Tip for the day - Dictation and text reading

Word has been able to accept dictation for a while now but how do you get it to work effectively. Both Apple and windows machines have dictation systems built in. Word has its own dictation feature that seems only to work with Office 365 and word Online. Simply look for the microphone icon on the ribbon at the end of the home menu.

If you have other versions of office

For Windows 10

Simply open a Word document and place the cursor where you wish to add your text and then use the key combination Windows Key+H to start the dictation service, your device must have a microphone of course! 

To stop dictation say the command 'stop dictation'

Word can also read back text, look for the read aloud icon in the review menu or use ALT+Ctrl+SPACE 

For Mac

Setting up Dictation is easy. Choose Apple menu > System Preferences, click Keyboard, then click Dictation. Turn on Dictation by selecting dictation ON. To start dictating, position the cursor in your document, press the fn key twice, to finish press the fn key once.

Tips

Add punctuation as you speak e.g. enter, comma, full stop.

Keep your dictation short to less than a minute at a time.