One of the most challenging things for shorthand reporters is keeping pace with the spoken word for hours on end.  Often the rate of speech is beyond your comfort level, and it is common to experience mental and physical exhaustion at the end of the day.

Use these exercises to keep your steno fingers in good shape and help avoid repetitive strain injuries overall.

The Hand Off

Sit or stand, keeping your feet apart at about the same width as your shoulders. Extend your arms with your palms facing the ground. Slowly lift your hands while keeping your arms in place until your fingers are pointing towards the ceiling and your palms face away from your body. Then lower your hand until your fingers point towards the ground and your palms face your body. Repeat five times.

The Fist Maneuvers

Utilizing the same position as described in the hand off, gently clench your fists, as though you were holding a steering wheel. Squeeze your fists tightly, maintaining the tension for five seconds. Release the tension, then curl your wrists downwards while keeping your arms in place. Curl them upwards and then return to the starting position. Repeat five times.

Finger Flexing

Sit with the backs of your hands resting on your knees, keeping your palms open. Stretch all of your fingers out as though you were showing someone you needed “five minutes.” While keeping your fingers stretched, bend your thumbs inward until they touch your palm. Repeat the process for each finger. Then touch each of your fingers to your thumb. Repeat the entire exercise five times.

Keeping your fingers in good shape is only one part of good body maintenance.  Keeping your back and neck limber will also contribute to your overall endurance and comfort.

Neck Rolls

This is the classic warm-up exercise performed in many aerobics and cardio classes. Slowly roll your neck in circles, counter-clockwise ten times. Then perform an additional ten repetitions in the opposite direction.

Back Stretches

Your back can often ache after hours of sitting, especially in those uncomfortable chairs you are sometimes subjected to. Keep your back limber by performing a “spinal shift” stretch. Don’t worry; it’s not nearly as drastic as it sounds!

Find a wall and stand with your heels, legs, and buttocks flush against it. Reach towards the ceiling with your left hand while reaching towards the floor with your right hand. Keep your back straight while performing this motion. Hold the position for five seconds, then slowly lower your left hand towards the floor while reaching for the ceiling with your right. Repeat five times.

Overhead Stretch

Start by interlocking the fingers of your left and right hand, palms facing away from your body. Slowly raise your hands until they’re pointing towards the ceiling. Hold this pose for five seconds, and then slowly lower them back to the starting position. Repeat the process five to ten times.

By practicing these stretches before, during, and after extensive steno sessions, you’ll be able to maintain the stamina you need for this career. Long sessions will become easier, and you’ll continue working for years to come.

For anyone looking for transcription information re court rulings and the new template that came into effect November 1, 2012, it can be found at the following website:

http://www.ag.gov.bc.ca/courts/other/transcription/contractor/index.htm

Let’s face it – our job is tough! We spend hours at a time working to keep up with everything that’s said with often short breaks and unintelligible speakers. After a long day, our muscles ache and our eyes burn.

Most of us have learned to live with our discomfort after spending a few years as reporters, but here are a few tips that can help keep your mind and body in top form. Commit to implementing as many of these as you can in 2013, and you’ll find yourself under less stress and in less pain, which means you’ll do a better job and improve as a reporter.

Do not ignore the machine.  Make sure the machine that earns your living is well taken care of.  No, I am not talking about your writer or your computer!  Your body needs exercise and quality fuel to keep it running smoothly.  We all know this rule, but so many of us ignore it.  Get in the habit of exercising and eating nutritionally and you will find your stamina and outlook greatly improved.

Understand how you motivate yourself.   Some of us are motivated by moving towards what we want, while others are motivated by getting away from what they fear. Study the source of your motivation and learn to use it effectively. Thinking about your life in the wrong terms can increase stress, which in turn decreases your performance.

Take the time to reflect on the progress you’ve made. We all pride ourselves on our skills as reporters, but sometimes it’s easy to dwell on the negatives, that you’re not as good as you would like to be. How much more positive would you be if you congratulated yourself on how much you’ve accomplished and how far you’ve come, as opposed to how much you need to improve?  It’s easier to stay motivated if you concentrate on your successes as opposed to your failures.  This will give you the confidence you need to do your best work, even on the most challenging of days.

Aim for perfection, but don’t expect it. Sure, we need to maintain accuracy, and you should aim for perfection with every job, but don’t beat yourself up when that doesn’t happen. Our job is tough, and very few people could come close to the accuracy we exhibit with every job!

Look at your mistakes as lessons learned. Whether you work for an organization or you’re an independent contractor, the lessons you learn from performing your profession every day are valuable, even when they come to you in the form of mistakes. View them as a learning experience, something that will help you prepare for the next time, and you’ll move into your next project full of confidence in your ability to deal with any situation.

Always remember why you’re doing this. Few of us got into the profession of reporting because that’s what we wanted to be as a child. Some of us enjoy the freedom, the ability to travel, to work from home as captioners, to learn something new every day, and, yes, some of us just want to earn a living.

Always remember your underlying motivations for getting up and going to work. What do you plan to do with the money you earn? Do you have long-term goals or a vacation coming up? Although money is an important aspect of our job, there’s more to enjoy than just a paycheque.

Of course, we’d love to hear about your stress busting tips, too. Our profession is demanding, and the pressure can sometimes be overwhelming. What techniques have you learned that help you get through each and every day in a profitable and productive manner?