- Speak clearly, using long phrases where possible
- Check the audio settings by saying “check audio settings”
- Keep a list of commands near your computer to ensure you voice commands correctly
- Correct recognition errors by saying “correct <wrong word/s>” or “correct that” to correct your last phrase or selected text. This will reduce the number of errors in the future.
- Customise the vocabulary by adding words and phrases, including people’s names if they are not already in the vocabulary. Say “edit vocabulary”.
- Scan electronic documents to customise the language model and vocabulary. The documents should have been written by you or be representative of your writing style.
- Do some longer training readings. If you do one or two of the longer training readings, this will improve the ability of the software to recognise your speech patterns.
- Create custom commands (macros). In the Preferred edition of Dragon NaturallySpeaking, these are limited to text macros that will produce blocks of text with a simple command. This can eliminate the time involved in dictating frequently used text. In the Professional edition, it is possible to create a much wider range of commands.
- If background noise levels are high, move to a quieter location if you can
- Open Dragon NaturallySpeaking first and close before shutting down your computer.
- Consider upgrading your computer if it does not meet the minimum specs recommended above.
Assessing performance
The best way to assess whether your speech recognition software is performing well is by its recognition accuracy and speed. Try dictating a passage of around 200-300 words, speaking as clearly as you can and without correcting recognition errors. Then count the number of recognition errors; if your speech is clear, you shouldn’t have more than about 5 mistakes per 100 words, i.e. a recognition accuracy rate of 95% or higher.
For more help with Dragon NaturallySpeaking
Download the user guide from http://knowledgebase.nuance.com/
Visit the Dragon NaturallySpeaking forum at http://support.nuance.com/communities/
An excellent business specialising in speech recognition software: www.vivavocesrs.com
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