Quick Tip: Smart Name Briefing Strategy for Testing and Real-World Jobs

I wanted to pass along a name-briefing strategy that’s been incredibly helpful to me—especially during tests and/or fast-paced testimony.  It's also great for maintaining your endurance. 

I first learned it from an exceptional court reporter, Anita Paul, and I use it every time I can.

If I have names ahead of time, I’ll build a job dictionary using one-stroke briefs that combine titles like Mr., Ms., Dr., and Mrs. with the last name’s initial. But this approach is also great to use on the fly.

Here’s the system:

• PHR* = Mr. + first letter of last name

  • Mr. Baker → PHR*B

• SPH* = Ms. + first letter of last name

  • Ms. Morrison → SPH*PH

• TKR* = Dr. + first letter of last name

  • Dr. King → TKR*BG

• SPHR* = Mrs. + first letter of last name

  • Mrs. Lewis → SPHR*L

A few tips to make it work:

• Avoid assigning the same stroke to different people.

• If there’s overlap, go to the next letter until you have a unique stroke.

  • Mr. Anderson → PHRA*, Mr. Adams → PHR*D

  • Mrs. King → SPHR*PB, Mrs. Kimmel → SPHR*PL

• For tricky letters like H, skip to the next letter:

  • Mr. Hennigan → PHR*E, Ms. Howard → SPHO*

• You can also write the full name the first time, then shorten it on the second or third use as you build your memory and job dictionary.

Hope this gives you a new tool to try out—especially helpful during fast-paced tests and/or testimony!