How to Use Gregg Shorthand

Gregg shorthand was once the tool used in courtrooms across the country by court reporters called "Pen Writers." They would take down the court proceedings verbatim and produce a transcript from their shorthand notes. With the computer-age upon us, this method is no longer the norm in courtrooms, but students in high school or college, as well as office staff, can greatly benefit using Gregg shorthand in their daily lives.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

1. Find a school or online program that offers Gregg shorthand classes. Your local vocational school may have adult office-type classes specializing in shorthand. If your area doesn't provide that learning opportunity, fit into your schedule an online course that allows you to work at your own pace.

2. Learn the Gregg shorthand alphabet. Gregg shorthand uses characters to phonetically, by sound, take down "Notes" of what is being said, therefore, the entire alphabet of A to Z that we know is not incorporated into the basic alphabet.

3. Practice the alphabet and incorporate brief forms into your writing. Once you've mastered the basic alphabet, you're ready to move onto learning the brief forms of frequently spoken words and phrases. This concept is what makes shorthand what it is. Repeated dictation and checking your work against the dictation perfects your shorthand writing.

4. Apply Gregg shorthand to your everyday tasks. As an office support staff, you're now ready to take notes and dictation from your superior, and as a high school or college student, you're not going to miss a thing in class using your newly acquired skill of Gregg shorthand.

Tips & Warnings

• Take advantage of free online dictation sites designed to help you practice your shorthand. These sites allow you to take down the dictation, transcribe the dictation back into text format and then verify your final text version against the dictation you first listened to.

Resources

• Online Gregg Shorthand Learning Site