Is Teeline shorthand difficult to learn?

Before I started my journalism diploma I remember being terrified about learning shorthand after my older sister told me it was really hard to learn.

The thought of remembering all those lines and squiggles, dots and curves, then being able to write them in some coherent order at speed gave me nightmares, not to mention the thought that I'd be unable to read a word of what I'd written!

But at that time I didn't realise the type of shorthand I'd be learning was Teeline and not Pitman, which my sister had been taught at secretarial college back in the '50s.

Compared to other systems Teeline shorthand, which is widely used on UK journalism courses (in the US it tends to be the Gregg shorthand system), has got to be one of the easiest types of shorthand methods to learn once you have mastered the Teeline alphabet.

In fact, the chap who developed Teeline, James Hill, was himself a teacher of Pitman and devised this 'easier' type of shorthand system in the late ‘60s due to the fact that he knew just how difficult Pitman was to learn and write at speed.

However, just as some people learn to drive a car in no time at all and others take a bit longer to pick it up, learning shorthand is no different.

The main issue people face with shorthand though is not so much learning the Teeline alphabet or the outlines but getting their shorthand speed up to the standard 100wpm.

If this is you don’t get down about it. You will not be alone and I for one was perhaps the slowest shorthand learner the world has ever seen!

That is why I’ve written many posts on how to learn Teeline shorthand and tips on practising shorthand to help you write at speed so do have a read through them. You'll find them listed under the Teeline shorthand label on this blog or just key shorthand into my search bar to get them that way. 

But if you are struggling with your shorthand at the minute then you do have my sympathies.

It took me ages to get from 80wpm to 100wpm and it was a huge relief when I finally managed it and was actually able to start enjoying the job of being a reporter without having to practise my shorthand every night!

Perseverance and practise is the key to learning shorthand and improving your shorthand speed, so you just have to keep plugging away at it and hold firm to the belief that you will get there in the end.