The end of traditional shorthand for journalists?

ENSENADA, Mexico - Nov. 23, 2016 - PRLog -- Electronic Shorthand is a new method of taking notes quickly on an electronic device such as a smartphone, tablet, or laptop/computer. It is quicker and easier to learn than traditional shorthand and can be written standing up (which can be a challenge with pen & pad!).

The inventor of Electronic Shorthand, Michelle Campbell-Scott, is a former IT teacher and business trainer. She came up with the method of digital shorthand for her students and refined it over a number of years. She was staggered at its success after publishing it as an eCourse on Udemy and turned the course into a book to benefit people who don't have access to online courses.

Although she originally invented the method for her students, she wasn't surprised that journalists adopted it. "I learned traditional shorthand at school, because I wanted to become a journalist and thought it would be handy. My life took a different curve and I went into Public Relations. But I worked closely with journalists and heard their many complaints about traditional shorthand. The classes were tedious and often expensive. They were also getting hard to find as many colleges dropped shorthand. Pen and paper methods of note-taking can be uncomfortable in some situations, especially when standing. But journalists need to be able to take fast, accurate notes. They love my method because it is so quick and easy to learn and can be used anywhere. They always have a smartphone with them and don't need pen, paper, and a desk to take great notes."

Where traditional shorthand can involve 50 or more hours of learning, Electronic Shorthand can be learnt in just a few hours. One of the huge bonuses of it is not having to type up notes – they are already in digital format. Notes taken in Electronic Shorthand have no danger of being lost, as they can be automatically synced to the Cloud and available anywhere with an Internet connection.

Michelle says, "Electronic Shorthand is easy to learn because it uses the alphabet. It is similar to traditional shorthand, which is based on the outline of words and the dropping of certain vowels. It differs from traditional shorthand in that it doesn't require the learning of a whole new language. It is similar to text language – just with the addition of four simple rules. Anyone can learn it and benefit from it. I use it myself as I have a dodgy memory and notes are a life-saver!"

Electronic Shorthand is available from Amazon, Smashwords, Nook, Kobo, and iTunes, and is available to order from libraries via OverDrive.

Amazon: http://a.co/4QFplN9

iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/book/electronic-shorthand-eas...