Back before computers and email were commonly used in business, most people had access to a secretary, either their own or as part of a "pool." If you wanted to send a letter or message to someone, you dictated it to a secretary who wrote it down in shorthand, then typed it on his/her typewriter. Business schools for secretarial skills typically trained their students in shorthand as well as typing skills.
Agnes Elizabeth Osborne has written: 'The relationship between certain psychological tests and shorthand achievement' -- subject(s): Ability, Shorthand, Testing
The shorthand symbol for 'between' is the symbol "->".
"Ptf." is the shorthand for plaintiff.
The shorthand for schedule is "sched."
The shorthand for hope is "HP."
the shorthand for a angry face :@
The shorthand symbol for transfer is "→".
Q&A is already shorthand for "question and answer."
the shorthand for a crying face :'( Also, ='[ and ='( and :'[
The only shorthand symbol I can think of for 'of' is o/.
The shorthand symbol for 'different' is ≠ (not equal to).
"E" in shorthand typically represents the word "and."