General tips for using Dragon for Windows
Viva Voce tips for taming the Dragon
- Dragon works much better on a PC than on a MAC computer. If you are serious about working by voice, we recommend using Dragon for Windows over Dragon for Mac.
- Set up your new user profile with the appropriate accent model (under Region in the New User setup). To check the accent model say "Open user profile" > Properties > Language.
- Location of the Dragon User Profile - it is important that the user profile is located on the local drive, and not a network drive. Dragon will run slowly if the user profile is located on a network drive. In the case of roaming user setup, a master copy of the user profile is located on the network and copies/synchs to the local drive when Dragon is opened, and synchs with the master copy on the network when Dragon is closed. If using Dragon Professional Individual (as opposed to Dragon Group), check the location of the user profile by "Open user profile" > Location of User Profile at the bottom of the dialogue. If is shows as default, or a C drive location this will be the local drive. If the location is a network drive, we recommend moving the profile to the local drive. Contact us for further instruction.
- Settings - IMPORTANT adjust Dragon's settings at Dragon bar/tools/options. Click here for recommended settings.
- Speaking style - Dragon is not as good at interpreting speech as people are. To achieve a high level of recognition accuracy it is necessary to speak very clearly, as if reading the evening news, rather than in a conversational tone. Articulate each syllable and word more than you would in normal speech. Don't elongate words so they sound unnatural, and avoid running words together.
- When voicing commands pause before and after, but not in the middle
- To assist with remembering command names, keep a list of your frequently used commands handy
- Edit the vocabulary (say “Edit Vocabulary”). Add your own words and phrases to the vocabulary, and delete any unwanted words that appear in your dictation. If you dictate a word that is not in the vocabulary, Dragon has no chance at all of recognising it.
- Correct Recognition Errors
- Use a computer with the fastest processor and the most RAM you can afford. A solid state hard drive also helps.
- Adjust microphone settings regularly by saying "Check audio settings" and following the prompts. It's a good idea to do this at least once a week.
- Use a high quality noise-cancelling USB headset microphone
- If using a laptop or any computer with a built-in microphone, disable the built-in microphone to ensure that Dragon is hearing sound from the headset mic only.
- Use Dragon in as quiet an environment as possible
- Open Dragon first, before other applications, otherwise the NatSpeak Add-ins for Microsoft Office and the extensions/addins for web browsers might not load.
- Close Dragon before shutting your computer down (say "Exit Dragon")
- Get the most out of Dragon by understanding how it works. Read the workbook and cheat sheet for your version of Dragon, and How to Optimise Recognition Accuracy
Training resources
Training resources available online including Workbooks and Cheat Sheets
For Dragon Help, say "Give me help"
For commands, see Help>Contents>Working in programs.
For Dragon Help, say "Give me help"
For commands, see Help>Contents>Working in programs.
How to FAQs
How to capitalise text by voice
Say "Switch to Word", "Switch to Outlook", "Switch to Internet explorer", "Switch to excel", "Switch to Windows Explorer", "Press Alt key Tab" (to return to the previous window)
- To capitalise your last phrase or selected text, say "Cap that" for Title case; "All caps that" for UPPER CASE; "No cap that" for lower case
- To capitalise as you go, say "caps on", dictate text then say "caps off" for title case; "all caps on", "all caps off" for uppercase
- To cap the next word only, as you go, say "cap <word>" to cap the next word; "all caps <word> " to make the next word uppercase
- To capitalise after dictating text, say "Capitalise <text>" or "Capitalise <text> to <text>"
- Note that Dragon will automatically capitalise the next word after a fullstop or "New paragraph", but not after "New line".
Say "Switch to Word", "Switch to Outlook", "Switch to Internet explorer", "Switch to excel", "Switch to Windows Explorer", "Press Alt key Tab" (to return to the previous window)
Viva Voce training documents