THE SECRETARY TAKES DICTATION

e [Music] well thanks for the order Mr Williams I'll try to see if you get delivery within a week goodbye it's great to deal with a man who knows his business I'll see you next week goodbye [Applause] goodbye just about time for Mr Williams to buzz for one of us isn't it Jean why yes he usually gives dictation about this time I wish I had your experience it still makes me nervous every time I'm called for dictation that's natural when you're new at it but don't let it worry you Marge after you've been here a little longer you'll be able to take it in your stride maybe if you keep on helping me the way you have but I can't help feeling I have so much to learn you saw the two girls who work for me out there I'm lucky to have them Jean the blonde is my secretary Marge is my stenographer in time Marge too probably will be a secretary but she has just recently started to work and she has a lot to learn things all beginners have to learn take the matter of dictation for example yesterday morning when I was ready to get out my correspondence Jean was busy on a rush job so I buzzed for Marge now Marge herself admits that she always becomes flustered at the prospect of taking dictation she had trouble finding her notebook finally she dug it out of a pile of papers she should have been ready to start then but she had forgotten to sharpen her pencils at last she was ready to answer my call this wasted time had not only slowed things up for her but kept me waiting as well before we could begin I had to remind her about one more thing Marge was sitting in the chair with the last caller had left it she forgot that I prefer to have her sit on the opposite side of my desk she should have remembered too to Mark the place where she stopped the last time she took dictation at last we were ready to begin we did get through the morning mail but it could have been done much more easily if Marge had had more experience if she had developed the accurate efficient work habits which characterize a good secretary even after she had left she had to come back for a handkerchief a little care would have spared me this Interruption I don't mean to be hard on Marge she will improve and she may develop into a really good secretary especially since she has Jean to help her now yesterday afternoon after Jean had finished her rush job I buzzed for her she was ready in Jean's desk everything is neat her notebooks stay in a definite Place knowing that I may start dictating right away she opens her notebook in advance to the place where she will start writing she is marked with a rubber band a clean page dated for today dictation when she knows she has almost filled one notebook she takes along another which she may need during dictation she doesn't forget any of the tools necessary for taking dictation she prefers a fountain pen but she takes two sharp pencils also in case her pen runs dry and she's all ready for dictation now it may have seemed that she took quite a while because there were quite a few things to be pointed out so watch her movements again I barely have my finger off the button before she's on her way to my office by preparing herself in advance she has saved time for both of us she sits so she can watch me as I dictate and I don't have to tell her to put her Notebook on the desk in order to have a solid surface on which to write then we're underway with no time loss each item of dictation is numbered a rush item carries a special notation and is marked with a paper clip so she can find it quickly when she starts to transcribe other notations Mark letters to be sent air mail or special delivery and various instructions such as carbon copy for sales department the same number is given the item of Correspondence as the dictated letter which answers it items of Correspondence are placed face down to keep them in proper order other notations such as Ruf to indicate a rough draft help her organize her work of course my dictation involves many things besides letters all right telegrams which he marks just as he does rush letters other items of dictation include memorandums and notes on such things as making arrangements for trips instructions for answering letters without dictation and various other matters all of which Jean keeps carefully organized she uses long hand to be sure of unfamiliar words and difficult proper names this may take a little longer but it saves time in the long run whenever I make a grammatical error or repeat then she either asks me about it or if it's a simple error she corrects the mistake when she transcribes she keeps Pace with my dictation if she gets a little behind while I'm dictating rapidly she doesn't become flustered she knows that before very long I'll have to stop and think what to say next that that's when she catches up with me notice how she keeps moving the page up so that it's easy to turn to the next reaching the end of a notebook causes no delay in Jean's work she just continues in a new book which she had the foresight to bring with her quite often a phone call comes in while I'm dictating and I have to stop for a few minutes a good secretary like Jean uses this time to check her notes she checks the last paragraph I have dictated and then if there's time she also puts in some of the more important punctuation she could do this later but it's easier now with the dictation fresh on her mind when I get back to dictating I've often lost track of just where we were and want Jean to repeat the last paragraph she knows this usually happens having just checked her notes she's always ready for it frequently I want to change what I said at first so she crosses it out and starts again when I want to add a few words to a sentence already written she simply inserts them between the lines for a longer insert she marks the proper place in her notes and writes the insert below that's how it was when I dictated to Jean yesterday afternoon it didn't take long to finish as we went long she had asked me to clear up any doubtful points after each item of dictation had been completed she had a question about the dictation and she asked it right then we discussed a few matters about old work still in progress when Jean left she took everything with her none of this coming back and interrupting me yes Jean is a good secretary as you can see by the way she takes dictation she's neat accurate reliable and Speedy she gives attention to the little details that simplify our work she's always ready to take dictation she checks and re checks at every opportunity so that her work is accurate so you can see how much Marge has to learn before she can be rated as a secretary like Jean a good secretary [Music] [Applause]