Correcting While Taking Dictation

[Deb]

I find that I usually leave an outline when taking dictation. If I'm caught up with the speaker, I may cross it out (one line through it) and try to correct it but usually that's all I can do with the limited time, unless it's a real slow speed or I know it very well (but by that time, I shold know it without having to make a correction, except once in a while).

AFTER the dictation is finished then I correct the outlines as I'm reviewing what I wrote.

WHILE taking dictation, don't worry about an outline. When you are practicing, allow yourself to make mistakes. This is how you learn.

You can never gain speed if you stop every time you make an error. It will take you several tries to take the entire dictation perfectly--probably more then several. Think about it, if you stop after the first paragraph to correct an outline and start over and the dictation consists of 5 paragraphs, you will have stopped 5 times. Instead take the dictation once through. If the outline repeats, you may get it correct the second time. This way you can take longer dictation later. If you stop every minute, then you will never get past taking dictation for a minute at a time. That's fine if all you want to do is write shorthand (then you're in the wrong section of this forum ).

[Deb]

I wrote some shorthand.
Let's pretend I was taking dictation and had time to make corrections.
In the first line, I had time to correct it with the red pen and rewrite it in the blue ink. On the third line, I didn't have time and just crossed out the incorrect outline with the blue ink and wrote the correction in blue ink.

The red shorthand on the right hand column is what is written after dictation and changes made in the sentences. Until one is decided upon by the person dictating (or the person writing it), none will be crossed out completely. Also sometimes you start a thought, then move on. The red is the completed thought and possible change or addition.