Building Typing Skill (1947)

[Music] Building typing skill is the process of pushing out into new speed areas, even if you temporarily lose control, and then using the foundation skill techniques until you have regained control in this new speed area. George wants to increase his typing speed. So, he takes advantage of opportunities for independent practice. He knows the rate at which he can type and maintain control. And now he is deliberately working at a faster rate. But he's beginning to lose control. His typing is no longer smooth and even. He's getting tense. It shows up in the lines in his forehead, in the rigid position of his shoulders. Well, that's to be expected when you first try for extra speed. What's the answer? George has learned the answer in typing class. The thing to do is to analyze the way you were typing and rebuild your skill in the foundation techniques. Now, what's wrong, George? Well, you know, you grew nervous and tense. To maintain control, you must relax. Type with ease. What else was wrong with your typing? You had some technique difficulties. That capital T is way out of line. That means faulty operation of the shift key. Precise operative control is another fundamental skill technique. What else? That Q is fainter than the other letters. A sure sign of unequal stroking power. Correct stroking is of course basic to typing skill. In fact, what we have here are three of the seven foundation skill techniques. Relax. Type with ease. Develop precise operative control. Build correct stroking. Hold arms and hands quiet. Read copy at proper response level. Keep eyes on copy. Type with confidence. To rebuild his typing skill, George will concentrate on those techniques in which he is weak. First, to overcome that nervous tension, tenseness often comes from poor posture. Make sure you're sitting properly. Hands and forearms should be in a line parallel with the slope of the keyboard. Shrugging the shoulders this way helps you to shake off that tenseness. Now that you're relaxed, what next? Develop precise operative control. Remember that key that was out of line? Better rebuild your skill in the use of the shift keys. First, practice the reach to the key. Reach out with your little finger, swinging your hand a little from the wrist. Don't roll your wrist as this will throw your fingers out of line. Use this hinge action so your hand will swing back automatically to its natural position. And here's another don't. Don't move your arm out of position like this, or you'll have to hunt for the natural position of your fingers on the keys. The right way is the easy way. In typing capitals, hold the shift key down until the letter has been struck and no longer. Incidentally, notice that the space bar is struck with the right thumb and released immediately. Uh-uh. That was a sloppy carriage throw. Better practice. There, that's better. And you're off to a quick start. In slow motion, watch for the simple wrist and forearm motion which throws the carriage and the quick start on the next line in the continuous flow of typing. Don't let the elbow get out of line. Similarly, the other operative controls are used without interfering with the continuity of your typing. Now, George, what else? Oh, yes, that faint queue. That's a result of unequal stroking power. Remember, the stroke is made with a sharp blow to the center of the key with an immediate release. The same power is behind every stroke. Some people have trouble with the weaker third and fourth fingers. These must be trained to deliver the same stroke as the stronger first and second fingers so that you achieve uniformity in the appearance of your work. Watch out for unequal stroking power. See that you don't pull back on the stroke. Strike the center of each key and release it immediately. Let your fingers do the work. Here's a little trick for testing whether your hands and arms are quiet, almost motionless. If the coin stays put, you know you're typing with your fingers only, as you should. We can't overemphasize the importance of proper stroking. Watch it in slow motion. Watch to see whether your stroking can be improved. Now George is ready to start again building control and reaching out to the higher speed level. In doing so, he will naturally use all seven skill building techniques. Always read the copy at the proper response level. It never hurts to start at the stroke level and build control from there. But no matter how slowly you're working, work for continuity, a smooth, steady flow of typing unbroken by any jarring action of the operative controls. Generally, you will read copy at the word recognition level, reading words, thinking words, typing a pattern of strokes and not separate individual letters. Of course, unfamiliar words for which you have developed no pattern may need to be typed at the combination or even the stroke level. Work up smoothly to the fastest speed at which you are sure of control. And remember the other foundation skills. Keep your eyes on the copy. If you look away, you may lose your place and interrupt the flow of your typing. Tune your ears to listen for the bell so that you don't have to watch for the end of the line. There's the throw and the quick start on the next line. George is now ready to push out again into a new speed area. This time his control is better because he knows it's better. He has reassured himself that he has a thorough grounding in the basic skill techniques. Of course, he's not perfect. There's an error, a transposition. Errors are largely mental. They usually mean that you've lost control. What do you do? You stop and then start again at a slower speed where you're sure of your control. Then you rebuild your skill up to the higher speed. Speed isn't difficult to achieve. George is typing at about 40 words a minute. Now he pushes up to 50 words a minute. It's really only a little faster than 40. And today he's pushing himself up to 60 words a minute. And 60 is only a little faster than 50. Now George feels pretty sure of his control at the new speed. He feels sure because he knows how to relax. Type with ease. Develop precise operative control. Build correct stroking. Hold arms and hands quiet. Read copy at proper response level. Keep eyes on copy and type with confidence. This is the sum of all the others. The typewriter is a machine. The performance you get from it depends upon your skill and your skill depends upon your mental attitude. You can type as well and as fast as you know you can type. The way to build confidence in your typing is to practice the basic skill techniques until you are sure of your control. Control means confidence and confidence is your best insurance against making errors. Your best insurance of smooth, skillful, speedy typing. [Music]