Computers are taking a bigger role in modern-day education but that doesn’t mean the old techniques and skills should be assigned to the history books, writes Jenny Moody.
By 2026, exams will be taken online, meaning handwriting will take a smaller role in young people’s lives. Something many of us spent our youth perfecting will no longer be important.
The same can be said for shorthand but for those of us who dedicated more hours than we care to remember learning it – it will never be a pointless skill.
Shorthand is a journalist’s best friend as it means we can take down notes fast. Writing 100 words a minute does not come easy – I can vouch for that. I had to learn it as you can’t take recording equipment into places like the courts so it was the only way of reporting what was said accurately.
It is a skill I am proud to have – and leads to many questions by those mesmerised by what looks like random markings on a page but I know what it means. It’s almost like knowing a secret language in a way.
The sad reality is that shorthand is becoming a lost art, it is not even taught as part of the journalism course anymore. Something that is inconceivable to people like me who have been in the industry a long time. Yet when trainee reporters join a newspaper, they are usually sent for some training in it as editors still know its worth.
Yes I know you can record a conversation these days during an interview but good luck going through everything that is said. Going back and forth over a random conversation in the middle of the interview that has nothing to do with anything – very time consuming and tiresome.
A reporter only writes down what they think is needed and important, I even add a helpful star in the margin for the really important stuff – saves so much time and energy.
Taking laptops into court and inquests is now common practice and I know it is probably a lot easier to get it down. But the sound of loud typing is very distracting and there is always one person who hammers on the keys that little bit too hard.
Those frantically getting the information down barely look up from their keyboards – it is just not the same as being there with a notepad and pen.
Physically writing things down, in shorthand or longhand, also has its benefits which are overlooked during recording. As well as helping to hone these vital skills, the act of making the note helps put it to memory.
But what about the person being interviewed? It also has a benefit to them. We all know that eye contact is important but it also has its place. If you are recording an interview, you will end up directly looking at the person the whole time, which, let’s be fair about this, will make most people feel uncomfortable.
There is a good reason that children say what they want to say while you are driving – you’re not looking at them or even in their direction. It’s a simple as that.
Writing on a laptop can go in the opposite direction and seem less personal. If you want someone to open up and tell you their story, they need to feel comfortable enough to do so.
We are all former journalists at Penguin PR and shorthand has been an important part of our career. When I first got into the industry 15 years ago, one of the first things I learned was the importance of shorthand.
All new reporters were taught it and I even had extra training from a teacher who would come in once a week. It was a tool of the trade and the older reporters would pass their knowledge onto the younger ones.
The change seemed to come suddenly with reporters who had completed their NCTJ training starting the job saying they hadn’t been taught it – there was an auditable gasp in my office the first time a new reporter dared to say it. From nowhere, this was not seen as a useful skill anymore.
At Penguin, we always arrive at interviews and meetings armed with a notepad. Old school I know but it is what has worked for generations and I will always defend the use of a good shorthand note.
It is a skill that is too easy to lose if you don’t keep doing it and it would be such a shame if that happened.
