Otter Made Me Stop Typing During Interviews

I used to type frantically in interviews and miss half of what was said. Otter runs in the call, transcribes live, and lets me actually listen instead of scribbling.

After the call I search the transcript for keywords, 'pricing,' 'timeline,' 'concern,' and jump to the exact moment. That search has replaced my notes entirely, because my notes were always incomplete.

One habit helped: I tell interviewees it's recording and transcribing, which also makes them more precise. People speak better when they know the words matter.

Otter mangles the occasional name, so I scan the first pass for proper nouns before quoting anyone. A quick correction pass beats inventing the quote from memory, which is what I did before.

If you do any interviews, stop taking notes and start searching transcripts. You'll hear more and remember it better, because your hands are finally still.