Voice typing in Google: a useful tool fo ...

Voice typing in Google: a useful tool for Facilitated Writing sessions

May 10, 2021

To make it easier to get out all your ideas before epitomising them, I strongly recommend getting the hang of voice typing in Google documents.

Voice typing only works if you are using Chrome as your browser. So if you're using something like Safari, please switch to Chrome for sessions of Facilitated Writing.

Here's how to make sure voice typing works, before the session:

  • open a document in Google Docs (with a Chrome browser!)

  • Click Tools > Voice typing. A microphone box appears.

  • When you're ready to speak, click the microphone box. It will change colour from grey to red.

  • Speak clearly at a normal volume and pace.

  • When you're finished, click the microphone box again. It will change colour from red to grey.

My top tips:

Remember to turn the microphone box off when you're not dictating, otherwise unrelated words will be added to what you want to dictate.

Keep half an eye on the microphone box. It has a habit of turning itself off particularly if it hasn't been used for a while (for example while you're taking a little longer than usual to think about what to say next).

Using your mouse, put the cursor where you want your dictation to go. Otherwise everything melds together in one undifferentiated mass.

More information, including how to speak punctuation, is here.

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