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Adapted from work done by R. Follansbee, Education Development
Center, Newton, MA
Under NIDRR Grants from U.S. Dept. of Education
Listed below are some strategies for getting the best results when
using SpeakQ. Some of these points may be relevant to other
continuous speech recognition programs, but several are unique to
the features of SpeakQ. You can find some of these points in the
SpeakQ Help file, but you should review this page before you begin
using the program or if you are supporting someone else who is
learning to use the program.
• Complete the speech recognition training
• Choose the best speech recognition option for your use
• Do not speak as if having a conversation with the computer
• Enunciate words clearly
• Dictate in shorter chunks
• Think of dictating as “typing by voice
• Think first before dictating
• Set a speaking pace that allows you to attend to the above
• Take frequent breaks when dictating
• Preview and train any new content words or proper names to be used
Complete the speech recognition training
This is critical to get the best results with speech recognition. We
cover this topic in another online document and in the SpeakQ Help
file.
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Choose the best speech recognition option for your use
Choose the best speech recognition option for your use. SpeakQ
offers two options for dictation: (1) Speak and Select, and (2)
Speak Continuously.
In the Speak and Select mode, the dictated word(s) do not appear
directly in the document, but in the word choice box. You can look
at the recognition choices offered and listen to them with
text-to-speech before selecting one. Speak and Select offers a much
more supported environment for dictating and is a good place to
start in a couple of situations: if the user is unfamiliar with
speech recognition, is younger, or has greater difficulty with
literacy skills. Users in these categories often tend to dictate
more slowly and in shorter language segments; the slower pacing of
this mode and ability to review and confirm the recognized words
before entering them into the document offers greater support in
dictating.
In the Speak Continuously mode, the software operates more like
standard speech recognition software—i.e., the user speaks and the
recognized words appear directly in the document. This can be
disconcerting for less experienced users or those who struggle with
literacy. However, since Speak Continuously is integrated with word
prediction and text-to-speech, even this mode still offers unique
supports for reviewing text and correcting recognition errors.
You can easily try each of these dictation modes by choosing them in
the Speech Recognition menu in WordQ to see which one works best for
you. You can also find more information about these two modes in the
SpeakQ Help file.
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Do not speak as if having a conversation with the computer
Since you are speaking to write on the computer, this may lead you
to try to talk to the computer as if you were speaking to another
person. In conversation, the listener “fills in” any gaps in
understanding when the speaker speaks indistinctly, mispronounces
words, changes direction in mid-utterance, and so forth.
Unfortunately, continuous speech recognition software is not yet as
clever as having a live partner, and the software has to hear every
word distinctly.
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Enunciate words clearly
This strategy grows out of the point above and may be the most
important one of all. Longer words such as “arithmetic” and
“butterfly” are distinct enough that they will usually be recognized
correctly. But, shorter words can cause problems. For example, if
one dictates the word "and" indistinctly, the software may very well
hear "an," “in,” or some other short word. There can also be a
significant problem where the sound from the end of one word gets
attached to the beginning of the following word, thereby confusing
the software. For example, "if you" might be recognized as "a few"
unless the words are enunciated clearly.
The need to enunciate clearly is all the more important with
continuous speech because the sounds at the beginnings and endings
of words affect those in surrounding words. Such natural speech
characteristics can be confusing for continuous speech software.
Therefore, one has to get in the habit of articulating words quite
clearly—that is, in a manner that may seem unnatural for actual
conversation. The Speak and Select mode of SpeakQ readily supports
dictating in this way.
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Dictate in shorter chunks
Use shorter chunks, such as clauses, phrases, even single words.
This relates to the point above about enunciating more clearly.
While you may be able to dictate an entire sentence without pausing,
you might find that you get better recognition initially if you try
to say fewer words at one time. The Speak and Select mode of SpeakQ
is also particularly effective with this method. Saying single words
can also be effective if the words are longer and more distinctive
sounding. But, as we mentioned above, short, single words are easily
confused by the software. For example, saying “a” as a single word
will often trick the software into guessing similar sounding words
(e.g., “hay,” “eight,” etc.). However, if you say short words as
part of phrase or clause (e.g., “I saw a horse,” “with a new
computer,” etc.), it will be easier for the software to recognize.
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Think of dictating as “typing by voice”
If you think of typing as a means of text input, it may help you
understand what is required to achieve better results with speech
input. When you type, you have to follow certain rules. For example,
you do not type incomplete words or insert meaningless words (like
“um”). Also, if you hit the wrong keys while typing (e.g., instead
of "tree," you mistakenly type the word "free"), the meaning of the
sentence may be unclear or even ungrammatical, and the reader may be
unable to interpret the meaning. However, mistakes happen in typing,
and you have to correct these, just as you have to correct speech
recognition errors.
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Think first before dictating
Before you actually dictate to the computer, compose the next
sentence in your head, or possibly even aloud. One should only turn
on the microphone when ready to dictate
Do not begin speaking until you know how to end.
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Set a dictation pace that allows you to attend to the above
You should speak somewhat more slowly than would be expected in
conversation. You should keep in mind that the model for dictation
is different from normal conversation, and think about speaking
phrases or clauses rather than entire sentences, in order to
maintain an optimal pace of dictation. It may take many hours of
practice during actual dictation you to become completely
comfortable with this style of dictation. Again, the Speak and
Select mode of SpeakQ readily supports dictating in this way.
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Take frequent breaks when dictating
You should never dictate for more than 30 minutes at a time (less
when starting out) without taking a break for a drink of water, to
get up and stretch, etc. Even though you may be used to speaking for
longer periods, dictation is in many ways more demanding than casual
conversation. Continuous speech is a cognitively demanding activity
that can leave one tired, tense, etc., and frequent breaks, even if
brief, are critical. When using SpeakQ, you can take breaks from
dictation by writing using only word prediction and text-to-speech.
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Preview and train any new content words or proper names to be used
Even though many of the words you need may be in the dictionary, you
will find it helpful to “prime” the system with new vocabulary by
seeing it written first and saying it aloud during training. This
sort of preview can take place as part of a pre-writing activity,
which is also helpful for understanding and using the concepts, etc.
Preview words by simply dictating them in a list, or through a
separate assignment such as a vocabulary activity such as writing
definitions for key concepts, etc. In SpeakQ, the words you want to
preview can be entered into a training file for dictating before
writing (covered in a separate document and a SpeakQ help file).
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