Keyboarding TechniqueBeginning Keyboarding

Why Good Posture?

• Increase keyboard accuracy

• Decrease eye and body fatigue

• Reduce chance of physical injury

• Increase keying endurance

• Build keyboard confidence

• Achieve correct finger placement

Step 1: Balance

When you sit at the computer, your body weight should be evenly distributed so that you do not cause any fatigue in your neck, back, or arms.

Starting a keyboarding program is similar to starting a new exercise program. You are going to be using muscles that have not been used before and you need to start slowly and build your muscle tone and endurance.

Step 2: Feet

To achieve this balance, your feet must be flat on the floor.

Do not cross your ankles or your legs.

Step 3: Back

Your chair should be ergonomically correct for your height. While sitting, your back should be flat against the chair.

Your chair is the right height if you can place your thumb at your waist and your pinky reaches straight to the keyboard or wrist guard.

If your pinky is up, your chair is too low. If your pinky is down, your chair is too high.

Step 4: Wrists

To avoid carpal tunnel and other repetitive stress injuries, be sure your wrists are straight and resting on the wrist guard. If you do not use a wrist guard, be sure to pull the keyboard to the edge of the table and keep your wrists in a straight position.

Step 5: Fingers

Place your fingers over the home row in a slightly curved position. When you are keying, your fingers should be the only body part moving.

Your arms, wrists, head, and feet should not be moving.

Step 6: Eyes and HeadKeep your head straight and eyes on the screen or the book/text you are keying. Do not move your head back and forth from the text to the screen - you'll get whiplash! And you’ll also lose your place and cause more errors.

Key for a period of time and then stop and proofread to correct your errors.

When you are experienced, you will feel when you make an error and you can use the backspace key immediately.

In our program, the backspace key is disabled to help you learn where the keys are located.

Keyboard Posture

• Feet flat

• Back straight against chair

• Arms tucked into your sides

• Wrists straight

• Fingers on home row and curved

• Head straight

• Eyes on screen or copy

You look like a lowercase “h”!

Review

Click on the link in the next slide to view a short keyboarding posture

video.

Correct Posture While Keying

Taking a Break

If you follow these guidelines for keyboarding posture, you’ll be refreshed and ready to learn.

When learning new keys, practice for 15-20 minutes at a time.

Get up from the computer; walk around; shake your arms, wrists and rotate your head.

Continue practicing.