write down information quickly, it's difficult to say, "Wait a minute, I have to go get my recorder", especially if it's for quick notetaking of detailed instructions.

And last but not least, if I had to write every note down in longhand I wouldn't be near as efficient, as shorthand really is a "lazy" way of writing :)

Posted by: Kimml at April 2, 2004 10:58 AM

Hey, I just started learning shorthand. It's becoming real easy, but I don't have any books on shorthand and I was wondering if anyone could send me information. I want to learn Gregg shorthand. The only site I found was http://www.werelight.com/shorthand/ it's the best site to learn shorthand from. If anyone knows of a better site please email me at nastics18@hotmail.com

Posted by: Garin at April 2, 2004 11:04 PM

shorthand is not useful in today secretaries
because some ofthe today offices.Their are not use
shorthand.
Thank you giving me the opportunity.bye bye

Posted by: chinonso charles ogbuji at April 12, 2004 07:22 AM

Hello,
I don't know where to begin. I would like help with some shorthand. My mother knew how to write shorthand, and right before she died she wrote something on a piece of paper that she doodled on in shorthand and I have no clue what it meant and can't seem to find any help on figuring it out. It isn't very long, but I can't imagine what it says and it has stumped me for 8 years now. From what I did find nothing seems to match what she wrote. She learned shorthand in the late 50's early 60's. I don't know if that helps. Please if anyone can help me I would greatly appreciate it. Even if someone can send me some kind of guide with what words look like in shorthand that would be great. Please if anyone can help you can contact me at: rkiesler@warwick.net.

Thank you,
Rosemary

Posted by: Rosemary at May 1, 2004 04:53 AM

I'm interested in learning shorthand not for note taking, so much- though that would be very useful as I will be attending college soon- but because I've become quite endeared to the idea of writing my journal in shorthand- mostly because I've recently read Dracula and all the historical journals are writen in shorthand. I'm not certain if Gregg shorthand is the one used, but I'm not that particular- I do like the look of the style and am very interested in learning more. ^_^ I know it's for a stupid reason, but I'd like the assurance that my roommate won't be able to read what I write.

Posted by: Dot at May 10, 2004 03:43 PM

I�m a male shorthand writer (in my country, Guatemala, a rarity, since I�ve only met two of us in the last 15 years) and until recently a teacher.
It�s not easy to learn yet it is. The symbols are easy, but it does take a lot of practice. I learned it without the help of a teacher, with a Gregg book and it took me a few months to �master� it. Again, the hard part is the practice, and I had to do that also on my own.
Now, most of the notes I write are in shorthand, except when I�m writing my stories, novels or poems. For some reason I feel better writing those in "longhand". But when I�m in a rush, or need the privacy, shorthand is just great.

If anyone wants to learn it, use Gregg 90. It�s a lot more functional than other systems I've seen. I�m an author, and I�m currently working on making some CD�s with dictations for shorthand transcription practice, but in order to use them you must know shorthand already. They will be on sale soon. Let me know if you are interested.

Posted by: Kosh at May 21, 2004 04:43 AM

PENPAL WANTED: I am a college student endeavoring to learn Gregg Simplified. The saddest part about learning it is that noone I know uses it.

923 Melba Street
Jacksonville, FL 32205

Posted by: John Sapp at May 21, 2004 10:20 AM

I learned shorthand in high school, but didn't continue to use it after graduation. Now, some 20 years later...I am a secretary...and find it somewhat difficult to take minutes by longhand. It can get confusing when I'm taking minutes for a group of 30 people and am trying to write down what one person has said while another one or two are jumping in on the conversation. It makes it even worse if I'm not familiar with the subject matter!!

I would love to learn/refresh my shorthand. Please e-mail me with any information that could help me out.

Posted by: Pat at May 25, 2004 12:12 PM

hi i would really like to advance my shorthand writting. Kindly furnish me with exercises that can help me with speed,easy learning and remembering how to write shorthand any day.

with your help i would gladly appreciate.

regards
joyce

Posted by: joyce at May 25, 2004 11:04 PM

Hi, it's me, apparently the ANGRY one. Our office is fully equipped with dictaphone machines. Most of us have 3, if not 4, bosses. Some of us still call ourselves secretaries. We use email, overnight mail and faxes. Everything is needed YESTERDAY. To sit across someone's desk, for even a half hour, and listen to them do their job...is a luxury of TIME that cannot be afforded. When you have 4 people each wanting their work done...and 3 of them are handing you tapes...and the 4th is having you come listen to him while he works...and you have to write down every word, then go to your desk and transcribe it...with a stack of tapes from the other 3 sitting there as well--it just too much. It is inefficient and a waste of company money. Shorthand, in American corporations and lawfirms, is not a money saver; rather, it is a money and time waster. Also, consider that if your work is given to you in shorthand - no one else can do your job. If you have a sick day, and book filled with to be done work...it won't get done. Tapes can easily be handed off to another person in an emergency or when time is of the essence. Good luck to those of you pursuing it tho. I can understand that it is a "lost art" of sorts. I just learned how to knit, and I find that useful. Perhaps you will find shorthand personally useful...but I don't see how it has a place in the office as a way of getting the job done. There now...I'm much happier. :)

Posted by: DC at June 14, 2004 01:35 PM

After reading DC's latest post, I have to say that she made too broad of a statement in saying "Shorthand, in American corporations and lawfirms, is not a money saver; rather, it is a money and time waster". This may be true for HER particular job and with HER particular company, but it's hardly an unshakable Truth that applies across all corporate work.

I work for a Fortune 500 company, and spend a good portion of my day bouncing from meeting to meeting. If I try to commit to memory everything I need to reference later, more than half of it will go forgotten. Minicassette and digital recorders are unreliable, and quite frankly they give many people the creeps. I do the best I can taking notes in longhand, but when writing at that speed I oftentimes can't even read what I wrote later in the day. Shorthand would be perfect for my needs, and I can't imagine that my situation is unique in corporate America.

Also, just to be a bit cheeky... I can't resist pointing out that DC can't be TOO busy with her job, since her last post to this very-much-non-work-related website was at 1:35 on a Monday afternoon! :)

Posted by: Steve at June 16, 2004 03:16 PM

I actually do teach the shorthand course at www.universalclass.com and wanted to make one comment on a post I read about, "Why would anyone want to learn shorthand..."

Three out of five students currently taking the course are doing so because they want a job promotion where the employer insists on having someone fluent in shorthand. So it isn't a dead skill at all.

Posted by: Tracy at July 5, 2004 04:53 AM

The last time I was here was April 2. At that time I was asking for help, but now I do not need it. I found a "Gregg Shorthand Diamond Jubilee Series" book. It has taught me so much. I have also found some friends that write me letters through the mail in Shorthand.

You can goto the site listed below and click on "Penpals", the people that post there addresses are the people you can write to in shorthand. I have posted my address on this site. http://groups.msn.com/GreggShorthand

The best way to learn shorthand is by going to a used book store and looking for a shorthand book.

I first started learning shorthand from this site- http://www.werelight.com/shorthand - Remember, that site will only teach you "Simplifed" shorthand. Which is a "sister" to "Diamond Jubilee Series", which is what I am learning. What I mean by "sisters" is that for every version revised, a sister to that shorthand version was born to meet the demands of a more modernized society. Examples: Pre-Anniversary and Anniversary are sisters, Simplified and Diamond Jubilee are sisters, Series 90 and Centennial are sisters.

All I am saying is that I learned Simplified before Diamond Jubilee, and I find that Diamond Jubilee is much easier.

"DO NOT EMAIL ME ASKING FOR HELP WITH LEARNING SHORTHAND. BECAUSE I DO NOT TEACH."

Enjoy learning shorthand,

-Garin

Posted by: Garin at July 19, 2004 01:33 AM

Hi, I know you don't teach shorthand, but I am wirting this here in hopes that someone who knows how to write shorthand may help me.

I would simply like to know what shorthand is the fastest and easiest as I am at a loss trying to figure it out for myself.

If anyone could help me that would be great!

Thanks a bunch!
-Obs

Posted by: Obs at July 27, 2004 12:39 PM

Hi there!
I too am interested in learning Shorthand. If you scroll to the top of the message board there is a message from Leth that describes in detail the best form of Shorthand to learn. She also suggest taking an online class at Universalclass.com

Hope this helps.

Posted by: Marquita Williams at July 29, 2004 10:58 AM

I have used shorthand for over 40 years. Yes, I know that dates me. I've used it for college, jobs, grocery lists, womens' groups, volunteer groups, confidential diaries, et al. You can't believe how helpful it is in taking notes at a lecture or meeting. It is like riding a bike - you may not use shorthand much for 20 years but voila ... when you need it your brain pulls the memory of it out of that little niche and puts it to work again. I'm glad to hear there are still those aware of how helpful it can be and who are interested in learning!

Posted by: Deborah at July 29, 2004 04:18 PM

I don't know why I'm posting here, on a largely defunct website (though it's impressive how recent the last post was... not quite defunct, I guess). Anyway, I'm about to hit college and I was rummaging in an old bookstore (I'm a nerd, and love to read, hence proud to be a nerd) when I came across Gregg, a 1916 version (I guess Pre-Anniversary?)

Now, I've already learned, and mastered, on my own, Bengali, Hindi AND Urdu (modified Arabic!) scripts, in addition to my native English. So I figured, how difficult can this be? Well, I learned about the other systems and bought Simplified. I figure that I'm investing a hell of a lot of time learning this stuff ANYWAY, so I might as well learn the fastest system, in spite of memory load, which in the end is not a big deal if one goes into this full tilt. I say it's the fastest since common sense says that the use of more abbreviations, while initially more of a pain, reduces the amount one writes. Simplified, to me, comes right in the middle.

Anyway, who cares. As long as you master whateveer system has met your fancy. I guess I'm just excited. I'm desperately trying to gain some mastery and at least KNOW all the basics and theory before entering my freshman year. Although, I must admit, I'd be happy with having the skill thoroughly mastered before sophomore year (Freshman Year's a joke in any college or university). So, I believe I'm on the right track.

If anybody has some tips for me, or wants to rap about Gregg shorthand (Pitman seems to me a little dated, what with its need for thickness adjustments), e-mail. Also, as a sidenote, this horrid dependence on computers, dictaphones, all this stuff, which is admittedly lovely, has rendered people slaves to the very things meant to facilitate their lives. A regular, pain-free and often fascinating study of shorthand, any system, will result, in at most a year, in the utmost mobility and amenability to various situations in which this skill would be advantageous. By the way, I have friends in places like Yale, Amherst, Cornell, Stanford, Carnegie-Mellon, Harvard, etc. and none of them use laptops in class, though they're brilliant students all of them. They manfully (sexism unintended) concentrate on every word the teacher says and extemporaneously try to decide WHICH and WHAT tidbits, words and ideas are most important, often missing great quotations or simply coming out of class with the onset of what feels like digital arthritis.

Thank the God above (err... Pitman and Gregg) for shorthand.

Posted by: Shurjendu Dutt-Mazumdar at August 8, 2004 09:55 PM

I'm trying to find an online free way of learning Pitman shorthand. I've just finished school, and I am hoping to start work soon, and I'm really keen! If anyone knows a site for a free guide to learning Pitman, pppplease let me know! Thanks! :) elizabeth-anderson@lineone.net

Posted by: Elizabeth at August 18, 2004 03:24 AM

it's funny how this stuff grabs somebody by the face and drags them in... I found a Pitman Shorthand book (teach yourself press) and haven't been able to put it down. That was 5 days ago (in a 2nd-hand bookstore in Newtown, Sydney Australia) and since then I've been looking at various systems to see which one I should try first.

I really like the look of Gregg shorthand and I think that's the way I want to go... Pitman shorthand, as mentioned by someone just a few posts ago, is fairly geometric-looking and dependent on line thickness, and while that's probably not too bad a thing, Gregg shorthand just looks amazing. The circular shapes and arcs are so much more natural and appealing..

so anyway I don't know why I'm posting here, just thought I'd share. I'm 33 and my mum has long since forgotten all her shorthand learning, but I've always been fascinated by other languages, and this one will actually be useful!

Wish me luck :)

Posted by: adam at August 19, 2004 06:28 AM

hi, im from the philippines and i'm really interested in gregg shorthand... is anyone interested in tutoring me for free?...thanks...i'll be waiting for anyone's reply...pardon me im really desperate in learning right know...and probably for a long time...thanks

Posted by: Donna Dane Aldana at August 29, 2004 04:27 AM

I live in nyc. i'm currently taking a shorthand class in college! I've never even heard of it till my advisor just put me in the class. The class isn't big (only about 15 students) I looked at the words and was worried...everything looked like a different language. I think it's great that there's a secret little language that enables us to write notes and other things quicker. i can't wait till i write 150 words per minute. My desire to learn shorthand now has made me want to know a lot of things in life. I really admire everyone that uses shorthand. you rule! Thanks everyone,(especially Gregg and Pittman)

Posted by: Jonathan at September 14, 2004 08:45 PM

Hi Everyone! I never got a chance to read all of the messages on this page, but I am interested already. Has anyone found classes given by people around them on how to write in shorthand? I have a few old shorthand books and attempted to learn from them. However, I am much better learning if someone teaches me or I am in a class for it. The reason I want to learn is that my grandma has known shorthand for most of her life and just loved it. Now she is slower in the mind and wouldn't be able to teach me. I really want to learn, though, so if anyone has good suggestions that would be great. I'm not in college, yet, but if I were and there was a class for it I definitely would join. I think it is great that people are still interested in the task of writing even with so many computers that supposedly make things 'easier'.

Posted by: kayla at September 15, 2004 07:16 PM

Hey ya'll, i'm 16 in newfoundland, canada. i'm currently in highschool and i intend to go on to university. i would love to learn shorthand. not only would it give me some privacy and freakyness in writing diaries and stuff, but it would really help me in university as i'll be takin a lot of notes. it'll look good on my resume too.. so..
if any one comes across a free website teaching shorthand (gregg, any style, or anything else..as long as the site is complete in teaching it..) i'd really appreciate an email.. koios@myway.com
thanks.

Posted by: Jon at September 16, 2004 07:09 PM

Hey! Good to know I'm not the only one! Does anyone know of any shorthand coaching classes in Thousand Oaks, CA? I've never taken an online class so I dont know how good they are. The main reason I want to learn it is for note taking in college and like everyone else I think its way cool!!! From the looks of it Gregg seems to be the most popular choice. Any suggestions, info would be really helpful. email: shrutirmohan@hotmail.com

Posted by: Shruti at September 18, 2004 10:13 AM

I Want to Learn Shorthand

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