My experience with speech recognition software

Continuing computer-based work when you are injured or dis-abled

 Approx. reading time: 6 minutes

How did we manage computer work before speech recognition software? I have been grateful for it for the past 10 years, since I started experiencing dystonia1 in my right, dominant hand. It is a neurological disorder that had a gradual onset and resulted in my hand cramping up into a fist as soon as I picked up a pen or any other small item, or started typing. Think of it as an instant writer’s cramp that doesn’t go away and has no cure (and in my case progressed further than the initial two affected fingers). It means that my typing accuracy is diminished and I get painful cramps and spasms in my hand, wrist and forearm from extended keyboard or computer mouse use. Or any other daily, household tasks, like chopping vegetables.

My first speech recognition software was a present from my sister. It was interesting learning how to use the Dragon software. After an initial process of “training” the program to recognise my voice and speech patterns, it continuously updates my user profile to add newly dictated or directly pronounced words to its dictionary.

It also goes beyond just typing, which by the way it can do in a Word document, Excel spreadsheet or in an email application like Outlook or Gmail. Once you know the commands and shortcuts, you can even open tabs and request certain actions. I admit that I don’t use that option enough, as my biggest need is the typing assistance.

Using voice to text software reduces a great deal of the discomfort and frustration for me in my daily work on a computer.

Recently, I experimented with other voice recognition programs, including dictating text messages and emails on my Android mobile phone. Those still require a great deal of proofreading and editing, though they do save me from a lot of mis/typing on those tiny little keyboards. I also tried two free online programs, which I found varied from so-so to terrible in terms of accuracy. I will add a disclaimer that I have a “funny” Anglo-German accent, which often stumps these programs and results in a range of comical or horrendous words being typed! So, I concluded that Dragon by Nuance was still by far the most efficient and accurate program out there. Unfortunately, they also seem to know that and have priced their product higher and higher in the last years.

Still, after my frustration with other programs I upgraded from Dragon 13 to 15 (version 13 is probably still alright, if you have that already, but my old version is installed on my old and slow desktop computer and the licence to download it had expired). I am very grateful that these programs exist and remove a lot of pain for me and other people who need assistance with typing and using a computer. And even if you don’t have any disabilities, it helps to prevent repetitive strain injuries in your hands and saves you a lot of typing if you regularly write blogs, long articles or a book!

Here are the three speech recognition programs I tried recently.

1.      Dragon by Nuance. Very good, also a little pricey at US$150 (around C$210) for the most basic version of their programs, Dragon Home 15. You can also buy more specialised versions like Dragon Professional and Dragon Legal. All of them allow you to dictate text and commands in any application. The accuracy and speed are extremely good, and they seem to have fixed the previous issue the program caused when interacting with Outlook. I do think their success may have gone to their heads though. Their online purchasing page and user account interface look like something from decades gone by and didn’t actually work, resulting in my having to place a phone call to buy the product, which took a tedious 30 minutes for what should have been a five-minute online purchase. The program download and setup worked fine and so far I still think it’s a great program.

2.      Speechnotes.co. Free, online and ready to go with no voice training needed. Gives you options for regional accents. With my funny Anglo-German accent I tried UK English and South-African, which worked equally well in recognizing my voice. The downside is with Speechnotes you can only dictate on their website and then need to copy the typed text and toggle to the document or email where you want to paste it. Accuracy was okay but did require corrections. Overall, not bad for a free program and definitely better than # 3….

3.       Windows 10 Speech Recognition. Free, already built into your computer as part of Windows 10. You can dictate text and commands directly in Word, Excel and email. Despite it having some voice training during the setup process, I found it to have appalling speech recognition – not just bad but literally unuseable in my case. Again, maybe due to my strange accent but then again, I speak good English and enunciate well.  Maybe you will have better luck with it recognizing your voice.

 

Have a look at this top five technology list for more options in speech recognition, as well as task managers: https://bit.ly/2Q2NT5F

If you want to increase your speed and accuracy of typing, have a short or long-term injury or disability (I had recently added having one arm in a sling due to a shoulder injury), I encourage you to use speech recognition, also known as voice-to-text, and hope you find one that works for you – your hands will thank you!

REFERENCE:
1  What is focal hand dystonia? https://dystonia-foundation.org/what-is-dystonia/types-dystonia/hand-dystonia/

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Productivity Tips For Working From Home Long-term

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Recommendations from the home-office of a Virtual Business Manager

Approx. Reading Time: 4 min.

While many businesses have been slowly allowed to reopen under COVID-19 safety measures, Canadian and other offices remain closed and staff continue to work from home. There is no sign this will change anytime soon, which means any current challenges of being focused and productive from home will stick around for some time. 

A recent survey by The Angus Reid Institute showed that as of June, two-thirds of Canadians, who are now working from home, think they will continue doing so, even once they are allowed back. Only around one-third (36%) expect returning to their physical workplace full-time, leaving 64% of workers either continuing to work-from-home or shifting to a combination of working at their employers’ workplace some days and from home on other days.  

In my first blog on productivity, March 18, I shared "7 tips to make working from home productive", where I addressed basics like: Setting your alarm and getting up as though you're going out to work, getting dressed and out of your pyjamas, creating a schedule for the day, taking regular little breaks, eliminating distractions as much as possible, and sticking to a work end time. These are still good recommendations and have been working well for me throughout my ten years or so of working remotely (catch up on those 7 Tips here: http://bit.ly/3a1dG6x).

Now seems a good time for a blog sequel on home office productivity! This time, with a focus on tools to help you better manage your tasks, workflow tracking and project communication.

My 3 Tips to improve productivity are to Automate, Delegate and Track.

The delegation aspect relates more to business owners or managers, and I will address that in a future blog. To give you a real-life example of the online programs I use on a daily or weekly basis to automate and track what I do, here is a sneak peek at my workday.

1.       First off, I open my time tracker, Toggle. This is where I track how much time I spend on each client, individual projects, and my own business tasks. I can invite team members to specific projects or client files and can review weekly or monthly reports. Reports are a visual reminder on whether I am spending too much or too little time on certain tasks or categories (e.g. not enough time on networking or too much on fun tasks like writing!).

2.       Then I review and respond to open tasks in my clients' task management programs, like Asana, Trello and Teamwork. I use all three and each has a different feel and abilities. Trello is more basic in its layout and capacities, Asana has more functionality and a more complex feel, and Teamwork is the deluxe program. My clients and I can create tasks that we can both view and comment on, set due dates, check off individual items as completed, and mark tasks as “started”, “in progress” or “done”. We can also add comments on individual tasks.

3.       To do my social media, I schedule several posts for the next few days or week in HootSuite. I can post them to three of my social media platforms, add images, and control what time I want them to go live. To shrink long URLs that I reference, I use Bitly (Owly is good too). Both shorten URLs and allow you to track how many times they’ve been opened. That's my favourite part!

4.       When it's time to access, share or organise new or updated files, I use Google Drive, Dropbox and Microsoft 365 Sharepoint (formerly called Office 365). With Google and Dropbox, I can easily give or receive viewing and editing permission for individual documents or folders (Sharepoint permissions are a bit more complicated). Google and Sharepoint allow live edits, meaning anytime someone makes updates to a document online, the next person viewing it will see all the edits; this eliminates the tedious back-and-forth emailing of revised documents!

I would say these are my most-used tools and most relevant for this blog topic. What I've described above covers automation and tracking of your daily tasks, which will save you a significant amount of time and hassle. Tasks can be better organized, tracked and reminders set when they are in one program, instead of a notebook or Word document. Your notes that go with individual tasks are easily found online, and not lost on pieces of notepaper. And automating as many repeat processes as possible limits the need for re-typing and re-entering repeated information.

Bonus Tip: If you want to check yourself and see which programs or websites you waste time on, use Rescuetime.com

Here’s to working productively from home! If you have specific questions or need more advice, get in touch with me via my contact page!

References:

Business Tips that also Help With (Pandemic) Anxiety

For the past four weeks of self-isolating during COVID-19, I've been participating in a daily Business Survival Masterclass. While its focus is on helping business owners survive the economic downturn of the pandemic, I found that many of those topics and survival mechanisms that can help reduce anxiety, in fact relate to ANYONE. So I want to share them, especially with my friends and family, who have expressed stress, worry and at times even panic since this virus hit the world.

   Hosted by my business coach, Colin Sprake of Make Your Mark Success, these classes have had the most venerable guest speakers sharing useful nuggets from their decades of experience, from Jack Canfield (co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series of 250+ titles, motivational speaker and corporate trainer), to Debra Poneman (author and coach of Yes To Success, who also coached Deepak Chopra) to motivational speaker Les Brown and many more. In addition to valuable business tips, I gained a better understanding of how our mindset affects how we, individually, respond in a time of uncertainty that can cause anxiety and fear – if we let it!

   I hope these experts’ tips will help anyone, who isn't doing well mentally or emotionally because of COVID-19. Below is a condensed version of the best bits and pieces I noted and how I understood and interpreted what I heard. (NOTE: I acknowledge and can personally relate that anxiety-disorder has more deep-seated causes that pose a longer-term and greater challenge, and that it will take more than mind-over-matter, although it plays a significant role in recovery.)

 

NEUROSCIENCE / NEUROPSYCHOLOGY

When we experience real or perceived danger, we have a choice over how we respond. It will take some training though, because as a counsellor once said to me, “Our brains can be bullies”.

   I particularly liked this explanation by John Assaraf, founder of Neurogym and a program called Innercise, who said that the two sides of our brain respond very differently when faced with danger. The Einstein part of the brain is logical and in control, versus the Frankenstein part of the brain that is highly reactive in more basic terms. The Frankenstein brain wants to kick in as soon as we see or perceive danger and wants to react either with fight, flight or freeze. This leads to potentially destructive behaviour and stress, as our body pumps adrenaline into our system that increases our heart rate to prepare us for action. When there is no wild animal or enemy to fight off though, this physical response is uncomfortable and even unhealthy over the long-term.  

   Assaraf says, the best way to gain mental and emotional control is to breathe, slowly and deeply, and train your brain on the positive. You need to turn on the part of the brain (Einstein brain) that you want to have in charge, and when one side of the brain is engaged, the other one is quieted down.

   Dr. Maria Nemeth, a psychologist and master coach, further explains that our brains’ tendency to focus on danger is called the Negativity Bias. Scientific research shows that we can retrain our amygdala, the part of the brain that plays a central role in anxiety responses. To do that, you need to become the ‘alpha’ and convince your brain that YOU are the master of your thoughts and responses, and you decide what to focus on (i.e. not focus on the fight, flight or freeze response).

   To be the master of your brain, not its servant, she recommends and teaches The Gratitude Protocol. In a nutshell, it means that for 7 seconds you focus on one thing that makes you anxious, then for 17 seconds focus on something you feel gratitude for and that makes you smile. Repeat these three times and then do it three times daily – morning, afternoon and night. This helps reset or train your brain that YOU are in charge. Details HERE.

 

MINDSET

Another way to choose which part of the brain and which thoughts we allow to take control is our mindset. Olympic athletes are a good example of how a positive and winning mindset, as well as the ability for extreme focus and visualisation, sets them apart from otherwise equally talented athletes. Positive thinking isn’t just a ‘fluffy’ way of explaining our body’s responses; science shows that our brain releases energy and endorphins (the happy-hormone) that keeps us in a good place mentally and physiologically.

   Michael Losier, an expert in neurolinguistic programming (NLP), teaches The Law of Attraction (which doesn’t refer to a romantic situation… although it could, since he talks about positive vibes). Neurolinguistic programming is a technique that uses psychological and behavioral modification. The law of attraction, he says, refers to our vibe, mood or feeling. How we feel about and respond to something starts with words that we think, say or write. When we complain or think negatively about something, our mood and feelings and the general vibe we give off will also become negative.

  As Losier says, words lead to thoughts that lead to vibes and action. Therefore, when we decide on a more positive outlook, we will, as a result, also improve our mood. Whichever energy or vibe you focus on the most, you will get more of, i.e. focusing on negativity or anxiety breeds more negativity/anxiety. While it is normal and alright to get angry, upset or negative sometimes, his practise is to ensure it lasts only a very short time; ideally just a few minutes.

   Wise words from motivational speaker, Les Brown, rounded out all of above learning. He said that, “If you don’t program your brain, it will program you”, and that no matter what happens, “We can’t control the thoughts that enter our minds but we can control how we respond.”

   A beautiful way to respond more positively is to practice gratitude that, hopefully, puts a few things in perspective. I love this wonderfully narrated YouTube video, “A Grateful Day”, by Benedictine monk Brother David Steindl-Rast, as a good way to start.

   I hope you can find more calm and a more positive mindset for the remainder of your self-isolation during this pandemic, and beyond, and maybe also help an anxious spouse be less reactive. That may well include stopping binge-watching all the bad news about COVID-19. As one of the guest experts said, “Instead of being afraid, be alert.”

7 Tips To Make Working From Home Productive During COVID-19

Reading time: approx. 5:00 minutes

If you have decided or are ‘forced’ to work from home during the COVID-19 pandemic, you may be wondering how to be productive without your usual office routines. I want to share seven of my tried and tested steps on how you, as a normally office-based employee, can be productive from your dining table or desk in the corner of your home.  

As the owner of a virtual business support company and having worked from my home office for 10 years now, after having been a corporate office employee for decades, I have learned how to be productive from my desk at home. Here, none of your usual daily office routines happen automatically, so it is up to YOU to create some routine!

Here are my 7 Tips to make working from home productive:  

1.      Set your alarm. Get up the same or similar time you would otherwise, minus your commuting time, which could be a significant saving. This alone sets you up for a good start.

2.      Get dressed. Do not stay in your pyjamas! It won’t help to sit on the couch in your jogging-pants and try to focus. Wear something reasonably presentable to get yourself in the right mindset (think workplace), which also indicates to your spouse or children that you are in work mode.

3.      Plan your day. Write down a schedule for that day. List the top 1-3 tasks to work on. Decide on the amount of time you plan to work until your first significant break. Our brains can’t stay fully productive for longer than 90 minutes, so plan 60 or 90-minute increments followed by 15 or 30-minute breaks. Plan your lunch break as well. Track what you’ve worked on and check it off when completed, so you see what you’ve achieved – it is hugely satisfying to check off completed tasks! If your employer doesn’t already use a team management program, set up a free online account and invite your team members. Email your manager or supervisor what you’ve worked on at the end of each day or two – it will stand you in good stead to show you’re still getting things done.
GREAT TOOLS: Trello, Asana, Basecamp or Slack (the first two have free basic plans) to create task boards, task lists, due dates and communicate on projects with your colleagues without clogging up your emails. Quite intuitive and quick to learn and many help videos available online. A simple task list in Google Keep or Evernote also work.

4.      Eliminate distractions. Reduce demands from your pets, children or spouse, who will feel that because they see you at home, they can discuss today’s news, be entertained and beg for playtime or walkies. Explain to them why you need to enforce work hours. Stay off your social media accounts until you have a scheduled break and turn off your mobile phone ringer and text messaging. Check it only at set times for new messages.
GREAT TOOLS: Simple: mute buttons, turn off email notifications on your computer

5.      Establish work and rest routines. While you need to be strict with work time, be sure to take breaks. Our brains’ 90-minute limit is based on energy and oxygen supply, so restorative breaks are hugely important. Step away from your desk and really switch out of work mode for 15-30 minutes. Step outside if you can, make a cup of tea, eat a healthy snack and chat with whoever is at home with you. Also, schedule when to end your workday and at a reasonable time, so you can keep that important demarcation between work time and personal time.
GREAT TOOL: A simple kitchen timer. If you don’t have a portable one, set the timer on your stove, which also forces you to get up from your desk and move a little.

6.      Tell people. Let your friends, children and parents know that just because you are home for the next few weeks does not mean you’re free for unscheduled and unlimited phone or video calls during the day. If your employer is paying you, make it clear to friends and family that you have work hours. If you are lucky enough to have a separate office at home, you or your children can draw a sign with your “home office hours” and post it on the door or stick it on your refrigerator.

7.      Plan for fun. Make sure you plan for fun time and take a little bit of advantage of working from home – after all, you are saving on travel time. If you can, go for a walk during your lunch break, take the children out so they can let off some steam, play a game at home or take a short nap. Schedule a quick phone or video call with a colleague or your work team to stay connected and help reduce the feelings of social isolation.  

Click here to download these
7 tips as a bullet point list for your reference.

If one day goes a little sideways, don’t beat yourself up about it. Even after ten years of working from home, I have days when my best-laid work schedule and routine doesn’t come off smoothly. Stuff happens, as we all know now. Try to accept it and prepare to have a better day tomorrow.  

Also worth mentioning is that employers are taking a huge financial hit by sending home X number of staff. I hope you will continue being paid the same salary or hourly rates. That means you, as an employee, can help ensure your company stays productive and competitive during a shut-down, and therefore your job still safe when you return from voluntary or mandatory self-isolation or quarantine.  

All the best in your new work-from-home routine, stay well, and contact me if you have related questions or post a comment on social media (Twitter or LinkedIn) to share how my tips are working for you and what else helps you stay productive.

Photo by Alexa Williams on Unsplash

 

ABOUT ME: A former corporate executive assistant turned entrepreneur, now a Virtual Business Manager of Martina Rowley And Company in Canada guiding clients to better time management, accountability and increased productivity through streamlining their tasks and processes. A disciplined and organisational nerd with a cute cat, who makes many attempts to distract me during my workday.

Here is Why Customer Service is so Important (and how to do it well)

Reading Time: approx. 3:30 minutes

We all know “The customer is King” (or Queen). While they are not always right in their opinions and demands, they should nevertheless receive a white-glove level of service. So, what is one to do to ensure your customers want to keep coming back?

At a workshop by business coach Jayne Huhtanen, of FocalPoint Coaching Toronto, I picked up a few tips on how to propel your customer service to a whole new level. But first, why is customer service so important?

An unhappy customer is a company's worst enemy! While we can and should learn from critical customer feedback and complaints, if they are very vocal and unrestrained on social media they can undermine and damage our reputation, whether it is a justified complaint or not. It doesn't take much for them to dish the dirt via Facebook, Twitter or a Google rating. We know we can't please everybody all the time, though we surely want to.  

According to Jayne, customer service can be broken down into four areas: Service, Satisfaction, Staying, and Success.  Firstly, you want to provide not just a ‘good’ service, you want to exceed customer satisfaction, which is more likely for them to stay with your product or service. For most businesses, the 80/20 rule holds true, i.e. the top 20% of your clients generate 80% of your sales. This makes repeat customers essential for long-term success.

Know your Customer

To provide excellent customer satisfaction you need to know their wants and needs, their why, and what their expectations are in terms of your product or service. One way to find out is by asking directly, requesting feedback or conducting customer satisfaction surveys.

You could apply the Net Promoter Score (NPS) method, which asks just one question: How likely are you [the customer] to recommend this company to a friend or colleague?  The resulting scores fall into one of three categories:

  1. Promoters: Rate you 9-10 in customer service. They are loyal enthusiasts, who will keep buying and referring others.

  2. Passives: Rate you 7-8. They are satisfied enough customers but unenthusiastic, and vulnerable to competitors and better deals.

  3. Detractors: Rate you 0-6. These are unhappy customers, who can damage your brand and hinder growth.

Turn your Customers into Promoters

The best promotion of your business or product comes from existing clients or customers. To turn more of them into promoters (aka your unofficial sales team), ensure you meet one or all three of these extras for amazing customer service:

  1. Exceed expectations: It builds customer loyalty, helps lead to increased profitability, customers are more likely to pay more for this better service, and helps avoid customers going elsewhere for a similar product or service.

  2. Delight customers: Do your best to touch customers on an emotional or personal level; this shows them you truly care, increases client retention and makes it harder for competitors to pull them away.

  3. Amaze customers: Finding that sweet spot can propel your business to a whole new level! Treat your customers like gold, and your amazed customers will be keen to refer you actively.

Additionally, you can make your business stand out from the crowd when you always follow-up with your clients, offer solutions immediately, provide incentives, have personal interactions (by telephone or in person), be accountable, send thank you cards or small appreciation gifts, and maybe offer a finder’s fee or other incentive for direct referrals.

If you are always sincere in your client interactions and over-deliver on their expectations and experiences, your customer service is sure to excel and get noticed.

Sources:

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