6 Tips To Improve Dictation

How can you get the best out of dictation? Following these tips will help you to take a methodological approach to your recordings, improving the quality and accuracy of your transcription. Following these top tips will help you to avoid many of the common mistakes people make while dictating.

1. Familiarise yourself with the equipment – Its best to practice using the equipment before you start dictating! Although the software is designed to be as simple as possible, familiarising yourself with the equipment will allow you to get to grips with how to use it most effectively. Pay attention to the distance between your mouth and the microphone, and play around with some of the more advanced edit and record functions.
2. Minimise background noise – Finding the best possible environment to dictate in will improve the sound quality of the recording. If there is background noise, this can feedback on the recording, making it more difficult to understand you. Opt for a quiet space without an echo to make sure that your recording is as clear as possible.
3. Planning ahead – Sometimes people rush to start dictating when a piece of information is fresh in their mind. It is good to dictate as soon as you can while information is fresh in your mind, however it can be easy to forget details when you haven’t planned what to say. Consider what information you need, the right order to tell it in, and the key points. Writing down a couple of brief notes can help you to get all the information in order, or taking a moment to clarify all the necessary information.
4. Spelling out names – To heighten the accuracy of your transcription, consider spelling out pieces of information such as technical terms or names. This can help to avoid confusion and will ensure that errors are avoided. By doing this, you will save yourself time and avoid having to correct any information afterwards.
5. Clear and confident speech – Although this may seem like an obvious one, the nature of recording means that we do not feel that we are speaking to another person, and may not annunciate our words as much as we would in conversation. Speaking as clearly as possible, projecting your voice and speaking with confidence at a decent volume will make a significant difference to the clarity of your dictation.
6. Signing off! – Even the most seasoned of dictations pros forget this one! Signing off at the end of a dictation prevents any audio from getting lost at the end. Simply announcing “end of transcription” will help to show your transcriptionist that there is no more audio to listen out for.

While they may seem simple, these tips can revolutionise how you use dictation. By making the process of dictation as streamlined as possible, you will notice your productivity skyrocket. When used properly, dictation can save valuable time and can help you to enjoy more flexibility and freedom in your daily work.