Dragon speech recognition software is revolutionary in its productivity-enhancing ability but is also a big change for users who are used to typing. The skill of typing has been a school subject and can assimilated by simply using a computer over a few years. Cellphone users adapt to typing by way of fingers or predictive text, but typing is a bit trickier. Most computer users grow up using a QWERTY keyboard and develop a second sense for where the buttons are. While many don’t take typing as a formal skill to the point that they get used to using the ‘F’ and ‘J’ buttons with raised striations to reset their resting finger position, it can be adopted relatively easily.
Many chat rooms and messaging software platforms have converted two-finger typists into full-fledged users, making it a case of practice makes perfect. While these users can attain good typing speeds, they’re not quite as proficient as those who actually took the skill with a view to using it as a professional ability. You can take an online typing speed test to get an indication of your speed, which can be quite useful to know where your ability lies. What many people don’t take into account is that errors and omissions actually count against your score and people tend to forget how many times they hit the backspace button.
It’s easy to fall back into old habits. This is why it takes some more time to switch over to using their voice exclusively than others. In the early stages of using Dragon, there will be misrecognitions and the change may be a bit much for some to adopt immediately. Clicking open an email and firing off a quick response can be comforting when you’re used to clicking away at the keyboard. Composing your thoughts out loud can make the process a bit more cumbersome for folks who aren’t used to dictating.
It’s true that clients who are already used to dictating take to the software more quickly but this process shouldn’t take long for those who are new to this input method. A good tip is to start by using Dragon to dictate emails. This is a naturally more casual place to dictate and get used to the idea of talking your writing. Imagine you’re talking to someone on the phone. This will help you relax into just getting content onto the page.
What people often forget is that there’s a lot of in-line editing when it comes to writing and rewriting pieces. Dragon is so quick that you can delete an entire paragraph without feeling bad about it. Repeating what you said is so much quicker than typing. The very thought of deleting a whole paragraph, especially for a two-finger typer, seems like a bulk of time and work.
That’s what is so efficient and speedy about being able to dictate. You have the luxury of time, able to really think about what you want to say. Getting through emails is a breeze, allowing you to take as much time as you need to wade through the content and provide a full response. For those who work in an open plan office setting, no problem – just adjust your dictation volume. The noise-cancelling microphone makes it possible for you to get good results without shouting.
It’s a process that will take time but like anything that’s worth having, you will need to spend some time getting used to the new input method. Good luck! Get in touch with us if you’re struggling to make the conversion and we’ll give you so easy ways to get on the right track. Also, don’t be afraid to make mistakes in front of our technical support or trainers – they’ve seen everything. As you’ll know some misrecognitions can be darn right hilarious.