It depends. How much money do you have? Do you already own a machine? All steno machines are quality machines. Many models that you find in school have been around for decades. They still work well if they are maintained.

Having said that, there are differences. Some machines have a little motor that pushes your notes forward after you stroke a word. Manual machines make you push the notes when you stroke. When you stroke on a manual machine, the notes move forward as you press the keys. The farther you press, the more the notes move until finally stroke the word. You have to push the keys on a manual machine farther than the keys on an electric machine. That can be a difference in speed.

In general, any well-maintained machine with a motor that pushes your notes forward is going to be faster than a manual machine. There are electric machines that look exactly like the old manual machines. These machines are just as fast as any that are out on the market today.

Obviously, if you need a machine for computer class, you will need to buy a model that has those capabilities. We aren't going to get into which brand to buy. Our suggestion is that you buy a used machine from a student. These machines hold their value. Very often, they are sold from student to student for the same price.

Graduating students and professional reporters should upgrade if they need the newer technology to produce their work. Be careful, CAT technology has been around for decades. You don't need to upgrade just because a salesperson tells you that you should. You need to upgrade if it will keep you competitive with other reporters in your area or if it will earn you more money.

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What is the best dictionary for stenography students?

This one is a no-brainer. The best dictionary for a stenography student is the dictionary that is used by the people who grade that student's tests. What dictionary does your school recommend? What dictionary does your state use for your certification tests? Hopefully, your school uses the same dictionary as your state.

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How much should I practice?

How much should you practice? How much should you practice? Let's put it another way. How long do you want to be in school? You should practice as much as you can. Further, you should not have to be forced to practice. This is your chosen field. You should want to practice. Think of it as a video game that you are mastering or as a musical instrument. You will improve a lot by practicing a lot. You will improve a little by practicing a little.

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Which theory is the best?

This is a question that has been heatedly discussed over the years. The answer is that all theories work with CAT. The ones that don't work with CAT aren't being taught anymore, or they have been changed to become compatible. All of them have special ways to write names, common prefixes and suffixes, numbers, et cetera. All of them allow you to incorporate new strokes as long as they don't conflict with other words. All of them are periodically updated to take advantage of new technology, new words, new strokes, et cetera.

The reality of the stenographic world is that there are two theories that are talked about more than others. These two theories are well-written, well-supported, and well, they work. But they aren't necessarily the best theories. They are the top theories for the same reason that Coke and Pepsi are the top dogs in their industry: marketing. Coke and Pepsi advertise more than anybody. That's how they maintain their domination of the market. And that's how these two theories dominate the steno market.

By the way, Coke and Pepsi really aren't better than the little company's soda or the house brand. It all depends on taste, but most of us are swayed into believing that they are better because Coke and Pepsi keep telling us that they are.

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What is the absolute best way to write names?

Simple.

Let's take an easy name such as Bill Jones. Use any of the following: Bill Jones, Bill Bill, Jones Jones, Jonez Jonez, Bill Jone, Bij, Bij Bij, Bilg, Bilg Bilg, Bones, Bones Bones, Bonez, Bonez Bonez, Bines, Bines Bines, Bills, Bills Bills, Billz, Billz Billz. You can also add an asterisk to any of these strokes. A brief that is composed of two identical strokes can be stroked almost as fast as a one-stroke brief. For that reason, all of these examples are regarded as one-stroke briefs, except for the first one, Bill Jones.

The bottom line is that writing out "Bill Jones" phonetically will always be clearer than using any type of brief. It will always be easier to remember and easier to translate. If you use a brief for "Bill Jones," it must be a brief that you can correctly stroke faster than if you wrote it out. "Bill Jones" is only two short words. You won't gain much by using a brief if you hesitate or write sloppy.

Let's change the name to "Billingsly Jonesinger-Bettenkowsky. That's a heck of a lot of syllables. Now there is a great advantage to using a brief instead of writing it out. You will gain a lot of time if you use a brief in this situation.

There is no best way to write names. If you want a faster way to write them, make sure that you pick strokes that you can translate. If you want a clearer way to write them, write them out.

P.S. One of the worst ways to write names is to use initials. Using "BJ" for Bill Jones will only work until somebody mentions Betty Johnson, Barb Jenkins, Bob James or anybody else with the same initials. Students who use initials are usually completely lost when that happens.

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Do the speed champions use briefs and phrases?

Some do and some don't

As far as steno speed champions, they use the strokes that they can write the fastest. A lot of the time, they do not use briefs or phrases because they can write it out just as fast as they can remember and then use their briefs.

As for other speed champions such as stock racing and downhill skiing, we have heard interviews where they have used phrases. We aren't sure about the briefs.

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How can I achieve my ultimate speed?

This is quite a question. Let's break it down into two parts.

If you need general hand speed, concentrate on drills that use small words. After all, small words contain the syllables that make up the large words. You should focus on keeping the hands going at all times. Look for strokes that give you more trouble than others. These are the strokes that are holding you back the most. Find drills that emphasize those strokes.

If your problem is not hand speed, then you probably hesitate.

If you hesitate exclusively on large words, you are probably trying too hard to think of a brief or a squeeze. You may be better off stroking the word out.

If you hesitate on small words and large words, you probably are losing concentration. Stop the drill. Take a short break. Get focused. Do it again, but this time, do it better.

If you hesitate because of a hard fingering pattern, you don't have hesitation. You just haven't mastered your machine. Practice any stroke that gives you trouble. Find a good drill, and get to work.

We used the word "probably" an awful lot in this answer. Remember that you know your abilities more than anyone else. You have to decide what you need.

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Should I put pads on my keys?

Now there is an invention whose time has come. Pads will give you more traction. Your hands won't be slipping all over the place. They are easy to apply and relatively easy to change.

The downside is twofold.

1) Some people use pads to allow them to keep their fingernails a little longer. This is a bad, bad reason. Cut those fingernails.

2) Pads tend to slip. The glue doesn't always hold. Remove old pads if they are moving around or if you can't keep them lined up. The steno machine is your instrument. Keep it in good shape.

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How can I gain clarity without losing speed?

You can't. You asked the question that way because you are aware that you can't write certain strokes at high speeds. You haven't been writing those strokes. What you have been doing is writing junk for the hard strokes.

What you really want to know is how can you write those hard strokes correctly and quickly.

That's a simple question. If you want to write a stroke fast, you must start by writing it as slow as necessary to preserve the clarity of the stroke. Then you practice it until it gives you no trouble. Then you increase the speed. Then you practice until it is clear. And so on and so on.

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What books do you recommend?

All of them. The more you read, the more you know.

Buy every book written about your theory. That shouldn't be very many. Use these books the most. Your actual theory book should need to be replaced at least once before you graduate. You should be using it that much.

Buy reference books that you can use now. This type of book is usually updated yearly. If you aren't going to need the book until you start working, maybe you should wait. Of course, you must have at least one good dictionary, if not two. You need a dictionary for use at school. You may want a larger one for home.

Buy how-to books by speed champions and respected teachers. These are the experts in our profession. Give them a chance to tell you what works for them. Sometimes, you will only get one or two useful suggestions from an entire book. That's okay. Every time you find a good suggestion, you solve one of your stroking problems.

Buy books on CAT, realtime, or computers in general. If you own a specific computer system or program, get books that teach it. You will be using computers all of the time in your career.

Buy books of soundalikes, glossaries, grammar, punctuation and style. Please buy these books. Buy as much as you can. Especially punctuation and style. Buy them. These are books that you can use now.

Books contain the answers to the questions. Get the answers.

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Can a reporter work in any state?

Nope. Some states require that you pass their certification test first. They don't accept anything else.

Other states will allow you to work if you have passed a certification in another state. Basically, State A will accept State B's certification test if State B will accept State A's test.

Other states don't have a certification test. Generally, they are the easiest states to begin working in. Don't be fooled. They may not have a test, but they do have rules and regulations which govern reporters.

Every state has its own rules. Go to their website. Find the specific rules you need. Ask as many questions as you need.

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How come I have to build a dictionary in CAT class?

The short answer is that you have to build a dictionary because everybody writes in their own style. If you use somebody else's dictionary, you will not translate as many words as you should. That's because one person will write out a word, another will use a brief, and a third will use a squeeze. So you have to make your own dictionary.

The long answer is that we are using old technology to create our dictionaries. There should be a huge dictionary that contains every combination for every word and phrase. As you write, the computer should be able to assemble a main dictionary for you containing words that match your style. Finally, you should be able to easily delete the strokes that you don't use. Nobody has come up with an easy way to do that. Well, nobody in the stenographic field. That technology has been around for a while also. It works really well.

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What CAT program is best for students?

First, let's assume that you are talking about those programs that translate your notes and make a transcript out of them.

Those programs are all word processors. That's all they are. They take your strokes and convert them to words. A regular word processor doesn't need all of the fancy functions that our CAT programs use; so they don't offer them.

So which of theses "word-processing" programs do we recommend for students? All of the ones that are on the market today are wonderful, easy-to-use programs. All of them provide every function that a reporter needs. All of them are supported by gut-wrenchingly slow support.

If you learn one of these programs and then decide to switch to another, you will experience the same learning curve that people have when they switch from Word to WordPerfect. All of the functions are there, but you must learn to press different buttons. It's not that hard after the first few days.

So what do we recommend? We recommend that you do not buy a program until you need it. These things are updated frequently. For example, there is an expensive program that is used by lots of reporters. It is marketed well, and people believe it to be "cutting-edge" technology. Maybe it is. It works fine once you learn the program. But this thing is torture to learn. Stupid toolbars, stupid icons, stupid function names. Buy this program now, and you will have to struggle with their stupid manual to figure out that stuff. Wait a little, and they may make it more user friendly.

So what do we recommend if you can't wait? You can pay anywhere from $1,000 to $4,000 for a new program. Basically, they all work the same. If you buy the same program that your school uses, you may already be familiar with how it works, but that is a small advantage. The difference is simply which buttons you press to get a result.

If you are a student, and if you must have a CAT program, and if you value your hard-earned dollars, there are two programs that we heartily endorse.

The first one is GlobalCAT. You can find it at http://www.globalcat32.com. They offer a student version of their software for free. Yes, free. Ain't that wonderful. You can download it from their site. Make sure you print the user's guide.

The second program is DigitalCAT. Find it at http://www.stenovations.com. They also offer a student version for free. They don't let you download from their site. You have to send them $35 for a CD and a manual. That covers shipping and handling.

Those two companies should be thanked by every student. Students who use their products don't have to shell out the big bucks while they are in school. Students who don't use their products also benefit from lower prices. The other guys would raise their prices if these two companies weren't being so nice to students.

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Why do I write better at home than at school?

You have a case of stage fright. There are a lot of solutions. The traditional ones advocate solutions such as 1) Volunteer to read more often in class, or 2) Try to stay calm. Volunteering to read in class is supposed to make you confront your fears. It's harsh, but it works. The stay-calm method may involve deep breathing, soothing thoughts, exercises, sleep, nutrition, herbs, vitamins, self-hypnosis, et cetera. This is a gentler solution. It, too, works.

Our solution for stage fright is a silly one. The best solutions are the silly ones. They make you smile. Sing out loud at the mall. Go out of your way to say hello to people. Dance down the sidewalk. Strike up a conversation with the guy at the corner store. Make people notice you. When you are comfortable in all of those situations, you won't have stage fright.

Now, test nerves are a different story, but you didn't ask about that. Too bad. (Just kidding. Check out the next question.)

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Help!! I have test nerves.

Yes, you do; and it's a good thing that you do. You want to have test nerves. Really, they are just the regular nerves, but we label them "test nerves" when they show up during a test.

You want to have them. It is this kind of warning signal that makes you remember to check both ways before you walk into the street. These are the nerves that make you slow down before a curve or blow on your coffee before you drink. They are good nerves.

It's you that's screwing things up. You told your nerves that if you don't pass this test, it will be a huge calamity. You told your nerves that a test ranks as high as an auto accident or a serious injury. All your nerves are doing is reporting the danger to you.

Change that. Put things in perspective. Tell your nerves that a test isn't that serious. You've failed tests before, and you will fail them again. That's just part of the package. After a defeat, you pick yourself up and try again.

You want test nerves. You want your pulse to quicken before the test. You want the adrenaline to flow. But don't overdo it.

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I have stressssssssss.

Well, stop that. It isn't healthy. It causes all kinds of bad things.

Is steno class the first place that you ever experienced stress? No? I didn't think so. In other words, you have gone your entire life without finding a cure for your stress. Now, you want a cure from me, and you want it now.

That isn't going to happen. You have always had stress. This is how you live your life. This is how it has always been.

What? You don't like that answer? Too gloomy?

Then don't accept that answer. Find a way to reduce your stress. There are so many methods. Find something that works for you. Most of the answer involves your mind. You have talked yourself into believing that your situation is extremely serious. It isn't. It is only school.

And start smiling now and then.

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I have trouble with the Vulcan hand salute.

That can be easily solved by using one of the basic exercises that we use in the stenography field. We do these exercises for dexterity and muscle control.

To learn the Vulcan hand salute, try this exercise that we use to increase our reach. Put your hand up as if you are going to yell "Stop." Your fingers and thumb should be extended and joined. Now move your little finger out to the side as much as you can. Return to the starting position. Next, move your ring finger and little finger to the side. Return. Repeat this with all of the fingers.

We do this exercise to help us reach the keys during even the most difficult strokes. It is quite effective.

You will soon be able to say "Live long and prosper" without worrying about sloppy hand gestures.

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Q. I heard about this great new method of practicing. Basically, you are taught to practice at high speed. Have you guys jumped on the bandwagon?

A. No, we won't be playing sweet music with that group. We would rather teach correct, fundamentally-sound principles. It makes for a lot less hate mail.

Almost all teachers will tell you that this "new method" is as old as the hills. Writing at high speed has long been touted as the best way to gain speed.

I was taught two rules when I was a student. One was "Get a stroke for everything, and eventually your notes will clear up." The second was "If you drill at high speed, then it will make the goal speed sound slow."

Well, when I tried to get a stroke for everything, I lost my clarity and control. On the plus side, goal speed did sound wonderfully slow after a session at high speed. But it didn't help. When I lost my clarity and control, I lost them at all speeds. So maybe the drills did sound slower, but boy, was I writing worse.

The Dark Ages are over. Today's theory books do not recommend speed. They stress accuracy and consistency. This "new method" was the prevalent theory of speedbuilding at one time, but it does not hold that distinction anymore. Today, it is shunned by responsible educators.

Almost all students who concentrate on pure speed will tell you that they can write the next higher speed about the same as their goal speed. They believe that just a little more speed will put them over the top.

If you would take those same students and put them in a lower speed, they would find that they write that lower speed about as well as their goal speed.

There is a definite pattern to their writing. At goal speed, they get most of it, but not all. At high speed, they get most, but not all. At a lower speed, they may get a little more, but they still do not get it all. They have speed and nothing else. Their problem areas are problem areas at all speeds.

If you are one of these students, you will pass tests for one of two reasons.

The first is that you will eventually become much faster than the class speed. That is common. When you have sufficient overall speed, even your problem strokes will be adequate. But that means that you won't be ready for the state test when you are writing 225. You will need much more speed than that to make up for your shortcomings. Figure on 260.

The second reason is that you will pass tests when your problem strokes do not play a major role. If the strokes never show up, then you can't fall behind on them. But that means that you will not pass the state test unless those strokes are absent. That is asking a lot. How many times do you want to take the test before you find one that doesn't contain your problem strokes?

Better reasons for passing tests include clarity, lack of hesitation, lack of carrying, and a few others. If you pass your tests because you are writing strong and confident, the state test will not be difficult.

Except for a couple of throwbacks in the stenography world, every teacher, every school, every book written on physical skills maintains that the only correct way to learn is at a low speed.

You won't find a typing book that agrees with this speed method. Or a guitar book. Or a golf book. Or a driving manual. Or a card-trick book. Or a swimming book. Or a billiards book.

Heck, when you get right down to it, you don't even agree with it. I'm sure that you didn't teach your children how to walk by dragging them down the hall at high speed. Can you imagine that? "C'mon, son, don't sit there and cry. We have to run for ten more minutes, and then we'll see how well you have learned to walk."

How can it be proper to teach something at high speed before it has been learned at a lower speed? It makes no sense, and you know it. You didn't teach your children to dress that way. You didn't teach them to pour Kool-Aid that way. You didn't teach them to use a fork that way. You taught them slowly.

If you have a problem with lack of speed, find a low-speed drill. Practice it. Whether or not you get all of it is irrelevant. Think about what parts of that drill gave you trouble. For instance, do you really write clean notes when you are not pushed? Do you fall behind on common words at low speed? Does your problem with THESE/THOSE or THE/A clear up at low speed? Do you stay up with the dictation on low-speed drills, or do you still fall behind? What strokes give you problems?

The low-speed drills will let you know where your problem lies. Don't be concerned with whether you wrote 100 percent of the drill. Be concerned about which parts you did slower or worse than the average section. Those are the things that you need to practice.

When you practice goal-speed drills and high-speed drills, you will tend to think that you dropped because of the speed. When you write low-speed drills, you can't blame the speed. It is perfectly clear which strokes and which words are trouble areas.

When you have improved the problem areas, you will find that you have made a great increase in speed without practicing speed.

But if you ignore your trouble areas and only work to increase your speed, you will remain at the same performance level. The tough sections will still cause problems.

The hidden secret to passing tests is that you do not need to increase your top speed. Rather, you need to increase your bottom speed. The difference between a failing 92% and a passing 95% test is how the tough sections are handled. If you improve your performance on the tough sections, you will pass your tests.

Do slow drills. Find your problems. Turn them into strengths. If you are in 180s and you practice a 140 tape correctly, you will end up writing clearer and with more rhythm and with less hesitation and with less carrying. Look at all of those good things that happen when you practice at low speed. It's just a big handful of wins. Everything is correct.

Once you have improved your writing at low speed, you can go back to your normal drill speed or the occasional high-speed drill. You will find that when you conquer a stroke at low speed, you also conquer it at high speed.

You can't write it fast if you can't write it slow.

It's the only answer that makes sense.

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Lower Keys Finger Drill

How to Take a Test

The Four Basic Writers

How to Grade a Test

Easy Errors

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