It takes a lot of time to write something. While the task seems easy when you have received it, you start to think differently as soon as you start working on it. Writing is time consuming because you need to type every letter separately — it is completely different from the time when you are talking. In the technically advanced world, there are numerous speech recognition tools that can make your life much easier: all you need to do is to dictate your text to a piece of software, and your speech will be automatically converted into the written words. However, there is still a question of whether it really improves your work or just makes it simpler.
Once you’ve decided to get started using dictation, you will see that it takes time for you and your speech recognition tool to get used to each other. At first, you might even think that dictation is far more complex than just typing. There are two sides to that. On one hand, you need to learn the software, whether it is a special application, Siri, or a native Mac/Windows voice recognition tool. They all have their particularities and specific commands that will help you to communicate your words and get them written most effectively. You might want to “teach” your software to execute particular commands too. On the other hand, once you’ve learned to use your speech recognition tool, writing becomes a dozen times faster.
Another problem is that, when you write, you think about the proper way to arrange words in a sentence. When you talk, you might alter your sentences on the go. This is why many students who use speech recognition software may start talking in simpler sentences reducing their flow to the basics. Indeed, using a speech recognition tool changes the way you think and write your assignments. It is important not to have your writing reduced to simple statements, but to learn to formulate the sentences in your mind.
There is also an area where you should not rely on your speech recognition tool, and it’s editing. While there are commands which will allow you to do the editing of your text, it is still always better that you do it mechanically on your keyboard. This way, you will not only check the properness of word constructions, but also will be able to adjust the piece to your own style.
If you have tried any speech recognition tools, what do you think about them? Is it more of a challenge or an easy way to get stuff done faster? Have you trained yourself to think your sentences through while saying them aloud, or did you just learn to speak in short simple sentences? What did you do on the editing stage? Or did you skip it altogether? These questions will help you understand whether you are using your speech recognition tool the proper way and for the right cause, rather than just being lazy.