“Sure,” you say, “I can get something down for every word.” That's great IF you can read it back! The proof is always in the transcript. Compare your transcript against the original EVERY TIME. You’ll be surprised how often you think you did well, but didn’t. Consider every mistake an error. Don’t go for faster takes unless you can consistently write with 95% accuracy. Missed words or wrong words (even if your notes have it right and you transcribed it wrong) are errors. If your notes are sloppy and hard (or impossible) to read, the dictation was too fast. Again, accuracy before speed.
It is better to write ½ hour a day than to cram a week's worth of practice into one 3½-hour session. Your mind needs to absorb the work and it needs to rest between practice sessions. Certainly, more than ½ hour a day is desirable. More IS better.
There are those who insist that easy material is better for speed building—and that it should be practiced at a slightly higher rate than “real” dictation. Of course, there are those who argue that hard material is better. I’ve done both and cannot say which is better. I’ve also been told the Gregg materials are easier than Pitman because Gregg sticks to the more common words. Regardless, practicing legal matter is fine if you’re going to be taking legal dictation; if you’re only ever going to write business correspondence, then business correspondence might be a better practice vehicle. However, no matter what you write, a good shorthand vocabulary never hurts.
Should you take the same take more than once? The experts differ on this one; their answer also depends upon what speed you're writing. I've always felt that repetition builds speed. You should go over and over the same take as often as necessary to get good, clean notes. If you have the kind of tape player or mp3 player or even certain sound editors (such as Audacity) which can increase the speed of the output, you might even want to repeat the dictation enough so you can eventually write it 10 or 20 words more per minute than the speed at which it was originally dictated.
There are those who say that ANY dictation is good. Well, dictation can be too fast, too uneven, too technical. Dictation rates vary widely, even on "professional" tapes. Like typing (excuse me, keyboarding), speed is measured in a "standard" word of 5 strokes—regardless of how many keystrokes actually make up the individual words—Gregg standardized on 1.4 syllables equaling one word. The Pitman people, as court reporters still do today, say one word is one word. Therefore, electricity (five syllables) will count just as much as the (one syllable). I don’t think either method is better; they’re just different. You should be aware of how your dictation was counted to get maximum practice results. Certainly, if you’re going to count and record your own material for practice, the one word/one word is easier. When you’re counting up your errors, regardless of how the material was counted, missing the word electricity is one error, just as missing the is one error.
You can’t base speed on a faulty knowledge of your shorthand system. If you pause to think “Isn't that a brief form?” you’re in big trouble. Hesitation is bad. Knowing your system thoroughly allows you to write according to rule, actually making it easier to read back your notes, even when they're stone cold. So, get out your old introductory book or a good theory book and start reviewing/practicing with Lesson One. A good review always helps.
We all have days where it is clear NO PROGRESS is going to happen when we sit down for a practice session. My advice is to stop and try again later. If you start thinking I can make 120 errors a minute and really write only 10 words per, come back to your practice later in the day.
Read lots of well-written shorthand. The older systems used to publish "literature" written in shorthand. See if you can get your hands on a few of those old books and start reading. It's perfectly OK to read and reread your own textbooks as well.
If writing numbers is difficult for you, practice writing numbers. If certain word beginnings or word endings drive you crazy, create your own takes of words with those beginnings and endings and practice them. Shorthand speed is a complex thing and it requires that all phases of theory be cranked up at the same rate. Unfortunately, some principles lag behind others in your mental machinery, so work on the problem areas in each practice session.
The better your vocabulary, the more rapid your shorthand writing will be. Unfamiliar words will slow you down; familiar words, even if you've never written then in shorthand, won't slow you down as much.
I’m told a positive attitude helps and it probably does. Don't think you're not making progress if you practice regularly; it is the cumulative effect which will produce increased shorthand speed. It will come but there's no way to predict when.
You may also want to keep track of your progress by keeping a log of your shorthand sessions. List the date, the speed of the take, and the number of errors made. When you think you're not making any forward progress, take out your list and review it. You'll be surprised!