2 TIPS.TXT 10-Dec-96,15:27:28,`JEFFF' Kodiak version 0.22.050
Moved from help directory.
3 TIPS.TXT 06-Feb-97,14:03:24,`JOANO' Kodiak version 0.29.042
4 TIPS.TXT 10-Feb-97,10:47:54,`JOANO' Kodiak version 0.30.011
5 TIPS.TXT 18-Feb-97,18:18:22,`JOANO' Kodiak version 0.30.087
6 TIPS.TXT 03-Mar-97,19:04:02,`JOANO' Kodiak version 0.33.013
7 TIPS.TXT 09-Apr-97,16:02:18,`JOANO' Kodiak version 0.43.082
8 TIPS.TXT 10-Apr-97,07:41:10,`JOANO' Kodiak version 0.43.088
9 TIPS.TXT 16-Apr-97,18:25:30,`JOANO' Kodiak version 0.44.061
10 TIPS.TXT 06-May-97,11:55:22,`LIVT' Kodiak version 0.48.110
11 TIPS.TXT 23-May-97,03:13:38,`JOANO' Kodiak version 0.51.029
12 TIPS.TXT 29-May-97,10:46:14,`JOANO' Kodiak version 0.52.011
*tlib-revision-history*
Revision 12 on Thu May 29 10:55:40 1997 by JOANO
Kodiak version 0.52.011
Added tip about running Voc Builder of you haven't already (3rd tip).
Fixed some bugs. Minor edits and reorg.
Revision 11 on Fri May 23 07:06:51 1997 by JOANO
Kodiak version 0.51.029
Major revision for the preview Beta. There are now 88 tips. Please do
not modify this file; if you find inaccuracies, tell Joan.
Revision 10 on Sat May 10 16:29:11 1997 by LivT
Kodiak version 0.48.110
Changed "Switch to NatSpeak" to "Switch to NaturallySpeaking", so
that users are not told about the NatSpeak shortcut.
Revision 9 on Wed Apr 16 18:30:23 1997 by JOANO
Kodiak version 0.44.061
Took out a reference to Help. Revised tip about adaptation in the
Correction dialog. Added "box" after all instances of "Correction
dialog".
Revision 8 on Thu Apr 10 07:44:34 1997 by JOANO
Kodiak version 0.43.088
Revised the tip about words per minute.
Revision 7 on Wed Apr 09 16:12:41 1997 by JOANO
Kodiak version 0.43.082
Removed old tips and added 67 new ones, including a new welcome.
Revision 6 on Mon Mar 03 19:06:08 1997 by JOANO
Kodiak version 0.33.013
Removed innacurate tips.
Revision 5 on Tue Feb 18 18:20:44 1997 by JOANO
Kodiak version 0.30.087
Updated tips for latest version of TrueTalk.
Revision 4 on Mon Feb 10 10:49:41 1997 by JOANO
Kodiak version 0.30.011
Fixed typo.
Revision 3 on Thu Feb 06 14:05:24 1997 by JOANO
Kodiak version 0.29.042
Removed outdated tips.
Revision 2 on Tue Dec 10 16:13:15 1996 by JeffF
Kodiak version 0.22.050
Moved from help directory.
Revision 8 on Thu Aug 29 18:01:12 1996 by JOANO
Kodiak version 0.12.042
No change.
Revision 7 on Thu Aug 29 14:32:10 1996 by JOANO
Kodiak version 0.12.036
Edited last five tips
Revision 6 on Mon Aug 26 11:36:56 1996 by JOANO
Kodiak version 0.12.002
No changes.
Revision 5 on Fri Aug 23 12:23:11 1996 by Stephane
Kodiak version 0.11.032
Added tips for voicebar costumization.
Revision 4 on Fri Aug 16 18:59:09 1996 by DavidP
Kodiak version 0.10.040
Adding some new tips about the latest correction techniques
Revision 3 on Fri Jul 19 18:07:48 1996 by Tyler
Kodiak version 0.07.000
Revision 2 on Mon Jul 15 11:39:25 1996 by Tyler
Kodiak version 0.05.027
Revision 1 on Tue Jul 09 08:48:45 1996 by JOELG
Version 0.04.028
These tips offer hints for improving recognition accuracy and working efficiently, and point out some useful features and shortcuts. You will find a new tip here each time you start Dragon NaturallySpeaking. Tips are also listed in Help.
The best way to improve recognition accuracy is to enunciate each word. You do not have to speak more loudly or slowly than is natural, just pronounce each word.
You can improve recognition accuracy and speed by always making sure your microphone is properly positioned. See Using the Microphone in Help.
If you have not yet used Vocabulary Builder, it is strongly recommended that you run this tool, on the Tools menu. Vocabulary Builder improves recognition accuracy by tuning the general English language model to your writing style and the subject areas in which you dictate.
You can press the plus (+) key on the numeric keypad to turn the microphone on and off.
Many recognition errors can be corrected simply by selecting the text and repeating the correct words. Dragon NaturallySpeaking tries not to make the same mistake twice. Use Correct That when selecting and repeating fails to fix the error.
You can see and hear how to dictate by playing the multimedia examples in Help.
Many people are self-conscious when they begin using Dragon NaturallySpeaking, but they find that it becomes quite natural.
To uninstall the Quick Tour, just delete the Tour folder.
To undo your last phrase, say "Scratch That." You can also undo New Line, New Paragraph, and the capitalization and spacing commands by saying "Scratch That."
To undo the effects of a command, say "Undo That." Saying Undo That is the same as selecting Undo from the Edit menu.
Some Dragon NaturallySpeaking users report that they can dictate over 100 words per minute!
You can optimize recognition accuracy by speaking in long phrases or sentences (well enunciated). Longer phrases provide more context, which helps the program recognize each word. Speaking slowly and carefully, in short phrases or single words, can actually result in more recognition errors.
You can repeat "Scratch That" to undo a sequence of phrases.
You can see a list of the available voice commands at any time by saying "What Can I Say."
Dragon NaturallySpeaking never makes a spelling error!
If extra words, for example, "and" or "the," often appear in your document when you pause, the program may be interpreting your breath as speech. Try moving the microphone slightly farther from your mouth and to the side. If this helps, running General Training again with the microphone in the new position may further improve performance.
You can stop a recognition in progress. Click the small red button inside the Results box.
Misrecognized short phrases can be corrected most of the time by saying "Correct That" as soon as the error occurs.
You can drag the Results box anywhere on the screen.
When selecting text by voice, if the wrong instance of a word or phrase is selected, say "Select Again" until the right one is selected.
Some words in the vocabulary share the same spoken form, for example, "September" and "Sept." If the wrong version is typed in your document, just say "Correct September," for example, and choose the right one.
To keep the Results box in one place, use your right mouse button to click the Results box; then click Anchor.
After selecting a recognition error, you should try repeating the correct words before using Correct That. Even if repeating does not fix the error, it helps by improving the list of choices in the Correction dialog box.
Dragon NaturallySpeaking does not continually adapt to your speech, so it is not mandatory to correct recognition errors as they occur. The program adapts only when you train words, make corrections in the Correction dialog box, run General Training, or use Vocabulary Builder.
You can cancel a selection by moving to another part of your document (say "Move to End of Line," for example) or by selecting different text.
You can copy dictated text to another program by saying "Copy All to Clipboard," and then switching applications and saying "Paste That."
You can correct text by selecting an error and saying "Spell That" followed by four to six letters of the correct word. This will open the Correction dialog box. Spell That works only when followed by letters.
To remove a trailing space after a word, you can say "Delete Previous Character."
While spelling words, you can use the standard spelling alphabet, which includes all the letters, the digits (0-9), and the following punctuation and special commands: "Cap," "space bar," "apostrophe," "hyphen," and "dash."
Dragon NaturallySpeaking actually understands you better if you spell naturally and continuously, rather than one letter at a time.
You can activate Dragon NaturallySpeaking menus, buttons, and options by voice. Just say "Click File," "Click Save," "Click OK," and so on.
When prompted to save your speech files, always choose Yes, unless you do not want to save any changes made using Vocabulary Editor, Vocabulary Builder, Train Words, and General Training.
You can say "Click Maximize," "Click Minimize," and "Click Restore" to size the Dragon NaturallySpeaking window.
You can use Vocabulary Builder to tune the general English language model shipped with Dragon NaturallySpeaking to more closely match specialized subject areas in which you dictate.
It is normal for words in the Results box to change sometimes while you are dictating. Dragon NaturallySpeaking may better recognize what you said after you complete a phrase or sentence.
Speaking clearly is one of the most important and easiest steps you can take to improve recognition accuracy.
In the Correction dialog box, you can edit a choice that is close to correct. Say "Select 3," for example, then edit the text using the Correction dialog box commands or keyboard.
You can spell in the Correction dialog box, using the standard spelling alphabet (letters, digits, Cap, space bar, apostrophe, hyphen, and dash), but you cannot dictate words.
The quality of your microphone and sound card greatly affects performance speed and accuracy. A high-quality sound card is not necessarily an expensive sound card.
Spell check documents before processing them using Vocabulary Builder to prevent misspelled words from appearing in the New Words dialog box.
Make a note of the documents you run through Vocabulary Builder. If you later wish to process additional documents in the same subject area, re-process the original documents along with new ones to preserve previous changes to the language model.
You can correct a recognition error by saying "Correct" followed by the word or words you want to correct. For example, to correct "Disney World," say "Correct Disney World."
If you change your microphone or sound card, or find that your speech recognition accuracy has deteriorated, run Audio Setup Wizard.
Corrections you make using the Correction dialog box may adapt your speech files, so errors are less likely to recur. For this reason, you should only correct text in the Correction dialog box, and not revise its original meaning.
You can create dictation shorthands for words or phrases you dictate frequently. For example, you might create a word that types "mbsmith@company.com" when you say "my e-mail address."
To save any text formatting, save your document in Rich Text Format (RTF).
Only the standard spelling alphabet (letters, digits, Cap, space bar, apostrophe, hyphen, and dash) is available in the Correction dialog box. To add words that contain other punctuation or symbols, for example, VX/950C or Employee#, use Vocabulary Editor.
If you have trouble selecting a single word or phrase, try selecting a longer string of words that contains the ones you want.
To make the Results box disappear when you are not speaking, use your right mouse button to click the Results box; then click Auto Hide.
To remove unwanted punctuation, you can select the punctuation mark and delete it. For example, say "Select apostrophe" or "Select hyphen," then "Delete That."
You can quickly add any names and terms from your word processor's custom spelling dictionary to the vocabulary. From Dragon NaturallySpeaking, open the spelling dictionary file (it may be named Custom.dic); then select Find New Words.
If performance is slow, check your microphone and sound card by running Audio Setup wizard. If your signal level is low, more memory is used to recognize your speech and the product will run slowly.
If you are having trouble because dictation words are mistaken for commands, try using Train Words to train the words that are causing problems. You can also press and hold the Shift key when you begin a sentence to temporarily disable commands.
You can get help at any time by saying "Give Me Help."
You can enter numbers smaller than 10 as numerals (0, 1, 2...9) by saying "numeral" and then the number.
If you are having trouble because voice commands are mistaken for dictation, try using Train Words to train the commands (enter them exactly as Dragon NaturallySpeaking uses them). You can also press and hold the Ctrl key while you say a command to temporarily disable dictation.
You can change font properties by saying "Set Font Arial," "Set Font Times 12," or "Set Font Arial14 Bold," for example. Changes are applied to selected text and text that you dictate from then on.
Some punctuation marks and special characters can be pronounced in multiple ways. For example, you can say "close paren," "close parenthesis," "right paren," or one of three other pronunciations. All variations will be recognized as the same word, "close paren."
You can get help on a particular topic by saying "Give Me Help on Capitalization," "Give Me Help on Correction," and so on. See Help for a complete list.
If a particular word is regularly misrecognized, use Train Words, on the toolbar, to train it. In general, training words is not necessary.
To insert a tab in your document, you can say "Tab Key."
You should run General Training again (choose from a range of text selections) if you change audio hardware or move to another location. General Training lets NaturallySpeaking adjust to the new environment.
When selecting text, keep in mind that Select Next 1-20 Word(s) also selects the space following the last word (it is equivalent to pressing Ctrl+Shift+Right arrow). Select "text", however, selects only words, no additional spaces, to make formatting easy.
To switch between open windows, say "Switch to Previous Window." This command is handy for switching between the Dragon NaturallySpeaking and Help windows.
You can say "Go to Bottom" and "Go to Top" in place of "Go to Bottom of Document" and "Go to Top of Document."
You can change the very last phrase you spoke by saying "Bold That," "Cap That," "Correct That," and so on; you do not have to select the text first.
You can press the minus (-) key on the numeric keypad to open the Correction dialog box. Pressing this key is the same as saying "Correct That."
If the microphone cord gets in your way, try looping it on a hook or other object above head level.
You can quickly move the insertion point to another place in your document by selecting the word before, then saying "Move to End of Selection."
To type a voice command in your document, for example, to type the phrase "what can I say," dictate a few words and then say the command without pausing beforehand. You can then delete any unwanted text.
If Dragon NaturallySpeaking runs more slowly on your portable computer when you are using your battery, you may be able to speed performance by adjusting your battery conservation settings.
You can switch to the Dragon NaturallySpeaking window by saying "Switch to NaturallySpeaking."
You can create dictation shorthands for words you prefer not to say aloud. For example, you might create a word that types "Snookums" whenever you say "Mary's nickname."
You can click the microphone icon on the taskbar to turn the microphone on and off.
You can change the hot keys assigned to the microphone button, the Correction dialog box, and other features. In the Options dialog box, select the Hot Keys tab.
You can change the color and font size of the Results box by changing the Windows ToolTip properties.
You can select and delete characters by voice. Just say "Select Next 5 Characters," "Select Previous 2 Characters," or "Delete Next Character," for example.
To spell multiple words in the Correction dialog box, spell normally and say "space bar" to insert a word break.
You can select punctuation by voice. For example, you can say "Select Dear Mark comma."
Dragon NaturallySpeaking automatically moves words from the backup dictionary into the active vocabulary when you use those words in your document.
You can improve recognition accuracy by using Vocabulary Editor to add multiword phrases with unusual capitalization, for example, "The Mayberry Tribune." For best results, add these phrases before using Vocabulary Builder, so words, such as "Tribune," will be identified as parts of phrases.
You can view the last few recognition results by clicking the up arrow on the status bar.
Talking to your computer can save you from injuries related to typing, but dictating for long periods of time can have its own health hazards. You can protect yourself from vocal strain by practicing good dictation techniques. See Preventing Vocal Strain in Help.
You can view only the words you added to the vocabulary by clicking Show Custom Words Only in Vocabulary Editor.
If Auto Hide is active, you can control how long the Results box remains on the screen after a recognition. In the Options dialog box, select the Recognition tab.
You can say "smiley face," "frowny face," and "winky face," to type :-), :-(, and ;-) in your document.
You can return the vocabulary and language model to their original, unmodified states, or undo other changes to your speech files, by using Restore Speech Files, on the Start menu.
Dragon NaturallySpeaking may modify your vocabulary automatically when you use the Correction dialog box. You can review these changes by checking the custom words list in Vocabulary Editor periodically. Remove any unneeded words.
