Transcribing audio to text for reports, ebooks, etc. can be so much easier for the transcriptionist to DO and do so with maximum accuracy if, as a speaker, you use a clear and steady voice when making your recorded event.

In a moment, I will share with you a prime example of this as with permission from the speaker I am going to show you just what I mean.

I have done now quite a few transcriptions which were made much more difficult than they needed to be by the following:

*People talking so fast it is a wonder they can understand themselves

*People talking over each other and interrupting each other – this is especially difficult to decipher when you have two or more voices that are very similar!

*People who interrupt themselves to go off on another train of thought completely and then jump back to the prior subject

*People with – to be honest – horrible grammar – who do NOT want these errors fixed when being transcribed!

*People who make it obvious that there was NO PLAN on what to be said or discussed so there is no flow or rhythm to what is being said

*People who repeat the same thing several times but there is no sequence to let the transcriber know when to leave it and when to remove it

*People who come in and out of range of their microphones or whatever recording device they are using – I have done some where I had to send the file to the interviewer or interviewee with unknown and unclear notations for whole paragraphs of audio I could not hear or figure out or even give my best guess at

I know there are others and realize them AS I am doing a transcription, but these are just off the top of my head … IF you are planning on having your audio event transcribed, it might be a good idea to type up one of your shows or seminars or webinars, etc. yourself and you just might be surprised at how difficult this can be, especially for someone that probably does not know YOU or is not used to the way you speak.

Most of my Transcription Clients have, mercifully, been great voices and conversationalists TO transcribe. I appreciate that and them so very much. A normal, easy to hear and understand ONE HOUR audio file can take up to six hours to transcribe, proofread and edit. Obviously, having to stop several times to re-hear and try to translate and/or decipher is going to take even longer.

Now, on to that prime example of an interesting, fun, and CLEAR speaker who obviously has planned out what she is going to say AND has a great delivery as she is saying it – I would like to introduce you to Ann Evanston, The Warrior-Preneur and a savvy biz lady who shares “thoughts, inspiration and education – warrior style!” and one of my favorite videos of Ann’s – The Social Psychology of Social Media.

Listen to Ann’s clear, steady voice with a nice, even flow – this is just the type of speaker that is a joy to transcribe!

thanks, Ann, for the permission to use you as my prime example
and also for being a favorite and appreciated client!

Remember, I am a Virtual Assistant who LOVES to do editing , proofreading and
transcription assignments!

Jan Tallent
Tallent Agency Virtual Assistance

573-775-4520 jan@tallentagency.com

I know full well where my strengths and talents lie … with my proofreading, editing, transcription service, social networking on twitter, facebook and LinkedIn and selling digital products via my Software Superstore PLUS being the editor of my ezine, Rim Digest for marketers and small business owners. This is not a HUGE list of talents or strengths, but these are MINE.

By specializing so tightly with my Virtual Assistance Business , I miss a lot of income and learning opportunities, so decided to branch out a bit and learn some new skills to add to my portfolio. Needless to say, I got way over my head – was WAY out of my comfort zone, was miserable and starting to feel, to be honest, like a total FAILURE and/or loser. Then it hit me, no one can be expert at everything AND why on earth was I trying to be?!

Hence the firing of myself from what could have been a really great financial gain down the line but was seriously causing me stress and a huge well of unbelief in myself. I am confident in what I do best and need to focus on those things and so, though I am still wanting to learn as much as I can in this ever-changing wonderful world of internet marketing and marketing my services, I am not going to worry about trying to do more than I comfortably CAN do.

With that in mind, I signed up for a course to become a Virtual Event Specialist and to Get Certified in this specialty because it really appeals to me and is something more in the line of what I am already doing.

Video courtesy of Craig Cannings, the owner of the VA Classroom, about Virtual Event Services and why they are needed.

Remember, I am a Virtual Assistant who LOVES to do editing, proofreading and transcription assignments!

Jan Tallent
Tallent Agency Virtual Assistance

573-775-4520 jan@tallentagency.com

Hard to believe that January is already GONE and tomorrow starts February of this fresh, new year! I have no idea where the time went to and everyone I talk to agrees, it just FLEW~!

I know a lot of bloggers, online business owners and others who I am involved or connected with who seriously need at least one more hand or even one more head. Why not give the “gift of time” to someone you know that has so much to do they feel they will never catch up?

Or, even give the gift of time to … YOU! All of the experts advise to outsource the busy-work or tasks you do not want to do or that drain your time so that you can be free to concentrate on what you love doing the most and/or are best at. This is a wonderful way to test the waters, as they say, with having your own Virtual Assistant .

Take my help, for example … Love to write blog posts but hate the actual posting? I can easily do that for you and love doing this. Until I have a designation on the site for that purpose, you can just use the Schedule a Product option and tell me what you want me to do for you.

I see a lot of really informative, beautiful and entertaining blogs and web sites but they are full of typos and spelling & grammar errors – this is my favorite task of all so you can hire me to proofread and edit your pages so that you can showcase your work in its best possible light.

If you offer seminars, blog talk radio or other shows, do webinars, etc. it is a great idea to have those audio recordings transcribed and yes, I do perform this service . Plus, as an added bonus, your file is triple proofread / edited before I consider the assignment to be finished!

This option is often over-looked by web masters, coaches, performers, etc. because they offer a down-loadable mp3 or other file for people to listen TO, but I can tell you from not only some of the shows I have transcribed but also those I have just attempted to listen to, a lot of times it is hard to hear every word, especially with talkers who talk over each other, run on sentences that should be cut into paragraphs, start one story and then interrupt his or her own flow by going in another direction entirely and so much more that you might not realize unless YOU were trying to type it all up for a file people can read!

The other way I can help you save some time for the fun things you want to be able to do is with assistance with your Social Networking maintenance. I can search for others in your chosen niche for you TO connect with, weed out those you would not care to associate with, send hello, welcome and thank you messages to those you want to connect or interact with, etc. and free YOU up to just do the fun part; the interactions and conversations. This is another service that is not yet designated on this site but can be scheduled with just a message to me.

I plan to offer help setting up Face Book and Face Book Fan Pages soon – I am still learning my way around them myself but as I learn, I will be glad to share that expertise as well as help you set up and maintain a Twitter account and/or a professional networking presence on LinkedIn .

If you are needing help with any of the above mentioned Social Networks, just let me know and we can work things out – I have insisted on keeping my name and reputation clean and honest for over 11 years on the net so you can rest assured your passwords and log in information are safe with me and if in doubt, feel free to contact any of my wonderful clients who will be glad to vouch for me.

If hours of assistance is out of your budget, or if you are just curious about how much time a helper really can be, I have reasonable and highly competitive rates and you can try “just an hour” or just one project. I do offer discounted rates on bigger or long-going projects, so this might be the option you prefer. I am easy to work with and love what I do and think I can safely say it shows with the service I give my clients and the tasks I perform for them.

Have a wonderful, love-filled, Happy Valentine’s Day and I am “wishing” you the Gift of Time for this holiday and every other day.

Remember, I am a Virtual Assistant who LOVES to do editing, proofreading and transcription assignments!

Jan Tallent
Tallent Agency Virtual Assistance

573-775-4520 jan@tallentagency.com