4 tips to becoming a dictation pro

Here’s is our third blog post in the mini-series “How to Dictate“. Read more about the shift from typing to talking and voice technology efficiency.

Before you start recording, take a look at these 4 best practices. Using these guidelines and tips will help ensure you are maximizing the benefits of dictation and put you well on your way to becoming a dictation pro:

• Before you start speaking: Before you start your dictation, get your grip right! Something as simple as holding your dictation device in the correct position can make all the difference in sound quality. Double check that the microphone is not touching your lips & be sure to turn the device off when you are not speaking to save battery and minimize extraneous recordings.
• Get in the Zone: While it can save time and make your life easier, dictations require full concentration. We recommend dictating in a quiet room, without any distractions. Further, for best results, try your best to eliminate any possible background noises and refrain from eating, drinking or chewing gum for best vocal clarity. Finally, while it’s natural to engage in body language as you speak, work on limiting your hand gestures and arm movements, as too much motion may affect the quality of your recording.
• Think about your audience: If you plan on sending your dictation to a administrative assistant or transcriptionist, having a clear idea of what you’d like to say and how you plan on saying it will allow for a smooth flow of words throughout the duration of the recording. This also means that words, phrases and paragraphs need to be clearly distinguished and specific instructions should be given. If you’re planning on using either speech recognition or a transcriptionist, be sure to clearly enunciate words for best results.
• ”Train” your voice: Using a voice-to-text transcription software can turn voice to text three times faster than typing, with up to 99% accuracy. To receive higher levels of accuracy with speech recognition, it’s imperative to train the software to recognize your voice and get familiar with how you pronounce certain words. The latest program versions are able to do this in under four minutes, so you’ll be well on your way to becoming a pro in no time!

Like most activities, time and experience will help achieve greater levels of success. Practicing and remembering these 4 tips before you even pick up your recorder will allow you to enhance the benefits of dictation and put you on the fast track to success.

Our next and final blog post in these series will highlight confidence-boosting tricks to make sure you have the right mentality while dictating.