Top 10 Reasons to Dictate

We often hear from folks who say, "I can type just as fast as I can dictate," or "dictating is so-o-o last century." We used to think so, as well.

I'm a pretty fast typist. When I was in my twenties, I could type 74 words per minute with fewer than 4 errors (74/4 wpm). Today, as I dictate this blog, I suffer from the aches and reduced flexibility of age, as well as carpal tunnel stresses due to 20+ years of typing on computers. I haven't tested, but I'm probably more at 55 wpm today and declining rapidly. Human hands, in my experience, were not made for a lifetime of typing.

However, my developing arthritis aside, here are our Top 10 Reasons to Dictate (rather than type):

10. It's professional. Pros dictate, rookies don't.

9. It's mobile. A handheld digital voice recorder can go with you anywhere. Sure, a laptop can, too, but while you're waiting for your laptop to boot up, you could have dictated how many letters?

8. Allows you to get more done. You CAN dictate much faster than you can type. Dictators generally speak at a rate of about 120 words per minute. You probably don't type more than half that fast. Therefore, you could process twice as much work in the same amount of time.

7. Save money. Oh, yeah? Yes! Although dictation requires a staff person to type, by doubling your work output (or tripling if you're a "hunt and peck" typist), the increased financial gains more than compensate for a transcriptionist.

6. You don't really type 60 wpm. Because you're trying to formulate sentences and editing what you do type, you're not even getting close to typing 60 wpm or better. Try testing your speed when you don't have something to look at to type, but rather you compose it as you type. You'll find your typing speed is actually about 30 wpm. Therefore, someone who is just typing (like a transcriptionist) can put out 2-3 times what you can in the same amount of time.

5. No inkjet cartridges to change. If you're typing, then you're printing. If you're printing, you're refilling paper trays, changing out ink, etc. Is that really the best use of your time?

4. End the clutter. Typing means you have to store documents, printed or digital, and that requires organization which you may or may not have. Plus, if you're trying to "multi-task," you have more than one open document on your computer and it's starting to get messy on your desktop. Make it easy: think of idea, dictate. Think of idea, dictate. Think of idea, dictate. You get the picture.

3. Work in the car. Dictate while you drive. It's not only efficient, but it keeps you from thinking about breaking the neck of the jerk in the next lane that won't use his signal. And, it's safer than talking on a cell phone.

2. Stop taking meeting notes. Record your meetings, interviews and phone calls. Have notes typed from the conversation, but keep the digital voice file in case any details of the meeting are disputed. Nothing like replaying the actual conversation to refresh memories.

1. It's so damn cool! You gotta admit, dictating is not only much more efficient, it's the way professional people get work done. Who do you think is getting more done in less time: the guy pecking on his laptop in the corner of the courtroom, or the woman dictating on her recorder as she glides from one meeting to the next?

Yes, we sell dictation equipment, but we do so because we really, passionately feel it's a great way to increase productivity. You want to be home with your family tonight? Dictate. You want to remember the key points of a major presentation? Record it.

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