Touch typing: How to improve your technique, according to the expert who trained James Bond's Q

It's all about practice and posture, says Liz Davies of Pitman Training

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Edwina Langley10 February 2020

“Everyone can learn to touch type,” says Liz Davies, Senior Trainer at Pitman Training, “and once learned, you retain the skill for life.”

Davies should know; she is, after all, responsible for coaching typists at all stages of their career, from young professionals to entrepreneurs, senior partners and board directors. In fact, she has even trained Hollywood stars: Ben Whishaw – aka ‘Q’ – learned how to type like a pro for Bond films Skyfall and Spectre through Davies, while Lily James mastered the skill set of Winston Churchill’s PA Elizabeth Layton in Darkest Hour thanks to her instruction as well.

“Lily was already a good typist but had to use several different period typewriters – not the easiest kit to use,” Davies recalls. “You have to strike the keys hard and evenly otherwise they jam together. The sitting posture was also different in the 1940s so she had to master that too while convincingly acting out her part.”

Davies says the best way to improve general efficiency is to approach touch typing with the same dedication one would a sport. “An Olympic medallist practises the right techniques and posture to reach peak performance [and] it’s the same for touch typists,” she explains. “Practice and posture are critical when you are starting out so that you learn how to touch type automatically.”

But why is it an important skill to learn? According to research conducted by Microsoft, British workers will spend, on average, over three hours a day typing, yet as many as 45% do not know how to type ergonomically. Not only that, but 43% of British employers were found to view typing as a vital work and life skill, and 30% would refrain from hiring someone if they couldn’t touch type.

It seems it’s pretty imperative. If you’re keen to improve your technique, read Davies’ top tips for perfect touch typing below.

1. Have a good posture

Sit up straight and don’t slouch, that slows you down! Make sure you hold your wrists off the desk, as that allows fluid movement of your hands and fingers across the keyboard to help you build great speeds.

2. Ditch the wrist rest

Wrist rest or not? I advise not. You want to build strength in your wrists and keep your elbow and shoulder movements flexible to develop rhythm.

3. Use a regular keyboard

Start on a regular straight-ended keyboard, not a laptop. The keyboard has pronounced keys and a raised edge on the ‘F’ and ‘J’ keys which helps to anchor your index fingers so that you can return easily to the Home keys. You can buy a cheap keyboard to plug into your laptop while learning.

4. Spell out words in your head

Spell out letters, punctuation and spaces in your head as you practise. This helps to embed habits through your senses – visual, verbal, audio and touch – and there are a number of benefits. You can use muscle memory to associate a letter with the correct finger and key; it encourages rhythm, so you can increase your tempo and increase speed; and it develops your accuracy through focusing on individual characters.

5. Turn your screen off

Try turning your PC monitor off when you practise using hard copy text. This focuses your mind purely on typing. When you turn the monitor on again, you’ll quickly see which characters or combinations are giving you trouble and can focus on those.

6. Keep practising

Practice makes perfect – little and often is best. Half an hour’s practice each day is definitely better that two hours, twice a week.