Numerous steno students in the Court Reporting/Captioning field have shared stories and posts about hitting a "plateau" where they find themselves at a standstill in relation to their speedbuilding. Although there could be many reasons for this, such as not having mastery of their theory or not dedicating enough time to practice, I will focus on one aspect: the quality of practice.
As a self-taught Realtime CART Captioner, I can relate to the frustration of hitting a plateau. I remember being stuck at my target speed of around 140 for over a year, even though I practiced for over four hours per day. I listened to countless hours of dictations. But whenever I listened to a new one, I felt like my brain turned to mush, and my fingers turned to wet noodles. It was incredibly frustrating, and I felt hopeless. But since steno is in my blood, I couldn't give it up even if I wanted to.
In my decade-long steno journey, finding quality material to practice was always a challenge for me. Although there are plenty of things to practice to, like YouTube videos, TV shows, and podcasts, my belief is that they fit into the "quantity" of practice rather than the "quality."
Because I felt a need for this, I created a speedbuilding system called Mindful Audio Focus. I have created audio dictations categorized by different subjects, such as animals, entertainment, medical, legal, sports, etc. which include words and terminology related to the subject to help you build your dictionary. The Mindful Audio Focus exclusive system consists of audio recordings that are of high-quality as well as carefully designed timed pauses after each sentence. This allows the brain to focus on the words, and steno theory, to help reinforce concepts.
I am happy to announce my Level I Subscription plan now includes speed targets from 120 - 160 WPM. I wanted to specifically address those who may feel as if they are stuck in that dreaded plateau (typically 140/160 WPM).
New to Mindful Audio Focus and interested in learning more about it? Sign up for a introductory hands-on session and see if MAF is right for you!
If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me at info@ahrealtimecaptions.com
Thank you!
AH Realtime Captions, LLC
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