March 2 2015

Steno Resources: Printed Testimony

I Love Stenography Logo (Cropped)If you have an Android phone or tablet, or a Google Play app, you can get some printed testimony that can be used for practice. If writing from paper is part of your steno study, or if you are looking for printed material that you can time and record, this is a useful resource.

Doing a search for “testimony” in Google Books will bring up several Q & A documents. Most of these documents, judging by the date they were created, are likely public domain works. The available free testimony, as of today, includes: Testimony of Attorney-General Brewster, Testimony: New York State Legislature Joint Committee, and many others.

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July 11 2014

Practice Video: The Odd Couple- My Strife In Court


LOL when Felix tried to clean up the witness stand and the classic breakdown of the word, “assume.” It would have been nice if there was a court reporter present in the scene though.

Here are some briefs and phrases from the video:
briefcase= BRAOEFK or BRAOEF/KA*IS
vacation= VAIGS
Detroit= DROIT
Cleveland= KLAOEFLD or KLAOEFNLD
how long= HOUNNG
how would you describe= HOULD
character= KHARKT
your Honor= URN
nervous= NEFS
you remember= URM
contention= KENGS
fiscal= SKAL
increment= KBREMT
objection= OX
sustained= STAEND
when I told= WHILT
what do you mean= WHAOUM
assume= SAOUM
very good= V*EGD
excuse me= SKAOUM
beyond a shadow of a doubt= YA*S
itself= T-Z
state your name please= STIRNZ
in your own words= NURNDZ
alleged= AELGD
will you tell= LUT
how many= HOUM
I want= IPT
to be= TOB
to do= TAOD
City of New York= SNORK or STIRK
not guilty= N-G
humiliated= HULTD
humiliation= HULGS
absolutely= SLUL
apology= GAOE
apologize= JAOIZ
divorce= DWORS
State of New York= STOERK
I don’t know= YON
bailiff= BIF

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May 18 2014

I Love Steno: The Student Edition- The Different Types Of Q & A

Q & A testing can be a very varied experience. The test can be a variety of short answers, long answers, multi-syllabic words, short words, medical terminology, etc. To be prepared you should practice a variety of different Q & A formats. I compare it to being a runner who can marathon, sprint, and hurdle jump.

Below is a list of different types of Q & A formats. From experience, I think that you should have practice takes that include, or represent, all of the following formats that are contained in the list. This is something that I have learned through creating my own study curriculum to help me advance through my steno goals. Hopefully, this will also help other students.

Love, Speed, and Accuracy,

Elsie Villega

Types Of Q & A Formats:

1) Short questions with long answers, or long questions with short answers. With this type of Q & A, be prepared that the writing of the designations will not be as rhythmic as it is in popcorn Q & A (see below). Be sure not to drop the short part of the exchange if you happen to be trailing the speaker on the long part of the exchange.

2) Long questions with long answers. These can be comparable to a literary take sometimes.

3) Literary like Q & A. This can contain long questions and/or answers that are chock full of multi-syllabic words. You might find your mind wandering to question to yourself, “Is this a Q & A or a lit?” Lol. Fight the urge to wonder, and just write!

4) Popcorn Q & A. A succession of short questions with short answers. This format is pretty rhythmic in its back and forth exchange. However, it can also feel a lot speedier due to the fact that designations have to be rapidly made. If there’s anytime for laser-like focus, it’s during popcorn Q & A.

5) Technical/Expert Testimony. You’ll hear a bunch of multi-syllabic words that are familiar only to people who are well acquainted with a certain industry or profession.

6) Medical. Hopefully, you’ve gotten yourself a medical dictionary or medical textbook. I have a textbook that came with a CD that contains the proper pronunciation of medical terms. However, keep in mind that due to the high syllabic nature of a lot of medical terms, you may hear a term pronounced a number of different ways. Don’t let this throw you off. Write what you hear. It will be highly likely that you will be able to transcribe the term correctly if you get most of the syllables down. This is a plus for multi-syllabic words. The exception is if there are word derivatives and you don’t write the proper ending. That’s always a downer! All those strokes for nothing. Smh. Lol.

7) Date repeating Q & A. There are question and answer exchanges in which the date of the incident comes up a million times. I learned this trick from one of the awesome reporters that I interned with: Write the date out a couple of times, and then have a one-stroke designation that you use every time the date comes up after that. Brilliant! I also have added on to that great advice by creating a designation for the date when it recurs sans the year. For example, you may hear, “On the event that occurred on, February 3, 2014…” and, you may also subsequently hear, “At the time of the incident on, February 3,…” Have a designation to denote both dates, one with the year and one without.

8) Q & A where a list of items is constantly repeated.

9) Repetition of clichéd phrases. For example, you may hear, “At the time of the accident…” numerous times throughout the Q & A. As a matter of fact, a majority of the questions may be prefaced with the statement. These Q & As are great if you have a brief for the phrase cemented in your memory bank, and not so great if you don’t.

10) Choppy Q & A. Q & A where the answers make no sense, or the questioner keeps interrupting themselves to rephrase the question. Arghh!! Don’t fret, just be ready to hit your dash designation. There’s nothing more confusing than trying to transcribe this random collection of words without your dashes.

11) Q & A with frequent interruptions. Speaking of dashes, be dash-ready for this type of Q & A. If you’re not dash-ready in this type of situation, you may erroneously think you dropped chunks of dictation when you in fact got everything down perfectly. Nothing tests you faith more with your writing than when you leave out a dash and you’re trying to decide whether you dropped, or left out a dash.

12) Include- heavy Q & A. Mark this, fill in that, or take a break here, etc. Be sure to be well acquainted with your include designations for this type of Q & A.

13) Colloquy ridden Q & A. You don’t have to worry about this with 2-voice, but 3-voice and up, be sure to have you multi-speaker designations well practiced.

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March 29 2014

Practice Audio: Q & A 170-210 (2-Voice)


I’m a big fan of John DeCaro’s practice audio. I especially love the way he does the Q & A. His Q & A actually has different people dictating along with him so that you hear more than one person’s voice. This is helpful to me because I noticed that I have developed a habit of making a stroke for a speaker designation every time I hear a voice inflection from a speaker. I believe that I developed this habit from practicing too much Q & A dictation where one speaker is doing two voices. Hopefully, practicing to John DeCaro’s Q & A dictation, and other Q & A dictation, where there is more than one speaker will help me break this habit.

Here are some briefs from the dictation:
modification= MOIFGS
A. I= IFRPBLGTS
retrospect= ROERT/SPEK
negotiation= GOERBGS
did you have= SDUF
I don’t remember= YORM
do you understand= DOUNDZ
consult= SKULT
real estate= RAE
occupancy= OUPZ
A. Yes.= YEFRPBLGTS
A. Yes, sir.= SYEFRPBLGTS
A. No, sir.= SNOFRPBLGTS
furniture= FURNT
premises= PREMS
carpet= KARPT
air conditioning= AIRNG
repairs= R-PS
maintenance= MAINS
supervisor= SPRFR
thereafter= THRAF
installation= SNAULGS
fabric= FA*RK
leather= L*ERT
pursue= PRAOU
possession= PEGS
thermometer= THERMT
temperature= TEM
windows= WIDZ
front side= FRONDZ
cooler= KAORL
building= BLG
because of the= BAUFT
disposition= DPOGS
dirty= DOIRT
notify= NOIF
composition= KPOGS
degrees= DREZ
average= AFRJ

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March 2 2014

Q & A Phrases

Here is an excellent video I found on you tube of Q & A phrases. Briefs are given in the video for the phrases. The video also has sentences containing the phrases.
Here’s my hindsight is 20/20 advice: Learn these phrases as soon as you can after theory! If your school hasn’t implemented these phrases into their theory books, make sure that you study them!! These phrases will be extremely helpful when you are doing Q & A!

Here are some more briefs from the video:
to do= TAOD
last time= LAFMT
dirty= DOIRT
day of the week= DAIFK
midnight= MAOID
if I wanted= FIPTD
would you please= WOUP
no matter= NORMT
outcome= OUK
theater= THAOERT
ugly= OIG
awake= WOIK
alarm= LARM
bullet= BULT

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March 1 2014

4-Voice 160 Q & A


Here are some briefs from the video:
photograph= FOEF
degrees= DREZ
bicycle= BAOIBLG
arrow= ROER
area= AER
A. Correct= KRFRPBLGTS
let me see= LEMZ
physical evidence= FAEFD
anything else= NILGS
relied= RAO*ID
points of impact= POIFKTS
photos= FOEFTS
point of contact= POIFK
car accident= KARX
measurement= MURMT
highway= HOI
angle= AENL
designated= SDEGTD
deposition= DEPGS
do you remember= DOURM
discarded= DARD/-D
that’s correct= THAERK
do you know= DAOUN
would have been= WOFB
hypothetical= H*PT
in other words= NOERDZ
obviously= OEFLS
clarify= KLOIF
you want= UPT
that’s right= THAERT
I can’t see= YAZ
if you give= FUFG
necessarily= NEFL
he wants= EPTS
right side= R-DZ
that could= THAKD

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February 3 2014

The Different Types Of Q & A

Q & A testing can be a very varied experience. The test can be a variety of short answers, long answers, multi-syllabic words, short words, medical terminology, etc. To be prepared you should practice a variety of different Q & A formats. I compare it to being a runner who can marathon, sprint, and hurdle jump.

Below is a list of different types of Q & A formats. From experience, I think that you should have practice takes that include, or represent, all of the following formats that are contained in the list. This is something that I have learned through creating my own study curriculum to help me advance through my steno goals. Hopefully, this will also help other students.

Love, Speed, and Accuracy,

Elsie Villega

Types Of Q & A Formats:

1) Short questions with long answers, or long questions with short answers. With this type of Q & A, be prepared that the writing of the designations will not be as rhythmic as it is in popcorn Q & A (see below). Be sure not to drop the short part of the exchange if you happen to be trailing the speaker on the long part of the exchange.

2) Long questions with long answers. These can be comparable to a literary take sometimes.

3) Literary like Q & A. This can contain long questions and/or answers that are chock full of multi-syllabic words. You might find your mind wandering to question to yourself, “Is this a Q & A or a lit?” Lol. Fight the urge to wonder, and just write!

4) Popcorn Q & A. A succession of short questions with short answers. This format is pretty rhythmic in its back and forth exchange. However, it can also feel a lot speedier due to the fact that designations have to be rapidly made. If there’s anytime for laser-like focus, it’s during popcorn Q & A.

5) Technical/Expert Testimony. You’ll hear a bunch of multi-syllabic words that are familiar only to people who are well acquainted with a certain industry or profession.

6) Medical. Hopefully, you’ve gotten yourself a medical dictionary or medical textbook. I have a textbook that came with a CD that contains the proper pronunciation of medical terms. However, keep in mind that due to the high syllabic nature of a lot of medical terms, you may hear a term pronounced a number of different ways. Don’t let this throw you off. Write what you hear. It will be highly likely that you will be able to transcribe the term correctly if you get most of the syllables down. This is a plus for multi-syllabic words. The exception is if there are word derivatives and you don’t write the proper ending. That’s always a downer! All those strokes for nothing. Smh. Lol.

7) Date repeating Q & A. There are question and answer exchanges in which the date of the incident comes up a million times. I learned this trick from one of the awesome reporters that I interned with: Write the date out a couple of times, and then have a one-stroke designation that you use every time the date comes up after that. Brilliant! I also have added on to that great advice by creating a designation for the date when it recurs sans the year. For example, you may hear, “On the event that occurred on, February 3, 2014…” and, you may also subsequently hear, “At the time of the incident on, February 3,…” Have a designation to denote both dates, one with the year and one without.

8) Q & A where a list of items is constantly repeated.

9) Repetition of clichéd phrases. For example, you may hear, “At the time of the accident…” numerous times throughout the Q & A. As a matter of fact, a majority of the questions may be prefaced with the statement. These Q & As are great if you have a brief for the phrase cemented in your memory bank, and not so great if you don’t.

10) Choppy Q & A. Q & A where the answers make no sense, or the questioner keeps interrupting themselves to rephrase the question. Arghh!! Don’t fret, just be ready to hit your dash designation. There’s nothing more confusing than trying to transcribe this random collection of words without your dashes.

11) Q & A with frequent interruptions. Speaking of dashes, be dash-ready for this type of Q & A. If you’re not dash-ready in this type of situation, you may erroneously think you dropped chunks of dictation when you in fact got everything down perfectly. Nothing tests you faith more with your writing than when you leave out a dash and you’re trying to decide whether you dropped, or left out a dash.

12) Include- heavy Q & A. Mark this, fill in that, or take a break here, etc. Be sure to be well acquainted with your include designations for this type of Q & A.

13) Colloquy ridden Q & A. You don’t have to worry about this with 2-voice, but 3-voice and up, be sure to have you multi-speaker designations well practiced.

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November 29 2013

Practice Video: 200 Q & A


Here are some briefs and phrases from the video:
at any time= TNT
liquor= LIR
no, sir= NOS
what happened= WHAPD
police station= PLAIGS
do you know= DAOUN
back seat= SBAOET
handcuffed= HKD
front seat= FRAOET
I don’t think so= YONGS
unusual= NAOURB
I don’t remember= YORM
at that time= TAT
assault and battery= SAUB
during the = DURGT
had been= H-B
yes, sir= YES
how far= HOUF
do you remember= DORM
officer= OIFR
did you see= SDUZ
about how long= BHOUNG
accurately= KRALT

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October 5 2013

Practice Video: Bill Gates Deposition Part 2 (1998)


Here are some briefs and phrases from the video:
may have been= MAIFB
various= VAIRBS
competitor= KPET/TOR or KPET/O*R
platform= PLAFRM
internet= SBET or SBNT
union= AOUN
e-mail= AOEM
retail= TRAEL
capabilities= KPABLTS
I don’t think= YONG
feature= FAOERT
intension= SBENGS
initial= NIRB
package= PAJ
in or about= NOERB
series= SAOERS
memorandum= MUMD
memo= MOEM
meeting= MAOEGT
phone call= FOENG or FO*ENG
strategy= STRAJ
discussion= SKUGS
summary= SMAER
virtual= VIFPL
I don’t know= YON
application= PLIGS
did you understand= SDUNDZ
executive= SKAOUFT

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September 14 2013

Practice Video: Bill Gates Deposition Part 1 (1998)


Here are some briefs and phrases from the video:
chairman= KHAIRM
Microfoft= MAOIRK/SOFT or MAOIRKT
computer= KPAOURT
dictionary= DRAIRB
edition= YIGS
concept= SKEPT
software= SWA*ER
softball= SBAUL
so many= SOM
effective= FEF
device= DWAOIS
definition= DPINGS
inventory= VEN
accurate= KRAK
inaccurate= NAEK
browser= BROURS
technology= TJ
navigation= NAFGS
internet= SBET
context= KEGT
e-mail= AOEM
memorandum= MUMD
paragraph= PRAF
I don’t think= YONG
I don’t think so= YONGS
with respect= WR-PT
in or about= NOERB
architecture= AERK
do you understand= DOUNDZ
contradict= KRIKT

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