A practical, easy-to-use resource for minute-taking, 23 Jan 2007
The unsung hero of any corporate meeting is the minute-taker, quietly and diligently recording the decisions, big and small, that fuel the engines of business. Minute-taking is not simply the process of scribbling notes on a pad. A skilled minute-taker distills lengthy discussions down to their essential messages, and creates order and harmony from the often discordant process of reaching a consensus. Office communication consultant Joanna Gutmann carefully explains every aspect of the process, from setting up the meeting and distributing the agenda to taking notes and formatting the minutes. You will encounter quite a bit of redundancy if you read the book cover-to-cover, but we believe you will find it to be an indispensable reference if you are assigned to take the minutes.

Fantastic Step-By-Step Guide, 19 Sep 2003
I have a new job where I am required to take minutes of meetings. I've never taken minutes before in my life. I bought this book in my hour of need. It is fantastic! It takes you through the process step-by-step offering advice in plain English.

I have taken a few meetings now and everyone is shocked at my ability - they all think I've been minuting for years!

Highly recommended!

Great value for money, 17 May 2003
Saved a fortune with this easy step by step guides. Local training centre was offering tuition at high cost.
Very convenient to teach yourself to achieve great proffessional results. Ideal for first time readers. Now I can up-date my CV

A practical, easy-to-use resource for minute-taking, 23 Jan 2007
The unsung hero of any corporate meeting is the minute-taker, quietly and diligently recording the decisions, big and small, that fuel the engines of business. Minute-taking is not simply the process of scribbling notes on a pad. A skilled minute-taker distills lengthy discussions down to their essential messages, and creates order and harmony from the often discordant process of reaching a consensus. Office communication consultant Joanna Gutmann carefully explains every aspect of the process, from setting up the meeting and distributing the agenda to taking notes and formatting the minutes. You will encounter quite a bit of redundancy if you read the book cover-to-cover, but we believe you will find it to be an indispensable reference if you are assigned to take the minutes.

Fantastic Step-By-Step Guide, 19 Sep 2003
I have a new job where I am required to take minutes of meetings. I've never taken minutes before in my life. I bought this book in my hour of need. It is fantastic! It takes you through the process step-by-step offering advice in plain English.

I have taken a few meetings now and everyone is shocked at my ability - they all think I've been minuting for years!

Highly recommended!

Great value for money, 17 May 2003
Saved a fortune with this easy step by step guides. Local training centre was offering tuition at high cost.
Very convenient to teach yourself to achieve great proffessional results. Ideal for first time readers. Now I can up-date my CV

Teeline Gold Course Book, 09 Sep 2004
I thought it was good, the pages are laid out well and the course progresses logically at a good speed. Each lesson builds on the previous one and doesn't introduce too much too quickly. However, it does seem to be aimed at secretaries more than journalists.

Very incitful and easy to learn in a matter of months., 11 Feb 2001
Teeline Gold has helped me learn teeline within a matter of months. Each unit is specified a combination of special outlines and word groupings that makes learn fun and efficient. The content of the book make it easy to follow especially with the answers at the back of the book incase you happen to get stuck and need that little help without going crazy. Although the book is aimed at the business world and not much of the journalistic aspects are covered but it does show you the very simplist of words and how to combine them.

A practical, easy-to-use resource for minute-taking, 23 Jan 2007
The unsung hero of any corporate meeting is the minute-taker, quietly and diligently recording the decisions, big and small, that fuel the engines of business. Minute-taking is not simply the process of scribbling notes on a pad. A skilled minute-taker distills lengthy discussions down to their essential messages, and creates order and harmony from the often discordant process of reaching a consensus. Office communication consultant Joanna Gutmann carefully explains every aspect of the process, from setting up the meeting and distributing the agenda to taking notes and formatting the minutes. You will encounter quite a bit of redundancy if you read the book cover-to-cover, but we believe you will find it to be an indispensable reference if you are assigned to take the minutes.

Fantastic Step-By-Step Guide, 19 Sep 2003
I have a new job where I am required to take minutes of meetings. I've never taken minutes before in my life. I bought this book in my hour of need. It is fantastic! It takes you through the process step-by-step offering advice in plain English.

I have taken a few meetings now and everyone is shocked at my ability - they all think I've been minuting for years!

Highly recommended!

Great value for money, 17 May 2003
Saved a fortune with this easy step by step guides. Local training centre was offering tuition at high cost.
Very convenient to teach yourself to achieve great proffessional results. Ideal for first time readers. Now I can up-date my CV

Teeline Gold Course Book, 09 Sep 2004
I thought it was good, the pages are laid out well and the course progresses logically at a good speed. Each lesson builds on the previous one and doesn't introduce too much too quickly. However, it does seem to be aimed at secretaries more than journalists.

Very incitful and easy to learn in a matter of months., 11 Feb 2001
Teeline Gold has helped me learn teeline within a matter of months. Each unit is specified a combination of special outlines and word groupings that makes learn fun and efficient. The content of the book make it easy to follow especially with the answers at the back of the book incase you happen to get stuck and need that little help without going crazy. Although the book is aimed at the business world and not much of the journalistic aspects are covered but it does show you the very simplist of words and how to combine them.

Easyscript Express, 20 Jan 2008
This is a really quick and easy method of shorthand. I've tried other shorthand methods that use various signs and symbols, and have them difficult to remember. But Easyscript uses a logicial method that makes perfect sense, and is easy to relate to. I must recommend this book to anyone who wishes to learn an uncomplicated method of shorthand in minimal time.

Easyscript - Practice Makes Perfect, 05 Sep 2006
It took me about 7 hours to understand and feel confident using Easyscript. I read through the the book once, doing all the exercises then re-doing them until I felt totally comfortable.

It is very logical system and therefore easy to use and a lot of the abbreviations used are ones I've always been using. I am really impressed with this form of speedwriting.

It's been a blessing!, 20 Dec 2001
I had a need for a "fast-to-paper" method of recording verbal communications. I have been using Easy Script for several months now, after having received and read your "EasyScript Express" book and applied the lessons and practice sessions therein. I started putting the concepts to good use immediately, and have found EasyScript to be a benefit to my work.

EasyScript has become a real benefit to my job, as I'm sure you can see. My notes have become more accurate, I'm able to record more detail, and (most importantly) I'm able to record more necessary information as opposed to doing it in longhand. Thank you for a unique method of fast note taking. It's been a blessing!

A great concept!, 24 May 2001
I think that this is a great concept. I have previously taken Gregg shorthand and found it to be more work than it was worth. It's great to use the letters from words to make abbreviations. I'll pass EasyScript along to my peers, friends and relatives. It can be useful to almost anyone in any area.

I prefer EasyScript, 06 Mar 2001
It's an interesting method of shorthand. I prefer Easyscript because the abbreviations make sense. This method is much easier than learning shorthand symbols. With practice EasyScript will be very beneficial in taking notes and dictation.

A practical, easy-to-use resource for minute-taking, 23 Jan 2007
The unsung hero of any corporate meeting is the minute-taker, quietly and diligently recording the decisions, big and small, that fuel the engines of business. Minute-taking is not simply the process of scribbling notes on a pad. A skilled minute-taker distills lengthy discussions down to their essential messages, and creates order and harmony from the often discordant process of reaching a consensus. Office communication consultant Joanna Gutmann carefully explains every aspect of the process, from setting up the meeting and distributing the agenda to taking notes and formatting the minutes. You will encounter quite a bit of redundancy if you read the book cover-to-cover, but we believe you will find it to be an indispensable reference if you are assigned to take the minutes.

Fantastic Step-By-Step Guide, 19 Sep 2003
I have a new job where I am required to take minutes of meetings. I've never taken minutes before in my life. I bought this book in my hour of need. It is fantastic! It takes you through the process step-by-step offering advice in plain English.

I have taken a few meetings now and everyone is shocked at my ability - they all think I've been minuting for years!

Highly recommended!

Great value for money, 17 May 2003
Saved a fortune with this easy step by step guides. Local training centre was offering tuition at high cost.
Very convenient to teach yourself to achieve great proffessional results. Ideal for first time readers. Now I can up-date my CV

Teeline Gold Course Book, 09 Sep 2004
I thought it was good, the pages are laid out well and the course progresses logically at a good speed. Each lesson builds on the previous one and doesn't introduce too much too quickly. However, it does seem to be aimed at secretaries more than journalists.

Very incitful and easy to learn in a matter of months., 11 Feb 2001
Teeline Gold has helped me learn teeline within a matter of months. Each unit is specified a combination of special outlines and word groupings that makes learn fun and efficient. The content of the book make it easy to follow especially with the answers at the back of the book incase you happen to get stuck and need that little help without going crazy. Although the book is aimed at the business world and not much of the journalistic aspects are covered but it does show you the very simplist of words and how to combine them.

Easyscript Express, 20 Jan 2008
This is a really quick and easy method of shorthand. I've tried other shorthand methods that use various signs and symbols, and have them difficult to remember. But Easyscript uses a logicial method that makes perfect sense, and is easy to relate to. I must recommend this book to anyone who wishes to learn an uncomplicated method of shorthand in minimal time.

Easyscript - Practice Makes Perfect, 05 Sep 2006
It took me about 7 hours to understand and feel confident using Easyscript. I read through the the book once, doing all the exercises then re-doing them until I felt totally comfortable.

It is very logical system and therefore easy to use and a lot of the abbreviations used are ones I've always been using. I am really impressed with this form of speedwriting.

It's been a blessing!, 20 Dec 2001
I had a need for a "fast-to-paper" method of recording verbal communications. I have been using Easy Script for several months now, after having received and read your "EasyScript Express" book and applied the lessons and practice sessions therein. I started putting the concepts to good use immediately, and have found EasyScript to be a benefit to my work.

EasyScript has become a real benefit to my job, as I'm sure you can see. My notes have become more accurate, I'm able to record more detail, and (most importantly) I'm able to record more necessary information as opposed to doing it in longhand. Thank you for a unique method of fast note taking. It's been a blessing!

A great concept!, 24 May 2001
I think that this is a great concept. I have previously taken Gregg shorthand and found it to be more work than it was worth. It's great to use the letters from words to make abbreviations. I'll pass EasyScript along to my peers, friends and relatives. It can be useful to almost anyone in any area.

I prefer EasyScript, 06 Mar 2001
It's an interesting method of shorthand. I prefer Easyscript because the abbreviations make sense. This method is much easier than learning shorthand symbols. With practice EasyScript will be very beneficial in taking notes and dictation.

Excellent!, 16 Mar 2002
I started Teeline last November in an evening class and our teacher uses this book to teach us. It's great to learn and I think I could have nearly managed without the teacher sometimes ... Every now and then a short form which we haven't learnt yet is thrown in a piece, which can be the only confusing bit for someone learning on their own.
I've also bought the 'Teeline Word List' and the 'Teeline Word Groupings' which are essential once all the theory is learnt and help build up speed.

Great book for the first time teeline learner, 05 Feb 2001
It guides you through how to write teeline step by step. It has small excercises after each theory to use what you just learnt. Great book for a teeline beginner. After practicing using this book, I could manage 50-60 words per minutes.

A practical, easy-to-use resource for minute-taking, 23 Jan 2007
The unsung hero of any corporate meeting is the minute-taker, quietly and diligently recording the decisions, big and small, that fuel the engines of business. Minute-taking is not simply the process of scribbling notes on a pad. A skilled minute-taker distills lengthy discussions down to their essential messages, and creates order and harmony from the often discordant process of reaching a consensus. Office communication consultant Joanna Gutmann carefully explains every aspect of the process, from setting up the meeting and distributing the agenda to taking notes and formatting the minutes. You will encounter quite a bit of redundancy if you read the book cover-to-cover, but we believe you will find it to be an indispensable reference if you are assigned to take the minutes.

Fantastic Step-By-Step Guide, 19 Sep 2003
I have a new job where I am required to take minutes of meetings. I've never taken minutes before in my life. I bought this book in my hour of need. It is fantastic! It takes you through the process step-by-step offering advice in plain English.

I have taken a few meetings now and everyone is shocked at my ability - they all think I've been minuting for years!

Highly recommended!

Great value for money, 17 May 2003
Saved a fortune with this easy step by step guides. Local training centre was offering tuition at high cost.
Very convenient to teach yourself to achieve great proffessional results. Ideal for first time readers. Now I can up-date my CV

Teeline Gold Course Book, 09 Sep 2004
I thought it was good, the pages are laid out well and the course progresses logically at a good speed. Each lesson builds on the previous one and doesn't introduce too much too quickly. However, it does seem to be aimed at secretaries more than journalists.

Very incitful and easy to learn in a matter of months., 11 Feb 2001
Teeline Gold has helped me learn teeline within a matter of months. Each unit is specified a combination of special outlines and word groupings that makes learn fun and efficient. The content of the book make it easy to follow especially with the answers at the back of the book incase you happen to get stuck and need that little help without going crazy. Although the book is aimed at the business world and not much of the journalistic aspects are covered but it does show you the very simplist of words and how to combine them.

Easyscript Express, 20 Jan 2008
This is a really quick and easy method of shorthand. I've tried other shorthand methods that use various signs and symbols, and have them difficult to remember. But Easyscript uses a logicial method that makes perfect sense, and is easy to relate to. I must recommend this book to anyone who wishes to learn an uncomplicated method of shorthand in minimal time.

Easyscript - Practice Makes Perfect, 05 Sep 2006
It took me about 7 hours to understand and feel confident using Easyscript. I read through the the book once, doing all the exercises then re-doing them until I felt totally comfortable.

It is very logical system and therefore easy to use and a lot of the abbreviations used are ones I've always been using. I am really impressed with this form of speedwriting.

It's been a blessing!, 20 Dec 2001
I had a need for a "fast-to-paper" method of recording verbal communications. I have been using Easy Script for several months now, after having received and read your "EasyScript Express" book and applied the lessons and practice sessions therein. I started putting the concepts to good use immediately, and have found EasyScript to be a benefit to my work.

EasyScript has become a real benefit to my job, as I'm sure you can see. My notes have become more accurate, I'm able to record more detail, and (most importantly) I'm able to record more necessary information as opposed to doing it in longhand. Thank you for a unique method of fast note taking. It's been a blessing!

A great concept!, 24 May 2001
I think that this is a great concept. I have previously taken Gregg shorthand and found it to be more work than it was worth. It's great to use the letters from words to make abbreviations. I'll pass EasyScript along to my peers, friends and relatives. It can be useful to almost anyone in any area.

I prefer EasyScript, 06 Mar 2001
It's an interesting method of shorthand. I prefer Easyscript because the abbreviations make sense. This method is much easier than learning shorthand symbols. With practice EasyScript will be very beneficial in taking notes and dictation.

Excellent!, 16 Mar 2002
I started Teeline last November in an evening class and our teacher uses this book to teach us. It's great to learn and I think I could have nearly managed without the teacher sometimes ... Every now and then a short form which we haven't learnt yet is thrown in a piece, which can be the only confusing bit for someone learning on their own.
I've also bought the 'Teeline Word List' and the 'Teeline Word Groupings' which are essential once all the theory is learnt and help build up speed.

Great book for the first time teeline learner, 05 Feb 2001
It guides you through how to write teeline step by step. It has small excercises after each theory to use what you just learnt. Great book for a teeline beginner. After practicing using this book, I could manage 50-60 words per minutes.

Pete, you need this book!, 11 Jan 2003
If any of you have just started teeline you need this book! i'm always trying to write out copy from the newspapers and often get stuck on complicated words. i just turn to this little gold mine and there it is!! plus, if you know your theory, which you should do if you've been at it a couple of months, then you understand why you went wrong.
It is a teeline dictionary, you look for the word and the s/hand version is there, and if its not, a variation of it will be and you can easily figure out the rest.
GET IT NOW!!

Essential, 16 Mar 2002
While learning Teeline I found this book essential. It should be called Teeline 'Dictionary' as that's what it is really. Each word has its Teeline transcription and some have a short form like 'arrange', 'representative' or 'important'. I think I'll still be using it even in a few years' time for reference.

This is essential bed-time reading, 21 Feb 2000
This was my first encounter with the work of Mavis Smith and Anne Tilly and it will not be my last. The words they have chosen and the clever manner in which they are laid out borders on the poetic. Many of the outlines are simply breathtaking. Their interpretation of the word 'luxury' is so brilliantly avant garde it defies belief. As outline designers they are gurus in a market renowned for its high levels of gangsters and charlatans. If you are new to the scripting craft then you will find yourself gripping this book as if your very life depended on it. The legendary shorthand lecturer of this era, Anne Forgrave, described this book as, "very useful." What more can I say? Hacks of the world ignore this book at your peril

A practical, easy-to-use resource for minute-taking, 23 Jan 2007
The unsung hero of any corporate meeting is the minute-taker, quietly and diligently recording the decisions, big and small, that fuel the engines of business. Minute-taking is not simply the process of scribbling notes on a pad. A skilled minute-taker distills lengthy discussions down to their essential messages, and creates order and harmony from the often discordant process of reaching a consensus. Office communication consultant Joanna Gutmann carefully explains every aspect of the process, from setting up the meeting and distributing the agenda to taking notes and formatting the minutes. You will encounter quite a bit of redundancy if you read the book cover-to-cover, but we believe you will find it to be an indispensable reference if you are assigned to take the minutes.

Fantastic Step-By-Step Guide, 19 Sep 2003
I have a new job where I am required to take minutes of meetings. I've never taken minutes before in my life. I bought this book in my hour of need. It is fantastic! It takes you through the process step-by-step offering advice in plain English.

I have taken a few meetings now and everyone is shocked at my ability - they all think I've been minuting for years!

Highly recommended!

Great value for money, 17 May 2003
Saved a fortune with this easy step by step guides. Local training centre was offering tuition at high cost.
Very convenient to teach yourself to achieve great proffessional results. Ideal for first time readers. Now I can up-date my CV

Teeline Gold Course Book, 09 Sep 2004
I thought it was good, the pages are laid out well and the course progresses logically at a good speed. Each lesson builds on the previous one and doesn't introduce too much too quickly. However, it does seem to be aimed at secretaries more than journalists.

Very incitful and easy to learn in a matter of months., 11 Feb 2001
Teeline Gold has helped me learn teeline within a matter of months. Each unit is specified a combination of special outlines and word groupings that makes learn fun and efficient. The content of the book make it easy to follow especially with the answers at the back of the book incase you happen to get stuck and need that little help without going crazy. Although the book is aimed at the business world and not much of the journalistic aspects are covered but it does show you the very simplist of words and how to combine them.

Easyscript Express, 20 Jan 2008
This is a really quick and easy method of shorthand. I've tried other shorthand methods that use various signs and symbols, and have them difficult to remember. But Easyscript uses a logicial method that makes perfect sense, and is easy to relate to. I must recommend this book to anyone who wishes to learn an uncomplicated method of shorthand in minimal time.

Easyscript - Practice Makes Perfect, 05 Sep 2006
It took me about 7 hours to understand and feel confident using Easyscript. I read through the the book once, doing all the exercises then re-doing them until I felt totally comfortable.

It is very logical system and therefore easy to use and a lot of the abbreviations used are ones I've always been using. I am really impressed with this form of speedwriting.

It's been a blessing!, 20 Dec 2001
I had a need for a "fast-to-paper" method of recording verbal communications. I have been using Easy Script for several months now, after having received and read your "EasyScript Express" book and applied the lessons and practice sessions therein. I started putting the concepts to good use immediately, and have found EasyScript to be a benefit to my work.

EasyScript has become a real benefit to my job, as I'm sure you can see. My notes have become more accurate, I'm able to record more detail, and (most importantly) I'm able to record more necessary information as opposed to doing it in longhand. Thank you for a unique method of fast note taking. It's been a blessing!

A great concept!, 24 May 2001
I think that this is a great concept. I have previously taken Gregg shorthand and found it to be more work than it was worth. It's great to use the letters from words to make abbreviations. I'll pass EasyScript along to my peers, friends and relatives. It can be useful to almost anyone in any area.

I prefer EasyScript, 06 Mar 2001
It's an interesting method of shorthand. I prefer Easyscript because the abbreviations make sense. This method is much easier than learning shorthand symbols. With practice EasyScript will be very beneficial in taking notes and dictation.

Excellent!, 16 Mar 2002
I started Teeline last November in an evening class and our teacher uses this book to teach us. It's great to learn and I think I could have nearly managed without the teacher sometimes ... Every now and then a short form which we haven't learnt yet is thrown in a piece, which can be the only confusing bit for someone learning on their own.
I've also bought the 'Teeline Word List' and the 'Teeline Word Groupings' which are essential once all the theory is learnt and help build up speed.

Great book for the first time teeline learner, 05 Feb 2001
It guides you through how to write teeline step by step. It has small excercises after each theory to use what you just learnt. Great book for a teeline beginner. After practicing using this book, I could manage 50-60 words per minutes.

Pete, you need this book!, 11 Jan 2003
If any of you have just started teeline you need this book! i'm always trying to write out copy from the newspapers and often get stuck on complicated words. i just turn to this little gold mine and there it is!! plus, if you know your theory, which you should do if you've been at it a couple of months, then you understand why you went wrong.
It is a teeline dictionary, you look for the word and the s/hand version is there, and if its not, a variation of it will be and you can easily figure out the rest.
GET IT NOW!!

Essential, 16 Mar 2002
While learning Teeline I found this book essential. It should be called Teeline 'Dictionary' as that's what it is really. Each word has its Teeline transcription and some have a short form like 'arrange', 'representative' or 'important'. I think I'll still be using it even in a few years' time for reference.

This is essential bed-time reading, 21 Feb 2000
This was my first encounter with the work of Mavis Smith and Anne Tilly and it will not be my last. The words they have chosen and the clever manner in which they are laid out borders on the poetic. Many of the outlines are simply breathtaking. Their interpretation of the word 'luxury' is so brilliantly avant garde it defies belief. As outline designers they are gurus in a market renowned for its high levels of gangsters and charlatans. If you are new to the scripting craft then you will find yourself gripping this book as if your very life depended on it. The legendary shorthand lecturer of this era, Anne Forgrave, described this book as, "very useful." What more can I say? Hacks of the world ignore this book at your peril

Agenda for Solving the Most Important Problems with Improved Socially Focused Organizations, 16 May 2008
Most books about emerging, improved leadership and management methods capture high points among well known examples that haven't changed in years: Fortunately, The Power of Unreasonable People is a happy exception to that common weakness in being forward looking. As an example, the book ends with a call for filling in what's missing for social entrepreneurs to become an unstoppable force that solves the world's most important and persistent problems.

Who should read this book? Anyone who wants to make a difference in producing a society that provides better opportunities and qualities of life for everyone. If you think you might want to start a social enterprise, you should be reading this book today.

Why do I say these things? I recently sat through four days of conferences at a well-known university where the leading lights among its alumni described what they were doing as social entrepreneurs. I was appalled by what I heard. All but one organization had no larger vision than to slowly build a small effort from foundation grants. If you added up all of the likely results from these organizations, it wouldn't amount to much . . . except to warm the heart strings. Clearly, no major solution problems were going to be improved except in a few locales.

What's more, the leading lights were almost totally unaware of other, more effective methods for how to accomplish similar things. They needed to read this book rather than attend those conferences.

I started writing about social entrepreneurs in 2002, and it was hard then to find examples of superior operating models being used by entrepreneurs (as opposed to attention-getting methods that reporters like to write about) that were affecting over 10 million people. A lot has changed since then. Now I run into social entrepreneurs all the time through my teaching who are developing operating models that could affect hundreds of millions of people.

I was pleased to find out about a number of social operating models in this book that could serve as useful examples to others in different fields. I intend to recommend this book to everyone I know who wants to learn about such new models. I also intend to read more about the most interesting of the many cases in this fine book. That's rare for me because I read a lot. I applaud the intensive research that is the basis for this book. Well done!

The book does have one limitation that I think would be worth addressing in a future book that updates what is reported on here: There isn't enough discussion of how to develop better business models by assembling bit and pieces of what others have done in new ways.

For example, the book correctly applauds (through different examples) the operating principles of open-source innovation, serving more people by eliminating harmful costs to provide offerings for 5-10 percent of the usual resources, employing local people with a good understanding of what's needed, measuring social performance as a way to inexpensively encourage others to shift their focus, and being able to become large rapidly. Imagine what could be accomplished if the best enterprises mentioned in this book had a process to add the aspects of those approaches that they aren't using now.

Check it out and take action!

A practical, easy-to-use resource for minute-taking, 23 Jan 2007
The unsung hero of any corporate meeting is the minute-taker, quietly and diligently recording the decisions, big and small, that fuel the engines of business. Minute-taking is not simply the process of scribbling notes on a pad. A skilled minute-taker distills lengthy discussions down to their essential messages, and creates order and harmony from the often discordant process of reaching a consensus. Office communication consultant Joanna Gutmann carefully explains every aspect of the process, from setting up the meeting and distributing the agenda to taking notes and formatting the minutes. You will encounter quite a bit of redundancy if you read the book cover-to-cover, but we believe you will find it to be an indispensable reference if you are assigned to take the minutes.

Fantastic Step-By-Step Guide, 19 Sep 2003
I have a new job where I am required to take minutes of meetings. I've never taken minutes before in my life. I bought this book in my hour of need. It is fantastic! It takes you through the process step-by-step offering advice in plain English.

I have taken a few meetings now and everyone is shocked at my ability - they all think I've been minuting for years!

Highly recommended!

Great value for money, 17 May 2003
Saved a fortune with this easy step by step guides. Local training centre was offering tuition at high cost.
Very convenient to teach yourself to achieve great proffessional results. Ideal for first time readers. Now I can up-date my CV

Teeline Gold Course Book, 09 Sep 2004
I thought it was good, the pages are laid out well and the course progresses logically at a good speed. Each lesson builds on the previous one and doesn't introduce too much too quickly. However, it does seem to be aimed at secretaries more than journalists.

Very incitful and easy to learn in a matter of months., 11 Feb 2001
Teeline Gold has helped me learn teeline within a matter of months. Each unit is specified a combination of special outlines and word groupings that makes learn fun and efficient. The content of the book make it easy to follow especially with the answers at the back of the book incase you happen to get stuck and need that little help without going crazy. Although the book is aimed at the business world and not much of the journalistic aspects are covered but it does show you the very simplist of words and how to combine them.

Easyscript Express, 20 Jan 2008
This is a really quick and easy method of shorthand. I've tried other shorthand methods that use various signs and symbols, and have them difficult to remember. But Easyscript uses a logicial method that makes perfect sense, and is easy to relate to. I must recommend this book to anyone who wishes to learn an uncomplicated method of shorthand in minimal time.

Easyscript - Practice Makes Perfect, 05 Sep 2006
It took me about 7 hours to understand and feel confident using Easyscript. I read through the the book once, doing all the exercises then re-doing them until I felt totally comfortable.

It is very logical system and therefore easy to use and a lot of the abbreviations used are ones I've always been using. I am really impressed with this form of speedwriting.

It's been a blessing!, 20 Dec 2001
I had a need for a "fast-to-paper" method of recording verbal communications. I have been using Easy Script for several months now, after having received and read your "EasyScript Express" book and applied the lessons and practice sessions therein. I started putting the concepts to good use immediately, and have found EasyScript to be a benefit to my work.

EasyScript has become a real benefit to my job, as I'm sure you can see. My notes have become more accurate, I'm able to record more detail, and (most importantly) I'm able to record more necessary information as opposed to doing it in longhand. Thank you for a unique method of fast note taking. It's been a blessing!

A great concept!, 24 May 2001
I think that this is a great concept. I have previously taken Gregg shorthand and found it to be more work than it was worth. It's great to use the letters from words to make abbreviations. I'll pass EasyScript along to my peers, friends and relatives. It can be useful to almost anyone in any area.

I prefer EasyScript, 06 Mar 2001
It's an interesting method of shorthand. I prefer Easyscript because the abbreviations make sense. This method is much easier than learning shorthand symbols. With practice EasyScript will be very beneficial in taking notes and dictation.

Excellent!, 16 Mar 2002
I started Teeline last November in an evening class and our teacher uses this book to teach us. It's great to learn and I think I could have nearly managed without the teacher sometimes ... Every now and then a short form which we haven't learnt yet is thrown in a piece, which can be the only confusing bit for someone learning on their own.
I've also bought the 'Teeline Word List' and the 'Teeline Word Groupings' which are essential once all the theory is learnt and help build up speed.

Great book for the first time teeline learner, 05 Feb 2001
It guides you through how to write teeline step by step. It has small excercises after each theory to use what you just learnt. Great book for a teeline beginner. After practicing using this book, I could manage 50-60 words per minutes.

Pete, you need this book!, 11 Jan 2003
If any of you have just started teeline you need this book! i'm always trying to write out copy from the newspapers and often get stuck on complicated words. i just turn to this little gold mine and there it is!! plus, if you know your theory, which you should do if you've been at it a couple of months, then you understand why you went wrong.
It is a teeline dictionary, you look for the word and the s/hand version is there, and if its not, a variation of it will be and you can easily figure out the rest.
GET IT NOW!!

Essential, 16 Mar 2002
While learning Teeline I found this book essential. It should be called Teeline 'Dictionary' as that's what it is really. Each word has its Teeline transcription and some have a short form like 'arrange', 'representative' or 'important'. I think I'll still be using it even in a few years' time for reference.

This is essential bed-time reading, 21 Feb 2000
This was my first encounter with the work of Mavis Smith and Anne Tilly and it will not be my last. The words they have chosen and the clever manner in which they are laid out borders on the poetic. Many of the outlines are simply breathtaking. Their interpretation of the word 'luxury' is so brilliantly avant garde it defies belief. As outline designers they are gurus in a market renowned for its high levels of gangsters and charlatans. If you are new to the scripting craft then you will find yourself gripping this book as if your very life depended on it. The legendary shorthand lecturer of this era, Anne Forgrave, described this book as, "very useful." What more can I say? Hacks of the world ignore this book at your peril

Agenda for Solving the Most Important Problems with Improved Socially Focused Organizations, 16 May 2008
Most books about emerging, improved leadership and management methods capture high points among well known examples that haven't changed in years: Fortunately, The Power of Unreasonable People is a happy exception to that common weakness in being forward looking. As an example, the book ends with a call for filling in what's missing for social entrepreneurs to become an unstoppable force that solves the world's most important and persistent problems.

Who should read this book? Anyone who wants to make a difference in producing a society that provides better opportunities and qualities of life for everyone. If you think you might want to start a social enterprise, you should be reading this book today.

Why do I say these things? I recently sat through four days of conferences at a well-known university where the leading lights among its alumni described what they were doing as social entrepreneurs. I was appalled by what I heard. All but one organization had no larger vision than to slowly build a small effort from foundation grants. If you added up all of the likely results from these organizations, it wouldn't amount to much . . . except to warm the heart strings. Clearly, no major solution problems were going to be improved except in a few locales.

What's more, the leading lights were almost totally unaware of other, more effective methods for how to accomplish similar things. They needed to read this book rather than attend those conferences.

I started writing about social entrepreneurs in 2002, and it was hard then to find examples of superior operating models being used by entrepreneurs (as opposed to attention-getting methods that reporters like to write about) that were affecting over 10 million people. A lot has changed since then. Now I run into social entrepreneurs all the time through my teaching who are developing operating models that could affect hundreds of millions of people.

I was pleased to find out about a number of social operating models in this book that could serve as useful examples to others in different fields. I intend to recommend this book to everyone I know who wants to learn about such new models. I also intend to read more about the most interesting of the many cases in this fine book. That's rare for me because I read a lot. I applaud the intensive research that is the basis for this book. Well done!

The book does have one limitation that I think would be worth addressing in a future book that updates what is reported on here: There isn't enough discussion of how to develop better business models by assembling bit and pieces of what others have done in new ways.

For example, the book correctly applauds (through different examples) the operating principles of open-source innovation, serving more people by eliminating harmful costs to provide offerings for 5-10 percent of the usual resources, employing local people with a good understanding of what's needed, measuring social performance as a way to inexpensively encourage others to shift their focus, and being able to become large rapidly. Imagine what could be accomplished if the best enterprises mentioned in this book had a process to add the aspects of those approaches that they aren't using now.

Check it out and take action!


Six months' hard labour, 28 Jul 2007
Face it - learning Teeline is a complete pig. There is no getting round it.

This course is better than most, because it avoids the pompous secretarial tone of the older tomes. However, Dawn's nasal sing-song voice annoyed the hell out of me, and some of the sentences ('who is responsible for filling the bathroom with bubbles?') could only have been generated by a very strange mind.

My six month relationship with Teeline for Journalists is over (thank God), but that voice will haunt my dreams forever.

A practical, easy-to-use resource for minute-taking, 23 Jan 2007
The unsung hero of any corporate meeting is the minute-taker, quietly and diligently recording the decisions, big and small, that fuel the engines of business. Minute-taking is not simply the process of scribbling notes on a pad. A skilled minute-taker distills lengthy discussions down to their essential messages, and creates order and harmony from the often discordant process of reaching a consensus. Office communication consultant Joanna Gutmann carefully explains every aspect of the process, from setting up the meeting and distributing the agenda to taking notes and formatting the minutes. You will encounter quite a bit of redundancy if you read the book cover-to-cover, but we believe you will find it to be an indispensable reference if you are assigned to take the minutes.

Fantastic Step-By-Step Guide, 19 Sep 2003
I have a new job where I am required to take minutes of meetings. I've never taken minutes before in my life. I bought this book in my hour of need. It is fantastic! It takes you through the process step-by-step offering advice in plain English.

I have taken a few meetings now and everyone is shocked at my ability - they all think I've been minuting for years!

Highly recommended!

Great value for money, 17 May 2003
Saved a fortune with this easy step by step guides. Local training centre was offering tuition at high cost.
Very convenient to teach yourself to achieve great proffessional results. Ideal for first time readers. Now I can up-date my CV

Teeline Gold Course Book, 09 Sep 2004
I thought it was good, the pages are laid out well and the course progresses logically at a good speed. Each lesson builds on the previous one and doesn't introduce too much too quickly. However, it does seem to be aimed at secretaries more than journalists.

Very incitful and easy to learn in a matter of months., 11 Feb 2001
Teeline Gold has helped me learn teeline within a matter of months. Each unit is specified a combination of special outlines and word groupings that makes learn fun and efficient. The content of the book make it easy to follow especially with the answers at the back of the book incase you happen to get stuck and need that little help without going crazy. Although the book is aimed at the business world and not much of the journalistic aspects are covered but it does show you the very simplist of words and how to combine them.

Easyscript Express, 20 Jan 2008
This is a really quick and easy method of shorthand. I've tried other shorthand methods that use various signs and symbols, and have them difficult to remember. But Easyscript uses a logicial method that makes perfect sense, and is easy to relate to. I must recommend this book to anyone who wishes to learn an uncomplicated method of shorthand in minimal time.

Easyscript - Practice Makes Perfect, 05 Sep 2006
It took me about 7 hours to understand and feel confident using Easyscript. I read through the the book once, doing all the exercises then re-doing them until I felt totally comfortable.

It is very logical system and therefore easy to use and a lot of the abbreviations used are ones I've always been using. I am really impressed with this form of speedwriting.

It's been a blessing!, 20 Dec 2001
I had a need for a "fast-to-paper" method of recording verbal communications. I have been using Easy Script for several months now, after having received and read your "EasyScript Express" book and applied the lessons and practice sessions therein. I started putting the concepts to good use immediately, and have found EasyScript to be a benefit to my work.

EasyScript has become a real benefit to my job, as I'm sure you can see. My notes have become more accurate, I'm able to record more detail, and (most importantly) I'm able to record more necessary information as opposed to doing it in longhand. Thank you for a unique method of fast note taking. It's been a blessing!

A great concept!, 24 May 2001
I think that this is a great concept. I have previously taken Gregg shorthand and found it to be more work than it was worth. It's great to use the letters from words to make abbreviations. I'll pass EasyScript along to my peers, friends and relatives. It can be useful to almost anyone in any area.

I prefer EasyScript, 06 Mar 2001
It's an interesting method of shorthand. I prefer Easyscript because the abbreviations make sense. This method is much easier than learning shorthand symbols. With practice EasyScript will be very beneficial in taking notes and dictation.

Excellent!, 16 Mar 2002
I started Teeline last November in an evening class and our teacher uses this book to teach us. It's great to learn and I think I could have nearly managed without the teacher sometimes ... Every now and then a short form which we haven't learnt yet is thrown in a piece, which can be the only confusing bit for someone learning on their own.
I've also bought the 'Teeline Word List' and the 'Teeline Word Groupings' which are essential once all the theory is learnt and help build up speed.

Great book for the first time teeline learner, 05 Feb 2001
It guides you through how to write teeline step by step. It has small excercises after each theory to use what you just learnt. Great book for a teeline beginner. After practicing using this book, I could manage 50-60 words per minutes.

Pete, you need this book!, 11 Jan 2003
If any of you have just started teeline you need this book! i'm always trying to write out copy from the newspapers and often get stuck on complicated words. i just turn to this little gold mine and there it is!! plus, if you know your theory, which you should do if you've been at it a couple of months, then you understand why you went wrong.
It is a teeline dictionary, you look for the word and the s/hand version is there, and if its not, a variation of it will be and you can easily figure out the rest.
GET IT NOW!!

Essential, 16 Mar 2002
While learning Teeline I found this book essential. It should be called Teeline 'Dictionary' as that's what it is really. Each word has its Teeline transcription and some have a short form like 'arrange', 'representative' or 'important'. I think I'll still be using it even in a few years' time for reference.

This is essential bed-time reading, 21 Feb 2000
This was my first encounter with the work of Mavis Smith and Anne Tilly and it will not be my last. The words they have chosen and the clever manner in which they are laid out borders on the poetic. Many of the outlines are simply breathtaking. Their interpretation of the word 'luxury' is so brilliantly avant garde it defies belief. As outline designers they are gurus in a market renowned for its high levels of gangsters and charlatans. If you are new to the scripting craft then you will find yourself gripping this book as if your very life depended on it. The legendary shorthand lecturer of this era, Anne Forgrave, described this book as, "very useful." What more can I say? Hacks of the world ignore this book at your peril

Agenda for Solving the Most Important Problems with Improved Socially Focused Organizations, 16 May 2008
Most books about emerging, improved leadership and management methods capture high points among well known examples that haven't changed in years: Fortunately, The Power of Unreasonable People is a happy exception to that common weakness in being forward looking. As an example, the book ends with a call for filling in what's missing for social entrepreneurs to become an unstoppable force that solves the world's most important and persistent problems.

Who should read this book? Anyone who wants to make a difference in producing a society that provides better opportunities and qualities of life for everyone. If you think you might want to start a social enterprise, you should be reading this book today.

Why do I say these things? I recently sat through four days of conferences at a well-known university where the leading lights among its alumni described what they were doing as social entrepreneurs. I was appalled by what I heard. All but one organization had no larger vision than to slowly build a small effort from foundation grants. If you added up all of the likely results from these organizations, it wouldn't amount to much . . . except to warm the heart strings. Clearly, no major solution problems were going to be improved except in a few locales.

What's more, the leading lights were almost totally unaware of other, more effective methods for how to accomplish similar things. They needed to read this book rather than attend those conferences.

I started writing about social entrepreneurs in 2002, and it was hard then to find examples of superior operating models being used by entrepreneurs (as opposed to attention-getting methods that reporters like to write about) that were affecting over 10 million people. A lot has changed since then. Now I run into social entrepreneurs all the time through my teaching who are developing operating models that could affect hundreds of millions of people.

I was pleased to find out about a number of social operating models in this book that could serve as useful examples to others in different fields. I intend to recommend this book to everyone I know who wants to learn about such new models. I also intend to read more about the most interesting of the many cases in this fine book. That's rare for me because I read a lot. I applaud the intensive research that is the basis for this book. Well done!

The book does have one limitation that I think would be worth addressing in a future book that updates what is reported on here: There isn't enough discussion of how to develop better business models by assembling bit and pieces of what others have done in new ways.

For example, the book correctly applauds (through different examples) the operating principles of open-source innovation, serving more people by eliminating harmful costs to provide offerings for 5-10 percent of the usual resources, employing local people with a good understanding of what's needed, measuring social performance as a way to inexpensively encourage others to shift their focus, and being able to become large rapidly. Imagine what could be accomplished if the best enterprises mentioned in this book had a process to add the aspects of those approaches that they aren't using now.

Check it out and take action!


Six months' hard labour, 28 Jul 2007
Face it - learning Teeline is a complete pig. There is no getting round it.

This course is better than most, because it avoids the pompous secretarial tone of the older tomes. However, Dawn's nasal sing-song voice annoyed the hell out of me, and some of the sentences ('who is responsible for filling the bathroom with bubbles?') could only have been generated by a very strange mind.

My six month relationship with Teeline for Journalists is over (thank God), but that voice will haunt my dreams forever.

Lots of good suggestions..., 11 Aug 1999
...for using your time more efficiently, IF you're an executive. If you're an overworked secretary, administrative assistant or office manager, it's not so helpful. Who are they supposed to delegate to?

It will probably change your life., 14 Sep 1998
The best book I've found for showing you how to act on the nagging feelings that your time is being wasted. As always, self-discipline is the key ingredient, but MacKenzie has all the recipes.

My Time Management Bible, 10 Apr 1998
This book has now become my Time Management Bible, and I have recommended it to all my friends. I am also purchasing several as presents for my team members. As an in-house attorney with multiple demands on my time, I have always felt pulled in many different directions, subject to constant interruption, and moving from one meeting to another, collecting more work to do in the process, but without finding the time to actually do the work except for nights and weekends. This book has put an end to that, and has put me back in control of my schedule. I now, literally, have more time to do what is truly important. I can't recommend this book strongly enough. It is concise, well-written, and attacks the heart of the time management problem. Even in describing this book to friends, I am immediately bombarded with questions about "what does he say on this or that," and I have answers from the book that speak directly to their concerns. A remarkable achievement. Do yourself a favor and get this book.

Not the title of a Star Trek episode about a time warp., 13 Jun 1997
I am a graduate student at the University of Houston who has writtem several papers on time manaagement.

The following is a review of The Time Trap by Alex Mackenzie.

Additional material is taken from the audio program, Managing Your Goals by Alec Mackenzie and Melody Mackenzie Brown (Chicago: Nightingale-Conant, 1992) and the article "The Trouble with Time Management Courses" (Fortune, June 4, 1990, p. 262.)

Review by Grady McAllister:

The Time Trap is not a Star Trek episode about being caught in the a time warp or a space-time continuum. It is the title of Dr. Alec Mackenzie's down to earth book on time in the workplace. The 1972 edition of the book (revised in 1990) helped spawn the modern time management boom.

Mackenzie ties time management directly to the issue of American productivity:

"The U.S. manufacturing sector is showing an improvement in productivity at the rate of 3.5 per cent a year. The service sector, however, has lagged behind at a rate of 0.5 per cent since 1979. And since service industries represent more than 70 per cent of our economy, this is an acute problem indeed...

"Therefore our productivity must shift to individuals. If the memo writer, the marketing vice presidents and the finance officers can learn to get better results and do it in less time, the impact on the U.S. economy could be powerful."

Mackenzie may have done the definitive study on time wasters. In The Time Trap, he devotes an entire chapter to each of these topics:

· Management by crisis · Telephone interruptions · Inadequate planning · Attempting too much · Drop-in visitors · Ineffective delegation · Personal disorganization · Lack of self-discipline · Inability to say no · Procrastination · Meetings · Paperwork · Leaving tasks unfinished · Inadequate staff · Socializing · Confused responsibility or authority · Poor communication · Inadequate controls and reports · Incomplete information · Travel

Mackenzie uses himself to illustrate the problem of procrastination. He tells of the time he kept putting off his calls to sell Celestial Seasonings Tea on his program. When his calls didn't go through, Mackenzie became convinced that the president wasn't interested.

He finally reached him on the seventh call, and Mackenzie felt the final put-down when the man called him "Charlie." He had picked up the phone expecting someone else. Mackenzie wearily identified himself.

The president said, "Alec Mackenzie? I've had your name on my desk for months. I don't need any explanation of your program. How soon can you come out to conduct a two-day seminar on time management for all my people?"

Mackenzie asks seminar participants to do "the one thing they'll not want to do," and that is to keep a time log. For at least three days, they must write down every interruption and change of mental attention, "no matter how trivial."

The purpose is to find out where their time is really going and which time wasters need to be attacked. Mackenzie states:

"When you grasp the universal fact that there will never be 25 hours in one day...when you internalize this basic truth of contemporary existence...you will have armed yourself with a piece of knowledge you can use as the groundwork for making radical changes in the way you manage yourself and achieve your goals."

He says the time log will create the motivation leads to change:

"The time log is necessary because the painful task of changing our habits requires far more conviction than we can build from learning about the experience of others. We need the amazing revelation of the great portions of our time we are wasting to provide the incentive and the determination required to manage ourselves."

Many of Mackenzie's participants complain that the time log itself will take up too much time. He tells them:

"It's something you can't afford not to take. Since you take the log while you are doing the activity, it takes much less time than you originally think. Jot down the entry during the phone call, while a visitor is on the way in, and at the beginning of an interruption."

Mackenzie says a time log brings its own reward:

"The most astonishing time saver which results from a time log is the powerful self-correcting tendency which sets in automatically once you start the log. The time log is not only an essential diagnostic tool, it is an extremely effective time management device in itself."

One senior AT&T executive liked it so much that he "never stopped taking it."

Mackenzie also introduces employees to the "ideal day." They decide the best times for various activities and try to do them at the same time every day:

"The ideal day is a template, in effect, for your daily plan. It indicates blocks of time for major categories of activities. Then, for each day's plan, you schedule the specifics in those major categories."

Mackenzie asks the organization to set up a "quiet hour," a period when everyone is able, in theory, to work without interruption for 60 minutes. He says that one hour of uninterrupted work is worth the weight of three which are constantly interrupted.

Mackenzie endorses the use of an organizer to plan and keep track of time. His Time Tactics organizer includes "Control Sheets" to track projects and a "Contact Log" to record decisions and follow-up items. Also available: a "Time Waster Eliminator" form.

When he discusses the problem of the cluttered desk, probably the most prosaic of all time management topics, Mackenzie recalls the story of an executive in Heidelberg, Germany. The man turned to him and said:

"Herr Doctor, do you know why we stack our desks? It's all those things we don't want to forget. We put them on top where we'll see them. The trouble is it works too well. Every time our gaze wanders, we remember them, and we forget what we we're working on."

Mackenzie's prescription is to "keep your desk clean for the rest of your life" and never have anything on it but what you are working on at the moment.

Along with the minutia of time management training, Mackenzie teaches a system to set and manage goals. Mackenzie sees goals as the way to cope with turbulence in the U.S. economy:

"People in contemporary society are likely to make at least seven significant career changes during their adult lives--and not all of their own choosing. This is a subject which should be dealt with universally in secondary schools and colleges so that it is less overwhelming when it occurs. The person who has thought through the concepts of success, failure, and change to determine what they really mean will be better equipped to approach change of this kind as learning experiences and as opportunities or challenges."

I strongly recommend The Time Trap to anyone who is serious about goal-managment or the joy of time logging. However . . . In 1990, Fortune magazine ran an article that included these remarks: "In spite of the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on it, time management training isn't working."

Surprisingly, these are the words of Alec Mackenzie, who told Fortune: "Managing time is a lot more difficult than what I imagined when I wrote The Time Trap." The problem, he says, is that the techniques go against human nature, like exercise or sound money management.

The Fortune article concluded:

"The courses offer wisdom, but you probably can't corral time between cow skin covers. Consider this: When Mackenzie spoke with us, he asked if we had tried his Time Tactics organizer. 'You really should,' he urged. He promised to mail it the following day. But despite Mackenzie's theories, his best-seller, and his system, human nature intervened. He forgot to send it."

A practical, easy-to-use resource for minute-taking, 23 Jan 2007
The unsung hero of any corporate meeting is the minute-taker, quietly and diligently recording the decisions, big and small, that fuel the engines of business. Minute-taking is not simply the process of scribbling notes on a pad. A skilled minute-taker distills lengthy discussions down to their essential messages, and creates order and harmony from the often discordant process of reaching a consensus. Office communication consultant Joanna Gutmann carefully explains every aspect of the process, from setting up the meeting and distributing the agenda to taking notes and formatting the minutes. You will encounter quite a bit of redundancy if you read the book cover-to-cover, but we believe you will find it to be an indispensable reference if you are assigned to take the minutes.

Fantastic Step-By-Step Guide, 19 Sep 2003
I have a new job where I am required to take minutes of meetings. I've never taken minutes before in my life. I bought this book in my hour of need. It is fantastic! It takes you through the process step-by-step offering advice in plain English.

I have taken a few meetings now and everyone is shocked at my ability - they all think I've been minuting for years!

Highly recommended!

Great value for money, 17 May 2003
Saved a fortune with this easy step by step guides. Local training centre was offering tuition at high cost.
Very convenient to teach yourself to achieve great proffessional results. Ideal for first time readers. Now I can up-date my CV

Teeline Gold Course Book, 09 Sep 2004
I thought it was good, the pages are laid out well and the course progresses logically at a good speed. Each lesson builds on the previous one and doesn't introduce too much too quickly. However, it does seem to be aimed at secretaries more than journalists.

Very incitful and easy to learn in a matter of months., 11 Feb 2001
Teeline Gold has helped me learn teeline within a matter of months. Each unit is specified a combination of special outlines and word groupings that makes learn fun and efficient. The content of the book make it easy to follow especially with the answers at the back of the book incase you happen to get stuck and need that little help without going crazy. Although the book is aimed at the business world and not much of the journalistic aspects are covered but it does show you the very simplist of words and how to combine them.

Easyscript Express, 20 Jan 2008
This is a really quick and easy method of shorthand. I've tried other shorthand methods that use various signs and symbols, and have them difficult to remember. But Easyscript uses a logicial method that makes perfect sense, and is easy to relate to. I must recommend this book to anyone who wishes to learn an uncomplicated method of shorthand in minimal time.

Easyscript - Practice Makes Perfect, 05 Sep 2006
It took me about 7 hours to understand and feel confident using Easyscript. I read through the the book once, doing all the exercises then re-doing them until I felt totally comfortable.

It is very logical system and therefore easy to use and a lot of the abbreviations used are ones I've always been using. I am really impressed with this form of speedwriting.

It's been a blessing!, 20 Dec 2001
I had a need for a "fast-to-paper" method of recording verbal communications. I have been using Easy Script for several months now, after having received and read your "EasyScript Express" book and applied the lessons and practice sessions therein. I started putting the concepts to good use immediately, and have found EasyScript to be a benefit to my work.

EasyScript has become a real benefit to my job, as I'm sure you can see. My notes have become more accurate, I'm able to record more detail, and (most importantly) I'm able to record more necessary information as opposed to doing it in longhand. Thank you for a unique method of fast note taking. It's been a blessing!

A great concept!, 24 May 2001
I think that this is a great concept. I have previously taken Gregg shorthand and found it to be more work than it was worth. It's great to use the letters from words to make abbreviations. I'll pass EasyScript along to my peers, friends and relatives. It can be useful to almost anyone in any area.

I prefer EasyScript, 06 Mar 2001
It's an interesting method of shorthand. I prefer Easyscript because the abbreviations make sense. This method is much easier than learning shorthand symbols. With practice EasyScript will be very beneficial in taking notes and dictation.

Excellent!, 16 Mar 2002
I started Teeline last November in an evening class and our teacher uses this book to teach us. It's great to learn and I think I could have nearly managed without the teacher sometimes ... Every now and then a short form which we haven't learnt yet is thrown in a piece, which can be the only confusing bit for someone learning on their own.
I've also bought the 'Teeline Word List' and the 'Teeline Word Groupings' which are essential once all the theory is learnt and help build up speed.

Great book for the first time teeline learner, 05 Feb 2001
It guides you through how to write teeline step by step. It has small excercises after each theory to use what you just learnt. Great book for a teeline beginner. After practicing using this book, I could manage 50-60 words per minutes.

Pete, you need this book!, 11 Jan 2003
If any of you have just started teeline you need this book! i'm always trying to write out copy from the newspapers and often get stuck on complicated words. i just turn to this little gold mine and there it is!! plus, if you know your theory, which you should do if you've been at it a couple of months, then you understand why you went wrong.
It is a teeline dictionary, you look for the word and the s/hand version is there, and if its not, a variation of it will be and you can easily figure out the rest.
GET IT NOW!!

Essential, 16 Mar 2002
While learning Teeline I found this book essential. It should be called Teeline 'Dictionary' as that's what it is really. Each word has its Teeline transcription and some have a short form like 'arrange', 'representative' or 'important'. I think I'll still be using it even in a few years' time for reference.

This is essential bed-time reading, 21 Feb 2000
This was my first encounter with the work of Mavis Smith and Anne Tilly and it will not be my last. The words they have chosen and the clever manner in which they are laid out borders on the poetic. Many of the outlines are simply breathtaking. Their interpretation of the word 'luxury' is so brilliantly avant garde it defies belief. As outline designers they are gurus in a market renowned for its high levels of gangsters and charlatans. If you are new to the scripting craft then you will find yourself gripping this book as if your very life depended on it. The legendary shorthand lecturer of this era, Anne Forgrave, described this book as, "very useful." What more can I say? Hacks of the world ignore this book at your peril

Agenda for Solving the Most Important Problems with Improved Socially Focused Organizations, 16 May 2008
Most books about emerging, improved leadership and management methods capture high points among well known examples that haven't changed in years: Fortunately, The Power of Unreasonable People is a happy exception to that common weakness in being forward looking. As an example, the book ends with a call for filling in what's missing for social entrepreneurs to become an unstoppable force that solves the world's most important and persistent problems.

Who should read this book? Anyone who wants to make a difference in producing a society that provides better opportunities and qualities of life for everyone. If you think you might want to start a social enterprise, you should be reading this book today.

Why do I say these things? I recently sat through four days of conferences at a well-known university where the leading lights among its alumni described what they were doing as social entrepreneurs. I was appalled by what I heard. All but one organization had no larger vision than to slowly build a small effort from foundation grants. If you added up all of the likely results from these organizations, it wouldn't amount to much . . . except to warm the heart strings. Clearly, no major solution problems were going to be improved except in a few locales.

What's more, the leading lights were almost totally unaware of other, more effective methods for how to accomplish similar things. They needed to read this book rather than attend those conferences.

I started writing about social entrepreneurs in 2002, and it was hard then to find examples of superior operating models being used by entrepreneurs (as opposed to attention-getting methods that reporters like to write about) that were affecting over 10 million people. A lot has changed since then. Now I run into social entrepreneurs all the time through my teaching who are developing operating models that could affect hundreds of millions of people.

I was pleased to find out about a number of social operating models in this book that could serve as useful examples to others in different fields. I intend to recommend this book to everyone I know who wants to learn about such new models. I also intend to read more about the most interesting of the many cases in this fine book. That's rare for me because I read a lot. I applaud the intensive research that is the basis for this book. Well done!

The book does have one limitation that I think would be worth addressing in a future book that updates what is reported on here: There isn't enough discussion of how to develop better business models by assembling bit and pieces of what others have done in new ways.

For example, the book correctly applauds (through different examples) the operating principles of open-source innovation, serving more people by eliminating harmful costs to provide offerings for 5-10 percent of the usual resources, employing local people with a good understanding of what's needed, measuring social performance as a way to inexpensively encourage others to shift their focus, and being able to become large rapidly. Imagine what could be accomplished if the best enterprises mentioned in this book had a process to add the aspects of those approaches that they aren't using now.

Check it out and take action!


Six months' hard labour, 28 Jul 2007
Face it - learning Teeline is a complete pig. There is no getting round it.

This course is better than most, because it avoids the pompous secretarial tone of the older tomes. However, Dawn's nasal sing-song voice annoyed the hell out of me, and some of the sentences ('who is responsible for filling the bathroom with bubbles?') could only have been generated by a very strange mind.

My six month relationship with Teeline for Journalists is over (thank God), but that voice will haunt my dreams forever.

Lots of good suggestions..., 11 Aug 1999
...for using your time more efficiently, IF you're an executive. If you're an overworked secretary, administrative assistant or office manager, it's not so helpful. Who are they supposed to delegate to?

It will probably change your life., 14 Sep 1998
The best book I've found for showing you how to act on the nagging feelings that your time is being wasted. As always, self-discipline is the key ingredient, but MacKenzie has all the recipes.

My Time Management Bible, 10 Apr 1998
This book has now become my Time Management Bible, and I have recommended it to all my friends. I am also purchasing several as presents for my team members. As an in-house attorney with multiple demands on my time, I have always felt pulled in many different directions, subject to constant interruption, and moving from one meeting to another, collecting more work to do in the process, but without finding the time to actually do the work except for nights and weekends. This book has put an end to that, and has put me back in control of my schedule. I now, literally, have more time to do what is truly important. I can't recommend this book strongly enough. It is concise, well-written, and attacks the heart of the time management problem. Even in describing this book to friends, I am immediately bombarded with questions about "what does he say on this or that," and I have answers from the book that speak directly to their concerns. A remarkable achievement. Do yourself a favor and get this book.

Not the title of a Star Trek episode about a time warp., 13 Jun 1997
I am a graduate student at the University of Houston who has writtem several papers on time manaagement.

The following is a review of The Time Trap by Alex Mackenzie.

Additional material is taken from the audio program, Managing Your Goals by Alec Mackenzie and Melody Mackenzie Brown (Chicago: Nightingale-Conant, 1992) and the article "The Trouble with Time Management Courses" (Fortune, June 4, 1990, p. 262.)

Review by Grady McAllister:

The Time Trap is not a Star Trek episode about being caught in the a time warp or a space-time continuum. It is the title of Dr. Alec Mackenzie's down to earth book on time in the workplace. The 1972 edition of the book (revised in 1990) helped spawn the modern time management boom.

Mackenzie ties time management directly to the issue of American productivity:

"The U.S. manufacturing sector is showing an improvement in productivity at the rate of 3.5 per cent a year. The service sector, however, has lagged behind at a rate of 0.5 per cent since 1979. And since service industries represent more than 70 per cent of our economy, this is an acute problem indeed...

"Therefore our productivity must shift to individuals. If the memo writer, the marketing vice presidents and the finance officers can learn to get better results and do it in less time, the impact on the U.S. economy could be powerful."

Mackenzie may have done the definitive study on time wasters. In The Time Trap, he devotes an entire chapter to each of these topics:

· Management by crisis · Telephone interruptions · Inadequate planning · Attempting too much · Drop-in visitors · Ineffective delegation · Personal disorganization · Lack of self-discipline · Inability to say no · Procrastination · Meetings · Paperwork · Leaving tasks unfinished · Inadequate staff · Socializing · Confused responsibility or authority · Poor communication · Inadequate controls and reports · Incomplete information · Travel

Mackenzie uses himself to illustrate the problem of procrastination. He tells of the time he kept putting off his calls to sell Celestial Seasonings Tea on his program. When his calls didn't go through, Mackenzie became convinced that the president wasn't interested.

He finally reached him on the seventh call, and Mackenzie felt the final put-down when the man called him "Charlie." He had picked up the phone expecting someone else. Mackenzie wearily identified himself.

The president said, "Alec Mackenzie? I've had your name on my desk for months. I don't need any explanation of your program. How soon can you come out to conduct a two-day seminar on time management for all my people?"

Mackenzie asks seminar participants to do "the one thing they'll not want to do," and that is to keep a time log. For at least three days, they must write down every interruption and change of mental attention, "no matter how trivial."

The purpose is to find out where their time is really going and which time wasters need to be attacked. Mackenzie states:

"When you grasp the universal fact that there will never be 25 hours in one day...when you internalize this basic truth of contemporary existence...you will have armed yourself with a piece of knowledge you can use as the groundwork for making radical changes in the way you manage yourself and achieve your goals."

He says the time log will create the motivation leads to change:

"The time log is necessary because the painful task of changing our habits requires far more conviction than we can build from learning about the experience of others. We need the amazing revelation of the great portions of our time we are wasting to provide the incentive and the determination required to manage ourselves."

Many of Mackenzie's participants complain that the time log itself will take up too much time. He tells them:

"It's something you can't afford not to take. Since you take the log while you are doing the activity, it takes much less time than you originally think. Jot down the entry during the phone call, while a visitor is on the way in, and at the beginning of an interruption."

Mackenzie says a time log brings its own reward:

"The most astonishing time saver which results from a time log is the powerful self-correcting tendency which sets in automatically once you start the log. The time log is not only an essential diagnostic tool, it is an extremely effective time management device in itself."

One senior AT&T executive liked it so much that he "never stopped taking it."

Mackenzie also introduces employees to the "ideal day." They decide the best times for various activities and try to do them at the same time every day:

"The ideal day is a template, in effect, for your daily plan. It indicates blocks of time for major categories of activities. Then, for each day's plan, you schedule the specifics in those major categories."

Mackenzie asks the organization to set up a "quiet hour," a period when everyone is able, in theory, to work without interruption for 60 minutes. He says that one hour of uninterrupted work is worth the weight of three which are constantly interrupted.

Mackenzie endorses the use of an organizer to plan and keep track of time. His Time Tactics organizer includes "Control Sheets" to track projects and a "Contact Log" to record decisions and follow-up items. Also available: a "Time Waster Eliminator" form.

When he discusses the problem of the cluttered desk, probably the most prosaic of all time management topics, Mackenzie recalls the story of an executive in Heidelberg, Germany. The man turned to him and said:

"Herr Doctor, do you know why we stack our desks? It's all those things we don't want to forget. We put them on top where we'll see them. The trouble is it works too well. Every time our gaze wanders, we remember them, and we forget what we we're working on."

Mackenzie's prescription is to "keep your desk clean for the rest of your life" and never have anything on it but what you are working on at the moment.

Along with the minutia of time management training, Mackenzie teaches a system to set and manage goals. Mackenzie sees goals as the way to cope with turbulence in the U.S. economy:

"People in contemporary society are likely to make at least seven significant career changes during their adult lives--and not all of their own choosing. This is a subject which should be dealt with universally in secondary schools and colleges so that it is less overwhelming when it occurs. The person who has thought through the concepts of success, failure, and change to determine what they really mean will be better equipped to approach change of this kind as learning experiences and as opportunities or challenges."

I strongly recommend The Time Trap to anyone who is serious about goal-managment or the joy of time logging. However . . . In 1990, Fortune magazine ran an article that included these remarks: "In spite of the hundreds of millions of dollars spent on it, time management training isn't working."

Surprisingly, these are the words of Alec Mackenzie, who told Fortune: "Managing time is a lot more difficult than what I imagined when I wrote The Time Trap." The problem, he says, is that the techniques go against human nature, like exercise or sound money management.

The Fortune article concluded:

"The courses offer wisdom, but you probably can't corral time between cow skin covers. Consider this: When Mackenzie spoke with us, he asked if we had tried his Time Tactics organizer. 'You really should,' he urged. He promised to mail it the following day. But despite Mackenzie's theories, his best-seller, and his system, human nature intervened. He forgot to send it."

Indispensable how-to manual , 15 Dec 2008
The CEO may seem indispensable, but little changes on a day-to-day basis if he or she is on