This is a subject that goes on and on. There are many ways of looking at this. Further, and more importantly, no matter what I say here, there will be many, many teachers who will disagree. They will be able to present strong arguments. And they will be correct.

Steno languages vary. Teaching methods vary. Your school and your teachers are the experts. They have a system that they use. If you already have a workable solution to writing names, please don't change. Stick with what you were taught, if it works. And before you change, find out if your teachers have any advice. That's the first place that you should go.

The bottom line is that you need a method to write names that is quick and easy to employ when you are suddenly hit with a lot of names. For students, this means being confronted with a test that has a large number of names or a large number of variations of the same names.

If your school gives you the spellings of the names before the test, then you should not have difficulty with stroking the names. Rather, you should be happy that they are telling you that that particular name will be on the test. Find an easy stroke to represent it.

What would you do if "Barry Stoneham" was going to be on the test? Do you write the name on a piece of paper, or do you write it on your machine? We will discuss both ways. I prefer that the lower speeds, write it out longhand. As they gain speed, I urge them to begin using their steno machine.

I have beginning students write down the names in a notebook. Each test has a separate page. Names should be written large enough to be read by the student while the test is being taken. There will be sharp disagreement from the teachers on this point. I want the student to be able to see the notebook during the test. I want them to use that as a resource. Professional reporters employ such methods. Our students should be able to.

If the beginning students can see the notebook, they can jog their memory. The student doesn't have to remember several brand-new strokes. I say let the students learn to use a method of writing names, then we can teach them how to remember The newer students will have a harder time instantly employing new strokes. That makes sense to me. New students should have difficulty with new strokes. Duh. That is why I say let them write it down. It is a crutch, but it will let them focus on using the stroke during the test.

Here is where many disagree with my method. The 60s student will not be practicing the stroke. Unless there are a few extra moments between the giving of the names and the start of the test, the 60s student will not have a chance to practice the stroke. Instead, my method helps them remember the stroke. I feel that it is better this way. I would rather have them writing a new stroke during the test than sitting there trying to remember what new stroke it was that they needed.

The 120s student should have a basic grasp of how to write names. The easy combinations should not stop anyone at this level. By this time, a student should not fear a test with names.

I combine words to create strokes for names. I teach that "Barry Stoneham" can easily be briefed into "Bone" or "Bam." I strongly recommend that you do this stroke twice. It makes it stand out, and it only takes a brief instant to add the second stroke. Your fingers are already in position because of the first stroke; so you don't have to do anything but stroke.

The 60s student needs to learn to make a stroke for this name. The 120s student needs to learn to make a stroke for all combinations of this name. That is a big difference. The 60s student might come up with my favorite for "Barry Stoneham": "bone." That student may stumble if a variation of the name is used. The 120s student should be able to overcome this. The 120s student should also come up with "bone" for Barry Stoneham, but she should also come up with something for "Mr. Stoneham," "Barry," "Stoneham," and possibly "Mr. Barry Stoneham."

I treat titles just like names: I combine them. "Mr. Stoneham" would become "mrone" or "mram." This works with other titles as well. "Dr. Stoneham" would be "drone." "Professor Stoneham" would be "prone."

Here is where the teachers start screaming again. They have a good point. In the last paragraph, I recommended that you use the words "drone" and "prone" as briefs for other words. This sets up possible conflicts. This is not following the realtime theory of writing that every school utilizes in one form or another.

How about if we try combining other syllables? "Dr. Stoneham" becomes "dram" by combining "dr" with the last syllable of "Stoneham." "Professor Stoneham" becomes "pram" by combining "pr" with the last syllable of "Stoneham."

Now, we have two different conflicts. The first one, "dram," is not a common word. Even with this conflict in your dictionary, there is not a large chance that you will have a conflict within your transcript. "Dram" simply is not used very often.

The other conflict, "pram," is a wonderful conflict for purposes of this article. "Pram" is a word found in all dictionaries. It has several meanings. Compounding this is the fact that "pram" is also a commonly taught brief for "program." In other words, the same schools and teachers that teach "conflict-free" theories, have conflicts built into their theory.

That isn't their fault. There will never be a conflict-free theory. The language is always changing. There are so many words already. Conflicts have to be weighed as to the importance of the conflict and the frequency of the occurrence. In other words, don't be too smug if you have a different way of writing "program." That is only one word. There are millions of words. There will always be conflicts.

My example, "Dr. Stoneham," is either "drone" or "dram" if you use my method of combining names. If you are in the middle speeds, pick either one, and accept a very small chance of a conflict.

My example, "Professor Stoneham" is either "prone" or "pram." Given that choice, if you are in the middle speeds, pick either one and accept a larger (but still small) chance of a conflict.

Don't accept the prior examples for your job outlines if you are in the higher speeds. You can do better than that. You have been practicing your craft for a while. If you know that your choice is likely to be a conflict, then you should try to come up with a better stroke. It will not be hard once you establish a pattern for how you write names.

Sometimes, like in my example, even the alternate stroke will be a conflict. In the middle speeds, you are going to have to accept that. There is only so much time between when the names are given out and when the test starts. You need something, and you need it now.

The higher speeds should have a full grasp of how to create names. They should already have some experience with avoiding conflicts. Here are some possible alternates for "Professor Stoneham," if you want to avoid the conflict of using "prone" or "pram." You can use "pron," which translates to "were on" in some languages. You can use "pon," which translates to "upon" for some. You can use "pone," which is a word. You can use "pam," which is a first name, a trademark, and an abbreviation. You can use "pham," which is normally read as "mam," which is normally translated as "ma'am." These are all conflicts in one form or another.

Most names aren't this hard to brief. Some are. If you can't find a conflict-free way of writing a name, I prefer that you avoid the conflict by double-stroking the outline that you use. That removes almost all conflicts. And as an added bonus, even if you write a little sloppy, you can often recognize it as a name simply because you double-stroked it.

Right here is where some teachers are saying, "I do names in another fashion. I don't have a problem with coming up with a great stroke for that name."

That's great, but I don't know any system that is perfect. There are exceptions to every rule. There are names that defy man's ability to cubbyhole them with a perfect conflict-free stroke. We need to practice reducing conflicts when we create briefs. This is a skill.

Using initials for names is a very poor way to brief names. Don't use it. You will enter the real world unprepared to take down normal dictation.

Professional reporters utilize job definitions. These definitions are for one transcript only. After that, they are forgotten. The largest group of job definitions is almost always names. Sometimes, there is a conflict. Professionals should try to avoid these. Students should be expected to learn a method that will help them avoid these conflicts, but they should not be expected to perform this method instantly. It takes time.

If you have to ask how I would write "Professor Stoneham," then you haven't been paying attention. I double-stroke most names. It is almost as quick as single-stroking, and it is much easier to read. That means I can use any of the examples as my stroke. Problem solved.

If you are in your 60s, learn to brief the names that are given to you.

If you are in your 120s, learn to brief all of the combinations of names that might appear on your test.

The higher speeds should learn to avoid the conflicts that appear from making job definitions.

Click here to purchase the Speed Teacher

Goofy

Lower Keys Finger Drill

How to Take a Test

The Four Basic Writers

How to Grade a Test

Harry S Truman and why you don't put a period after the middle initial.

John F. Kennedy and why he is not a jelly doughnut.

A harangue by Buzz Gadflie on those junky plastic paper trays.

Speed Building Joseph Kinaim

Words of Wisdom

The Rhythm Method Barb DeWitt