If you saw the title and were looking for a political blog, this is not that. 

When I was a new lawyer, legal secretaries did all the typing. So I became adept at dictation which is not quite as simple as one would think – speaking slowly and clearly especially when on a deadline can be challenging; accents matter.

Recently, I started using the dictation function on my computer. It’s great as long as I articulate clearly and remember to say the punctuation and paragraph breaks I want. Proofreading is important to make sure that what I mean to say is what the program “hears, or “here’s.” The computer program is no way as intuitive as a good legal secretary.

As with most technology, there’s always the potential for a funny story. Last week, I was in my office dictating an email. The door was open, and Gayle was close by on a Zoom call using her hearing assist app to transcribe the conversation. My words kept popping into her chat creating confusion on her part! I found it amusing – Gayle not so much! I will keep the door closed from now on.

And yes, I did dictate this blog!

Do you use the dictation function on your computer? Let me know if you have any tips, tricks, or funny stories.