Note-taking is sport!
Let's face it, note-taking is sport! Yes, you read that right, sport! That means training regularly, preparing before each session, paying attention during and reviewing afterwards. You also need to be aware that there are "saboteurs" who can hinder your note-taking:
- Stress: a lack of note-taking skills, the fear of forgetting important details, the feeling that you're the only one who doesn't like taking notes, or a lack of clarity as to what to write down can hamper efficiency and cause you to lose your nerve.
- Pitfalls: relying on past experience, listening without thinking things through, taking notes based on your perception of the subject, presenting yourself without preparation, trying to write down everything, putting off writing up the minutes or transcribing word for word without synthesizing can lead to missing the essentials and getting lost in the details.
- Unsuitable tools: if you use media that are not adapted to your note-taking style or the type of session, you risk wasting time and energy.
5 tips for efficient note-taking
To avoid the saboteurs mentioned above, and to give yourself the best chance of success, it's advisable to adopt good practices right from the start:
1. Set yourself a goal
Ask yourself why you're taking notes, and what the expected result is. Is it to gather information, monitor a project, archive data, track progress, summarize content or synthesize ideas? Depending on your objective, you'll adapt your level of detail and your reporting format.
2. Find out about the subject
Do some research on the topic, the context, the stakeholders and the audience's expectations. This will give you an overview of the subject, help you anticipate key points and possible questions, and activate your prior knowledge.
3. Choose the right tools
Depending on the type of session and your note-taking style, choose the media that suit you best. For example, you can use the Cornell system, which involves dividing your page into four parts: a column on the left for keywords, a column on the right for detailed notes, a line at the bottom for the summary and a line at the top for the title. You can also use mind mapping, which consists of representing information in the form of a diagram with branches and sub-branches.
4. Use abbreviations, symbols and color codes
These techniques will help you save time, avoid repetition and highlight key ideas, examples, definitions or questions. For example, you can use "&" for "and", "=>" for "implies", "*" for "important" or different colors for each topic. You can also use tricks like verb tenses (present for facts, future for future actions), abbreviations (bcp = a lot), drawings or signs (an arrow to indicate a cause-and-effect relationship).
5. Listen actively
During the session, pay close attention to what the speaker has to say and to the exchanges with the audience. Try to pick out the main ideas and relevant information. Don't write down everything you hear, but only what is useful for your purpose. Distinguish between the essential and the accessory, and don't hesitate to rephrase in your own words.
Review and share to compare
Review and complete your notes quickly after the session. It's important to reread your notes within 24 hours of the session, to reinforce your memory and correct any errors or misunderstandings. You can also finalize your notes with other sources to enhance them.
Then share and compare your notes with others. This will enable you to check the reliability and completeness of your notes, discover other points of view or other note-taking methods, and enrich your knowledge.
In conclusion
Note-taking is an essential activity for learning, memorizing and synthesizing information. It enables you to keep a written record of the important elements of a meeting or conference. To take effective notes, you need to adopt a method adapted to the content, the medium and the objective. There are a number of different note-taking techniques, such as the heuristic diagram, the Cornell system, summarizing or rephrasing. Whatever technique you choose, there are a few basic principles to be observed: use abbreviations, skip non-essential words, organize ideas by prioritizing information, and reread and revise your notes regularly.
Note-taking is therefore a cognitive tool that facilitates learning, helps to synthesize information and write clear, concise reports. With a little practice and training, note-taking can become a natural habit, helping you to better understand and remember important information.
To find out more :
Note-taking and reporting: discerning the essential from the incidental
