This month’s interview is with Jo Goodall, the co-founder of Let’s Love Teeline Together. She is not only an expert in Teeline, but in Pitman - the system that originally ignited her passion for shorthand. She has trained countless students in both systems and is a highly experienced and passionate educator, and, as this interview will reveal, she fervently believes Teeline remains a fantastic tool for journalists and is a vital skill in today’s modern newsroom.
Teeline’s inventor, James Hill, started teaching Pitman shorthand when he was only 21 years old, as I did as well. Pitman is a phonetic system of shorthand. It has straight strokes and curved strokes. It has light strokes and heavy strokes. The first sounded vowel in a word determines whether an outline is placed on, above or through the writing line. The first consonant in a word determines whether we write a light or a heavy stroke. There are initial hooks. There are final hooks. There are clockwise and anti-clockwise motions for the hooks. There are diphthongs to insert (Note: a diphthong is a sound formed by the combination of two vowels in a single syllable, in which the sound begins as one vowel and moves toward another). Every word is unique. So, although it is a truly amazing system, and students can and do reach high speeds, it is complex to learn.
James’ students, just like mine, often struggled with it. To become proficient took well over two years of study. Although attempts had been made to simplify it (for example, Pitman 2000) they had not worked. James felt there could be something easier, which could be learned in a shorter period, and yet still match the speed of Pitman.
He and his wife Ivy worked on a system of shorthand based on the alphabet as we all know it. After fifteen years of invention, refinement and improvement this mild-mannered, intelligent man finalised a new system of shorthand in 1968. Here there was only one stroke that was placed above the line, the “T” - hence the name Teeline. As we note on our website, Teeline started out with a different name. James' wife was known to her friends as 'Bo' and it was in honour of her that he first called his system 'Boscript.'
James’ book on Teeline shorthand was not published until 1968. James, then sixty years old, was very ill. He died three years later in 1971, but happily in those three years it was proved that Teeline was capable of 150wpm and students easily learned the system in a fraction of the time it took to learn Pitman. Today, Teeline is the most widely taught and used shorthand system in the world.
As an aside, when obtaining a post teaching on a Journalism Degree course, I was given the choice of teaching Pitman or Teeline. But there was no choice really, because the timetable only allowed 10 weeks to learn shorthand.
I cannot say that I knew Harry, but like all Teeline writers, I knew of him. He was a journalist and teacher of shorthand. He was also shorthand consultant for NCTJ (National Council for the Training of Journalists). He had written a book on the history of shorthand (Note: Butler, E. Harry. The Story of British Shorthand. Jan. 1951). It is widely known that once Hill’s work was completed, Butler wrote: “We have on our hands a shorthand breakthrough which should solve long-standing shorthand problems. I have never known a shorthand system that can produce such good results in so short a time”. He recommended Teeline to the NCTJ. The NCTJ also examine Pitman shorthand, but very few students use this system in comparison to Teeline.
Harry Butler not only endorsed Teeline, but wrote many books on the subject of Teeline.
If you have followed our Beginners Series, you will know that after only two lessons we can write any word in shorthand. As we progress, what we write becomes less and less, as we learn to blend letters together, so that we no longer recognise the longhand alphabet on which it is based. It really feels so exciting. Our pages turn to magical scribbles, but all beautifully and expertly written.
What I love most about Teeline is its flexibility. We can adapt or if you like “improve” our notes by “inventing” our own outlines. That is not to say we can get away from the theory of Teeline, BUT over the years, authors of books have developed Teeline to introduce what they see as improvements. By that, I mean writing less when we realise a word or word grouping can be recognised without writing it in its original form. I suppose this is inevitable over time. Let me give you an example. In 1968, when Teeline was first invented, “social media” was not a common phrase. We would write those two words in full. But nowadays, since it is used frequently, I have devised my own special outline for it. It’s still Teeline, but the words are not written in full, and the sense of the sentence and the context of the passage enables it to be recognised easily. You can find this suggested outline in the mock examination entitled Secretary welcomes attendees - Words and Groupings.
Yes, it is taught differently. When a system is new or fairly new, the teachers are learning it along with the students. Over time the teacher becomes more and more competent and inventive, and that confidence is passed on to the students.
When I first started teaching Teeline, I had half an evening class doing Pitman and newcomers learning Teeline. I used to divide the board into two halves vertically and the class sat behind the half which applied to them. After a long day, and at the end of an evening, I once lost concentration and gave the Pitman students a Teeline outline. The frowns on their faces made me realise my mistake straight away BUT it is easy to do because there are one or two letters which are the same in both systems. So certainly for me, knowing how difficult it was to learn Pitman, I am so full of excited enthusiasm for Teeline. It's a brilliant system. What a gift James Hill left us!!!
As I have mentioned, teachers have devised their own outlines over the years because of the era we live in. Times are very different from the days of 1968. I talked earlier of the use of the phrase “social media” – how little we heard it then, and now all the time. Let me give you another example. Prior to the pandemic, how often did we hear the word “unprecedented”? During that time, and even now, we hear that word over and over again. “These are unprecedented times”. Whilst “unprecedented” is not a particularly long or difficult word to write, if we use it a lot we might decide to devise our own, shortened outline. The beauty of Teeline is that we can do this as long as we do not stray too far from the theory. When taking an examination we stipulate the system of shorthand we are using. Our notes have to demonstrate that system of shorthand has been used.
Many, but to start, there is no need to differentiate between light and heavy strokes (as with Pitman) nor you do not need a special pen. My shorthand pen for my Pitman notes was my very precious possession, and its nib had to be cleaned and protected. With Teeline you can use any writing instrument – pencil, ballpoint, rollerball, fountain pen – whatever suits you. I would recommend trying out one or two different writing instruments well before your examination or before taking notes of an important interview to find out what suits you best. You wouldn’t wear new trainers on the day of your marathon after all! If you choose a pencil be sure to take a spare and a sharpener!
This is a very difficult question to answer because an awful lot depends on the individual. A typical shorthand course will have four fifty-minute sessions per week (term time only, of course – so over 24 weeks). In the first 12 weeks students are expected to have learned the system – all the theory – and in the second 12 weeks to reach a speed of at least 100wpm.
That is entirely possible and fully achievable.
Teeline is a language. If you were teaching a child to talk you would not only speak to that child for four fifty-minute sessions a week. Students who practise daily outside of lessons will generally reach that standard much quicker. Those students usually reach the 100wpm examination after about 16 weeks. The more you practise the better you get, the better you get, the more you enjoy it, the more you enjoy it, the more you practise and the more successful you are in the examinations. It is, as they say, a virtuous cycle. So please…. Let’s Love Teeline Together.
Nothing makes my blood boil more than this. When people asked me “what do you teach?” I even stopped saying “shorthand” because I tired of the response “OH…..do they really still teach shorthand? I thought that had died years ago!!!”
Well, they have been saying that since I learned decades ago, but it’s still here, and it is staying here. The fundamentals of telling a story with accuracy is, and always will be, essential to a journalist. Yes, I know we now have our digital tools, but you can’t record in a courtroom or at an inquest. People are not going to speak slowly so that you can record their speech. You must keep up or you will miss an awful lot of information and most probably what you do write will contain inaccuracies.
A journalist without shorthand goes to interview someone and asks if they mind if the interview can be recorded. What then? The interviewee will tense. Speech will not flow so freely. It’s a human response as we are all nervous of saying something we shouldn’t say which can be played back. If you want a good interview use your shorthand pad.
I know not all jobs in journalism require shorthand, but I can tell you if there are two applicants, one with shorthand and one without, and those applicants are otherwise on an even footing, it is highly likely that the one with shorthand will secure the post. That is because editors know shorthand is not easy. So what you are demonstrating is that you have the dedication and tenacity to work hard and that you are determined, and believe me, that is a qualification in itself.
Learning shorthand is a challenge. But it is the most rewarding thing I have ever done. After my first lesson (Pitman remember) I was almost sick with worry. “I will never understand this” I thought, and I sat up half the night going over and over it. I was so afraid that it would overpower me that I did that for the first three weeks, and then found myself with the wind in my sails, well in front of the rest of the class and ever since I have been up, up and away. So my message here is DO NOT LET IT DEFEAT YOU. DO NOT GIVE UP. Love shorthand and it will love you, and I honestly and truly believe it will be the best thing you ever learn.
Many years ago, the college where I worked had a visit from the police. I was in the middle of my evening class at the time and was called to reception. I wondered what on earth I could have done which would have resulted in a Chief of Police coming from London to see me!!!! With trepidation I approached the desk and he asked what time my class finished and if he could meet me in the classroom afterwards. He said he was working on a murder case in the capital, and the evidence depended on a page of shorthand notes which had been written and discovered. He asked if I would transcribe the notes. I remember I was very nervous – not about the transcription - but about the whole thing. They were badly written notes – the theory was not good and they were very scrappy, but they seemed to be about Bobby. Bobby this, Bobby that. He stopped me and said “Is this definitely Bobby?” Is there anything else this could say? I then realised it was about a baby, and it all became much clearer. They were Pitman notes, and the outline was above the line as “Bobby” should be. “Baby” is on the line. So the outline was in the incorrect position. I remember I did not sleep easily that night. It’s a good many years ago, but I remember he invited me to submit an invoice for my work. I asked him how he had found me and he said “Oh we have our ways and means”. So when you are good at shorthand, you are in BIG demand.
Speed….it has been proved to be capable of 150wpm but I myself have only ever had one student who reached that speed or above – in fact 160wpm. NCTJ only examine up to 120wpm, so there isn’t the same incentive to strive for higher speeds. Years ago examination papers used to go up to 180wpm. I reached that speed in Pitman. I feel fairly sure I could not have done that with Teeline, but of course I cannot be totally sure because I have not continually practised Teeline in the same way I did Pitman. I lived and breathed it because I loved it so much.
Accuracy…..well there are a number of possibilities a word could say with Teeline, and ninety-nine times out of a hundred we can differentiate accurately when transcribing, but there are odd occasions where a distinguishing outline might be appropriate. Not many though, and I have to say, the advantages of the ease of learning Teeline FAR outweigh anything else.
Treat it like a new relationship. You will get out of it what you put into it. Don’t be half-hearted, treat it well, visit it every day if only for a short time. Vary your practice so that it remains enjoyable, just like you would vary the things you did on a date. Every single opportunity you have, take it with you. Virtual shorthand is great. Picture the words in your head when you listen to the lyrics of your music. Picture the words of people’s conversations. Don’t be afraid of getting anything wrong. Believe me when I say it is so worth every minute you spend with it. It will reward you so well in every walk of life.
The COVID pandemic changed working patterns beyond belief. Let’s start with learning. Students are now having lessons using Zoom or Microsoft Teams, whereas before they were almost all face-to-face. Personally, whilst I can see many advantages of remote learning, I do not think there is a substitute for being in the same room, teacher and student, learning together. For that reason we have tried to make our online course interactive by inviting participants to ask questions or make comments whenever they wish. Also, we are using different teaching styles. In our Court Reporting series, participants can see the outlines being formed. Indeed we would be prepared to demonstrate the writing of outlines if users of the website were unsure of the way to form any outline.
Of course, the big advantage of online learning is that lessons can be played over and over again and are available to anyone, anywhere in the world.
Regarding general use, I feel that it has not changed a great deal. I know interviews can be recorded, but the time taken to listen to the recording and extract the salient points, or a good quote, makes recording a very poor relation to shorthand.
I think part of the answer about the future of Teeline shorthand can be seen by looking at the work we are investing in our website at letsloveteelinetogether.com/. We love Teeline shorthand and we hope that it shows in everything we do. We have a keen vision to keeping it fresh, relevant and alive.
