Tips & Best Practices
Bankai works well out of the box, but a few habits and techniques will help you get significantly more value from voice input.
Speak Naturally
The most common mistake new users make is speaking in a robotic or overly deliberate way. Bankai's speech recognition and formatting work best when you talk the way you normally would in a conversation. Speak at your natural pace, use your normal vocabulary, and let the AI handle punctuation and formatting.
Use Omni Mode Until You Have a Reason Not To
Omni mode handles the vast majority of use cases. It correctly routes dictation, questions, and commands without you having to think about which mode to be in. Switch to a specific mode only when you have a particular reason --- for example, locking into Dictation mode for a long writing session where you do not want any risk of AI interpretation.
Master the Trigger Word
In Omni mode, the trigger word is how you signal intent beyond dictation. Get comfortable with the rhythm:
- Just start talking for dictation.
- Say "Bankai" (or your custom trigger word) then your question or command for AI interaction.
The trigger word should feel like a natural sentence starter, not an interruption. Think of it as addressing someone by name before asking them something.
Use Direct Mode Shortcuts for Quick Switches
If you are in Omni mode but want to guarantee a specific behavior for one recording, use the direct mode shortcuts (like Ctrl+Win+A for Ask, or Alt+Win for Dictation on Windows). These temporarily override your mode for a single recording and then return you to your previous mode. No mode switching required.
Add Custom Vocabulary Early
If your team uses specialized terms, product names, acronyms, or uncommon proper nouns, add them to your Custom Vocabulary in Voice Settings right away. This significantly improves transcription accuracy for domain-specific language. Common additions include:
- Your company and product names
- Team member names (especially unusual spellings)
- Industry-specific acronyms (KPI, OKR, SLA, etc.)
- Internal project codenames
Use Hands-Free Mode for Long Dictation
For extended writing sessions --- drafting a long email, writing document sections, or composing meeting notes --- use the hands-free toggle (Ctrl+Win+Space on Windows, Fn+Space on Mac) instead of holding the push-to-talk key. This lets you speak for as long as you need without keeping a key pressed.
Press the same shortcut again to stop and process, or press Escape to cancel.
Place Your Cursor Before Speaking
Before activating Bankai in Dictation or Ask mode, make sure your cursor is positioned exactly where you want the text to appear. Bankai pastes the result at the cursor position, so if your cursor is in the wrong field or at the wrong point in a document, the text will land in an unexpected place.
Build the Daily Habit
The biggest productivity gain from Bankai comes from consistency. Users who make voice input their default for everyday tasks --- chat messages, document writing, quick questions --- report the highest satisfaction. The 7-day streak milestone exists for a reason: once you use Bankai daily for a week, it becomes second nature.
When Voice is Faster Than Typing
Not everything is faster by voice. Here is a practical guide:
| Task | Voice advantage |
|---|---|
| Writing a chat message (2+ sentences) | High --- 3-4x faster |
| Drafting a document paragraph | High --- natural flow, no backspace |
| Asking a factual question | High --- faster than typing + searching |
| Navigating to a channel or board | Medium --- faster than clicking through sidebar |
| Writing a single word or short phrase | Low --- typing may be faster |
| Editing existing text precisely | Low --- use the keyboard for precision edits |
| Writing code or formulas | Low --- syntax requires precision typing |
Quiet Environment Tips
If you work in a noisy environment:
- Use a directional or noise-canceling microphone.
- Speak clearly but at a normal volume --- shouting does not help.
- If transcription accuracy drops, switch from Auto-detect to your specific language in Voice Settings.
Privacy Considerations
When using Bankai in shared office spaces or open floor plans:
- Be mindful that colleagues can hear you speaking commands, questions, or dictation.
- Use Chat mode (which plays AI responses through your speakers) only when wearing headphones or in a private space.
- Bankai processes audio on Copera's servers --- your speech is sent for transcription and AI processing. Review your organization's data policies if this is a concern.
The fastest way to internalize Bankai is to commit to using it for every chat message for one full day. By the end of that day, you will have built the muscle memory for push-to-talk and formed an intuitive sense of when voice is faster than typing.