Did you know that dictation can help you to create better, more well-crafted writing? Did you know that dictation, when paired with the right transcription services partner can help you write better overall and gain a deeper understanding of your subject matter? We are going to show you how to dictate well and in turn help you improve your writing.
As a transcription company, we value high quality dictation, and we know how important it is to our clients like you. Because of that, we want to provide our best tips toward confident, clear dictation to yield the best results possible.
Check out our top five tips below so you will know how to dictate well going forward.
1) Choose a Controlled Environment
This is a simple tip, and a really important one. Picking the right environment for dictating single person narratives as well as multiple speaker audio files is incredibly important. Why? So you can better control distractions and background noise in your area and focus on the task at hand. Without an environment that you have direct control of, there will be several elements that could dramatically affect your completed transcripts. Imagine a interview conducted next to a loud subway stop in New York City. Every few minutes you won’t be able to hear anything except a train and everything that goes with a typical subway stop, and your recording will be missing a ton of vital information.
2) Use Quality Equipment
It’s important to always invest in good quality transcription equipment that will provide you with the most quality experience and end-result. Choosing low-quality equipment will, unfortunately, result in low-quality recordings and could affect the quality of the transcript. Skip this issue all together and simply invest in the equipment that’s going to make your recordings sound good, which in-turn ensure great transcripts.
3) Speak Well
With dictation, you’re going to want to speak in a much clearer, louder, and controlled voice. Try to avoid speaking shyly, under your breath, or quietly because you might be a bit nervous. This will make it difficult for your transcriptionist to hear everything during the transcribing process. Speak clearly, speak slowly, and don’t be afraid to be a little on the loud side. We can always turn down the volume. It’s much harder to enhance a soft voice than it is to turn down the volume.
4) It’s Okay to Be Particular with Spelling
While it might not seem necessary to spell out certain things – such as normal sounding names, cities, et. Cetera – being picky about spelling can help you, and your transcription services partner, to avoid spelling mistakes later on. For example, maybe you don’t think it’s necessary to spell out the name Riley, but there are several different ways to spell it (Reilly, Riley, Rilee, etc.) and being particular with your spelling during your dictation can save you from having to make edits post-transcription a part of your process.
5) Engage Your Brain, Not Just Your Mouth
This is a hugely important factor for producing quality dictation. You need to remember that dictation is more than just spilling out all of your half-formed thoughts and ideas (although this can help in certain situations). Instead, it’s important to stretch the muscles of your mind before you speak to know what you’re going to say.
Practice this in order to get the hang of it and ensure that you’re always engaging your mind in dictation, not just your mouth. We’ve found that some clients benefit greatly from using scripts in this process, so maybe create a script at first and see if that helps you form better thoughts and structure.
As a general transcription company, it goes without saying that we value good quality recordings and dictation. We hope our top five tips and tricks will help you learn how to dictate with ease and confidence going forward. If you ever need a transcriptionist to partner with, don’t hesitate to reach out to us for help with your transcription needs.
