dennis: SERVING MS. BROWN, PART 3 – TYPING AND SHORTHAND

One of the skills that makes me valuable to Carol and the other Women on staff is my ability to write (or “take”) shorthand. Shorthand is an abbreviated way of writing and one can literally record hundreds of words per minute and do so very accurately. It’s obvious how valuable this skill is in business, whether keeping record of a business meeting or taking dictation.

(As a young newspaper reporter, Charles Dickens taught himself shorthand and used it to take down verbatim accounts of political meetings, and later to capture the colorful dialects and dialogue that filled his novels.) One would think that this skill would be widespread, but it isn’t, alas; in fact, i’d guess it’s almost a lost art today. In the past it was mostly secretaries and stenographers – the vast majority of whom were Women -– who had this skill.

When I was in high school, my Mom was wise indeed and petitioned the school administrators to allow me to take typing and shorthand in place of the machine shop and drafting classes. i was college-bound and She realized the value of both these skills in a college environment. But even She could never have realized how valuable they’d prove to me in a business environment! So, i enrolled, although i was ridiculed by my classmates, some of whom inquired whether i’d be taking home-economics, too. Taking these courses took me outside the norm...

Well, i had the last laugh, since shorthand and typing have been amazingly useful to me. Not only does shorthand allow me to take accurate notes but it uses a script that is so unique to an individual, that it’s much like encryption – It’s not only fast and efficient, but almost secret! The stereotypical shorthand taker is a 1960s - 70s Woman, often depicted sitting on Her boss’ lap, the tops of Her nylons visible below Her hiked-up skirt, “steno” book in hand, taking dictation. But i’ve known a number of men wise enough to use it to their own and their Female boss’ advantage. And it’s secret in another way, too; unless someone looks at your notes, they’ll never know you’re using shorthand. A little consolation for guys who fear being accused of ‘writing like a lady’! Yes, i’ve been accused of this – patriarchy is easily threatened! For those of us who use shorthand, we consider it provides a real advantage to the business-person; think about it, how valuable are accurate and complete notes?

 

Just as Mom had predicted, typing and shorthand were useful in college, too, where i was again ridiculed for both. Last laugh again, good notes and professional papers were invaluable to my academic performance and my subsequently securing a full scholarship. And typing grew to be much more, for it morphed into “keyboarding,” a necessary skill for efficiently writing software! i’m still laughing!

Are my skills valued? They certainly are! Any time Carol loans ‘Her bitch’ to another Female staff member, it’s likely that staff member wants to employ my shorthand skills to record a meeting and my typing skills to type the notes of that meeting.

It’s nice to be appreciated!