Vlog #3 Building Speed by Mastering Your Steno Theory

[@Robinator67]

I know this is late, but I have to say this. I am "writing" (I use that loosely) close to 100, but I am writing slop. I didn't pass my 120 class because I droppity-drop-dropped so much. What I was able to transcribe was just a waste because of the whole sentences I dropped. I was a rock star at 60 and 70 wpm. I wrote a little slop, but I was able to read back flawlessly and even transcribe. My theory is full of briefs and I finally developed a great system for memorizing them. (When I first started school, I went full-time four days per week. I was also working full-time, so that was my first issue. Then it really sunk in that it was a Theory/80 wpm class. We were taught a lesson per day (4 lessons per week) and then somewhere half-way through the theory, we started testing at 40 . We were still con-currently learning the theory and trying to pass speed tests. I was barely hitting 20 wpm still trying to learn theory. There were about 3 out of 12 or 13 people that passed that semester. I passed the theory portion of the class, but not speed. So I dropped down to part-time. The pace was a little slower, two lessons per week. The only reason I made it through the on-going theory lessons was because I had been exposed to them before. I was in a class with students that took the Theory only class two nights per week the previous semester. They were 25 lessons behind. We only had one theory test that whole semester. However, I STILL didn't pass speed that semester. I had improved, but not quite enough. It took a 3rd semester for me to pass. I received a C for passing 2 60 wpm and not even one 80wpm. I may know what those briefs are, but have I MASTERED them? No. Has anyone looked at my notes and really analyzed them? No. Am I still writing slop? Of course I am. So of course I failed the next speed class which was 120. I came in only writing just around 70 wpm. I take responsibility for not practicing as much as I should have. (Medical issues with family member). However, let's just say I still would have been writing slop at 100 and not been able to transcribe. I took this summer off (enrolled with gen-ed classes) to catch up and finally MASTER my theory. Sometimes I feel like I need to start over. It's like I fell into school backwards. Meanwhile, $$$$$$$$$$$$$ is gone forever. You make so much sense. Thank you for your videos. I am going to make sure I watch all of them.

[@mscapricorniam1791]

This is where I am right now. I passed the theory but failed the speed. I currently have another shot at passing the speed before I fail the class but I'm not feeling confident at all. My school isn't offering this class in the fall so I'd have to wait until the spring to take it again. This gives me inspiration to keep pushing. Thanks for sharing.

[@pamelakilgore7836]

Robin God bless your hands. Pamela in Detroit

[@fridakhaos8304]

I am on the same boat as you. What school are u enrolled in, If u don’t mind me asking? While I was in Theory, 4nights a week. There was time we would learn 3 lessons in 1 night. It’s like who ever got it, got it, but if u didn’t, then oh well, class moves on… and the teacher didn’t make us comfortable asking questions when we were lost. There was a lot of favoritism. 😅but I’m hanging in there and hoping I can get to 100 and memorize briefs.

[@pamelakilgore7836]

Excellent teaching. Pamela in Detroit

[@hjong8830]

Very helpful. Thank you!

[@mscapricorniam1791]

I do appreciate your videos. They offer great tips and are very detailed.

[@pamelakilgore7836]

Good advice. Pamela in Detroit

[@nuclearcannonsteno7270]

I like your videos even better than Mark K.'s videos. What you say makes sense. I think there are some secrets of court reporting schools they use to make money. Many tricks. For instance, if someone gets half way there, they won't bail out when stuck, they're in too far. The trick they use is they don't tell anyone the first speeds are easy for many because of the luxury of time to think between strokes. So they progress fast. Then get stuck. Why? Because of this video. They never mastered the theory. They passed tests writing garbage steno. Do you want to hear illogic? Here's some illogic: Schools are certified by the NCRA because they teach a realtime theory. Then the school grades on an English transcript, not steno notes of THAT REALTIME THEORY!!!!! Besides opening up the possibility of cheating (and looking the other way) even if the student gets out of school writing crap notes, now, they can't take a job and produce a transcript quickly. Bottom line: if you have a realtime theory, it is total delusion to progress to the next speed if you are not writing your realtime theory PERFECTLY. And you are not getting the value for your dollar that you pay for school because you emerge realtime-illiterate and writing garbage. Not only should schools demand accurate notes at 99 percent or above, they should test on finger drills and grade those at 99 percent as well. Anything short of that is looking the other way, running basically a cash mill student factory, and duping humans out of their money once they're in too far. If you play any instrument in music AT ALL they will not let you get away with that BS. You practice it until you play it. You play it slow a number of times until the speed comes. The world champ fastest banjo player plays songs ridiculously slow until his fingers get speed NATURALLY. This is why teenage girls can text so freaking fast. It's from REPETITION. Not tricks. Their fingers KNOW IT. If you're fingers DON'T KNOW IT, don't go to the next speed. Unless you want to kid yourself and then take 90 minutes to transcribe 6 pages (five minutes of Q&A).

[@LadySteno]

Thank you. I really appreciate your comments!

[@knittingdoula]

Responding late, but could not agree more. Realtime should be the standard, and not some pie-in-the-sky goal for American reporters. Overseas, RT is the NORM, and you won't get work unless you're capable of putting out a realtime feed with high accuracy. Having a low speed realtime test could be an outstanding way of seeing what students are actually learning and getting into their fingers.

[@Robinator67]

This is late, but you are so right...no one analyzed my notes in the beginning class. Stacks and stacks of paper with a check-mark on it. Then when we started to transcribe, it didn't matter what my notes looked like, as long as I could transcribe it.

[@annabrooks5591]

Thank you for this comment wow

[@pirate1197]

I've learned more from your videos than I think I ever had in school!

[@katiemorfin]

Question about finger drills...how do you do them? Do you go from one to the other and only type each one once as you go through the list? Do you go back and forth between two combinations then move on? Do you use a metronome? I'm still going through your videos so maybe you already have one....but could you do a finger drill demonstration?

[@nscales20]

Study your theory, drill your theory, work your theory!!!!!

[@nkelmorgan40]

What theory did you learn?

[@trb3074]

Thank you for sharing your knowledge.

[@kera1242]

I trial a lot and I drag other letter. How can I stop trailing. My brain gets in the way so much.

[@nuclearcannonsteno7270]

And your avatar is crazy hot!