1. The busy noisy road behind me, the noisy barking dog next door and the howling wind are interfering with the dictation!
When this happens, make sure the microphone is as close to your mouth as possible but don’t speak too loudly to compensate, as this will end up distorting the sound. If possible stay somewhere sheltered so you are out of the wind, although this isn’t always possible when doing a roof inspection!
2. The owners are at home, and I need to dictate that their decor is out of date!
Don’t whisper – this just makes the dictation distort. Try to speak quietly but with the microphone closer than usual – this should be easy enough to hear as you are indoors.
3. The dictation keeps skipping to a new file!
Practice makes perfect – try not to press anything other than the record button.
4. The file is getting too long, I’m worried it will be too big to email.
Try and keep the audio files (.dss, .wav etc.) to a max 60 minutes. This should ensure they are within the 10MB allowance that most email providers allow to send/receive.
5. I’m back at the office and I don’t want to dictate with everyone listening.
Book out a meeting room – go somewhere private where you don’t feel self conscious. Remember, if you whisper it distorts the dictation. You will also be able to concentrate better without any disturbances. Alternatively, use your car on the way back to the office as a quiet space to finish off the report.