NFIB

Using Dictation Can Help Productivity
01/ 15/ 2003

If you are spending too much time each day typing letters, memos and other documents, consider using dictation methods instead. Since most people speak up to seven times faster than they write and four or five times faster than they type, dictation could save considerable time and energy. Jeffrey Moses shows how to get started.

Dictation has been a preferred method of putting down ideas since the 1950s, but it has fallen out of favor during the last few years--mainly because of the speed and ease of email and word processing programs. But dictation can provide a quick, natural way to begin putting ideas down.

Recording and dictation equipment is relatively inexpensive and takes up little desk space. For as little as $30, you can purchase top-quality microcassette recording equipment. Once you record your ideas, give the microcassette tape to an assistant, who can use transcription equipment to transfer the spoken word to a computer.

Transcription equipment optimizes the transcription process. These are stand-alone units, substantially different from normal microcassette recorders. Included in most top-of-the-line transcription equipment are earphones that free the transcriber's hands for typing, as well as foot controls that enable the transcriber to rewind or fast-forward the microcassette tape without removing hands from the keyboard. Costs for transcribing equipment range from $120 to $250 and more, depending on features.

Dictation is ideal for a wide variety of written notations, including interviews, letters, outlines for lengthy documents and memos made when the hands are otherwise engaged (examining equipment, reviewing X-rays or shuffling through papers, for example).

When dictating, it's important to speak naturally, at a pace that's comfortable and normal for you. Don't be self-conscious about your enunciation or being grammatically correct at all times. Remember, these are just your notes. Your transcribers will edit when mistakes are obvious (if you instruct them to do so), and you'll have the chance to edit the printed version later.

Most small business owners and managers today are so used to typing ideas on their computer keyboards that it may take some time to get used to dictation. But when properly set up, a dictation system can increase productive time immensely.

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