Dictation guidelines

Dictate to Dragon Medical Practice Edition as you would dictate to a person transcribing your dictation. By default, you must explicitly say most punctuation and capitalization other than for proper names or the beginning of a sentence. It's not unusual to feel awkward at first. Just relax and follow these guidelines:

• Speak clearly and naturally, at your normal conversational tone and pace.
• Dictate with a consistent speed and volume.
• Reduce background noise, as Dragon hears and transcribes everything.
• Pause briefly before and after you dictate punctuation.
• For best recognition, dictate using longer phrases rather than short phrases or individual words.

Dragon is not a person, so it won’t help to:

• YELL!!!
• T a a a a l k s l o o o o o w w w l y y y y…….
• Or. Say. Only. One. Word. At. A. Time.

In fact, Dragon does better when you speak in long phrases, using your natural voice.

Dragon hears EVERYTHING

Don't forget that unless you tell Dragon to stop listening, it records everything it hears, including:

• Your dog barking.
• Your phone conversation, or a discussion with your coworker.
• Words you mutter under your breath.
• Chewing noises when you snack at your desk.