STENOGRAPHY: A BRIEF INTRODUCTION

WHAT IS STENOGRAPHY? WHAT IS ITS HISTORY?

‘Stenography’ combines two Greek words: ‘Steno’ (which means narrowed or compressed) & ‘Graphics’ (which means written text or drawing). So, when both are put down together, we get ‘compressed text’, which is the literal meaning of Stenography.

Stenography is symbolic text writing using symbols & abbreviations, which increases the writing speed compared to normal full-fledged texts, which is more of mainstream common writing practice. Most people think Stenography is limited to writing format only, which is just a misconception. Stenography as a profession involves writing work as well as typing work.

Due to the use of symbols & abbreviations is often referred to as Shorthand among the masses. High-speed writing, primarily due to the use of symbols & abbreviations, is also known as Speed-Writing.

Traditionally, it was used for thousands of years when the officials of different state kingships used to converse easily using Stenography.

But it started gaining more relevance in the last century due to the emergence of new nations, media house giants, etc., on a global level. But in India, it started gaining more relevance in the decade of the 90s due to the implementation of Liberalisation, Privatisation&Globalisation, which empowered the foundation of the corporate sector by encouraging local entrepreneurs, international investors etc. Before it, the Government & Print Media were the main employers of the Stenographers.

STENOGRAPHY: JOB PROFILE: WHO IS A STENOGRAPHER?

Both the public sector employers & private sector employers employ a good number of people for Stenographers’ job profiles. Since it is a non-mainstream art, which very few people master. Hence, the chances of placement are very high. Due to the involvement of both the Corporate Sector & the Public sector employers, there are certain variations in the job profile of Stenography, but for most of the part, their work remains the same.

Some general, common functioning areas of the Stenographers’ job profile are as follows:    

Transcribing Speeches & Policies to texts: You, as the Stenographer, are responsible for taking shorthand Notes of the public speeches & company policies. After that, you have to transcribe those notes on a Computer. Then, these are made public by publishing them in mass media, using magazines.

Press Conference Briefing: Since press conferences happen every day, you as a Stenographer have a vital role in how the interview sessions’ conclusion reaches out to the public, as you are acting as a conversation recorder.

Note-Making: A major part of Stenographers’ job profile is note-making daily. You have to do the note-making on behalf of the authorities. Because of your active involvement, you help the Public Relations Department as the Public Relations Development takes place smoothly due to your active involvement.

Stenography: Spheres of Employment:

(WHERE CAN I GET EMPLOYED BY DOING A STENOGRAPHY COURSE?)

Due to numerous interactions (be it Private Meetings, Public addresses, or Press Conferences) among firms & governmental authorities, the Governmental Authorities & the Corporate Sector employ stenographers in a good number. And since it is highly underrated among the masses, the scope of getting employed remains significantly higher.

Shorthand/Stenography is one of the rarest skill sets, which paves the way for the student to enter both the Corporate Sector as well as the Public Sector, which increases the scope of Employment & the exposure of the student, which ensures Job Security, Professional Growth & personality Development

Some common spheres where Stenographers get employed being Stenography Course Diploma include the following:

• Offices in Public Sector & Corporate Sector
• Banks
• Companies
• Law firms
• Media Houses
• Schools/Colleges/Institutes

Future Of Stenography: WHAT IS THE FUTURE OF STENOGRAPHY?

Shortly, Stenography is expected to grow at a pace which is going to be very fast. It is because of the increasing significance of Media Houses, Corporate Firms, and Private Firms, which started gaining increasing prominence in the last 2 decades. Before which, it was just small firms & Government sectors that used to be the major employers for Stenographers.

WAYS TO LEARN STENOGRAPHY: HOW TO LEARN STENOGRAPHY?

To learn Stenography Courses, some aspirants prefer self-learning by learning it at home only. But the aspirant student should join a reputed institute like IWP Academy. They have a good reputation, a good track record of placements, and good reviews. You should join a reputed institute because of the following reasons:

• Well-structured courses: The Steno course in reputed institutes like IWP Academy is structured so that it makes it easier for the student to grasp the concept & how to implement them. The self-monitored study of the course takes time, effort, and a good chunk of research on how to design the structure of the course. The Steno courses in reputed institutes save you all the time and energy.

• Cost-efficient & Time-efficient: The advantage of learning the Stenography Course at a reputed institute is that the experienced Faculty designs the structure of the course in a student-friendly manner, making it more cost-effective & time-efficient than the student doing it all alone. At a glance, self-monitored learning might seem like a better option which is free, but the thing which isn’t taken into account is that these structured courses are conducted in such a way that they save the students’ time & efforts and may ensure him/her a placement earlier due to in-campus placement opportunities. It might end up saving your time in terms of months or even years.

• Computer Applications: Reputed Institutes focus on the long-term Skill-Development & Professional-Growth of their student, as they focus on adopting a more inclusive approach for Skill-Development by giving them training in Computer Applications- like MS-Word, MS-Office, etc., which are to be frequently used by them while in office. This would make Stenography an easy task for people who don’t know much about computers.

• Professional Environment: Since the environment we spend our time in has a significant impact on how our personality is shaped. Reputed Institutes like IWP Academy offer a highly professional environment. In-class training, as well as Meet & Greet Events with employers and practical demonstrations, help the student in a great way. Plus, IWP Academy also offers a Personality Development Course, which ensures that your Personality Development takes place along with your studies.

• Placement: Since reputed institutions offer Campus Placement opportunities to their students, their students have the upper hand as their respective faculty have monitored them. As a result, students’ skill development and proficiency in their dedicated fields take place. Since the employers demand candidates who hold Diplomas in Stenography Courses, which assures them that the candidates are skilled, professional & well-groomed. It is taken care of by reputed institutes. Our placement cell constantly works to get you employed by the best brands we all come across.

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO LEARN STENOGRAPHY?

“How Long Does It Take to Learn Stenography?” – is one of the most asked questions, which is answered very vaguely by a generalization of people due to lack of proper knowledge or perspective. Since we all have different grasping power, we learn at our differing paces, but it is safe to say that because of your exposure to a new form of script and the numerous symbols & abbreviations involved, you can learn the basics in 4-6 months depending upon your grasping power.

But, it takes another 6-months time period to master the speed of 80 w.p.m because of your exposure to different documents, speeches, newspapers, etc., which is the basic requirement of employers (be it the Public Sector or Corporate Sector).

HOW TO LEARN STENOGRAPHY FASTER?

To learn Stenography Course faster, you need to do the following things to gain proficiency in Stenography:

Do journaling: Journaling helps you pinpoint both your Strengths & Weaknesses, which helps you analyse the upcoming Opportunities due to Strengths and Potential Threats due to your Weaknesses, and you can adapt easily.

• Read More: The more you read, the more rich your vocabulary is, ensuring that you have command over more diverse forms of words and the symbols & abbreviations that are used to represent these words. A strong vocabulary ensures little to no scope of error while writing or typing the dictations. As one word gets misinterpreted or misspelt, it loses its meaning, and the whole sentence loses its relevance too.
• Increase the Quantity: By increasing the Quantity, we mean that you should increase your practice of the speeches in current affairs, which helps you maintain a pace of 80.
• Do Journaling: Journaling helps you pinpoint your Strengths & Weaknesses, which helps you analyse the upcoming Opportunities due to Strengths and Potential Threats due to your Weaknesses, and you can adapt easily.