Better Note taking

Earlier:
Meeting participation
Meeting facilitation
Brainstorm
Documentation

Please take notes. Especially if you are in a meeting.
Even if you have perfect memory. Because:
1. Taking notes is shortest way organize the information
discussed, presented or proposed
2. Taking note comforts others in the room, and note
are semi-formal documents to support your claims
But, most importantly, remember that you DON’T have a
perfect memory. Nope. No one does.
People forget on an average:
50% of a meeting within 24 hours
80% in two weeks
95% within one month

Please do it with pen and paper*. Because:
1. A laptop, tab, or handheld device puts a screen between you and the
rest, and is detrimental to interpersonal exchange
2. Pen and paper is much easier, at least till today, much easier to
manipulate (try noting down a math formula or a bar chart using your
virtual note taking tool… what is it? Microsoft word?)
Also, pen and paper creates a subliminal physical bonding between you
and your notes, making it easier to retrieve when deciphering your notes.

This can be okay of you not
trying to put the device in
other angle than 0⁰, flat,
perfectly horizontal like paper
Also make sure than you don’t
have facebook stuff on the
side. If you are bored, revert
back to good old doodling.
After fashion, landscape and
news photographers now we
have the new and improved
whiteboard photographers.
But, how does those
photographs tell you what the
words and squiggly lines
mean? How does it help you
to remember all the
explanation that was said and
not written on the board?
Bad news for all the aspiring
sound recordists – those little
devices and you cell-phone
recording just doesn’t work.
Who will listen through 3
hours of recording after sitting
through the meeting for 3
hours? Who will recognize all
those distant and faint voices?
What happens when three
voices talk and you can’t
understand a word in the
recording?

Listen carefully. Missing the point is the biggest threat to the exercise of
taking down point. There are simple techniques:
1. Observe the cues in a speaker for significance of the point (pausing,
giving examples, repeating, increasing volume or pitch, using body
language, even direct cues like – “this is important” or “please note”)
2. We don’t discuss or converse in a strictly organized manner, therefore it
is important to keep track of the discussion flow (i.e. what are we
discussing now?)
3. Words and images are carriers of concepts, do not misrepresent them.
If the speaker says – “opportunities” – don’t record “chances” or
“opening” in your notes. Missing the word is often missing the point.
Judge the content, not
delivery. Find out what
the speaker knows, not
how he presents it.
Resist distractions. A
matter of concentration.
Try to make and keep
eye contacts. How else
are you going to observe
those subtle visual and
emotional cues?

Be an active listener. Ask questions, ask for a repetition if you have really
missed a big point, seek clarity, compare one statement with another:
1. What is she/he saying; what does it really mean?
2. How does that relate to what he said before?
3. Where is he going; what’s the point he’s trying to make?
4. How is that helpful; how can I use this?
5. Does this make any sense?
6. Am I getting the whole story?
7. How does this relate to what I already know?
8. Is she/he leaving anything out?
9. How does this relate to what I already know?
10. Do I understand what he’s saying or should I ask for clarification?

Avoid common mistakes. Here is how:
1. Avoid taking notes chronologically (first point spoken is the first point
discussed, then the second point discussed, then third point discussed…).
Unfortunately, you meeting participants do not discuss the first logical
point first, then the second logical point and so on. If they go back-and-
forth (they will) you will be lost (you are usually)
2. Avoid taking notes into a pre-decided format. Sorry, to inform, your
meeting participants don’t care for your format, and anything that is
discussed outside the format remains outside the notes. Often that means
almost everything is left outside the notes.
Protips:
Look for key-words and
verbatim quotes (note them
within quote-unquote marks)

Use non-linear techniques. Don’t be intimidated by the bid word. It’s rather easy 
(Per minute)
Speed of though: >500 words
Speed of speech: >200 words
Speed of writing (shorthand): >100 words
Speed of writing (longhand): >20 words
Speed of writing (copying): >12 words
Speech Thought Note
Process information at the speed of
thought, not at the speed of the
speaker or your handwriting

• Try to club together whatever information you are
taking down in main trunks
• Fork out the clubbing at your convenience as branches
• Keep adding new trunks and new branches as
more points appear
• Interlink the points, branches and trunks by use of
• Arrows and lines
• Or zones drawn around trunks/branches
Don’t worry about which is which (i.e. trunk, branch,
zone, whetever etc.) , as long you get the idea
Mind mapping format
Clubs
Forks
Zones
Famous
User
Spidergram style 
Tricks: Use different colours like:
Blue for general notes
Black for explanations, details, anecdotes
Green for quotes
Red for action points

More examples
 Vertical flow style
Example from marketing notes 

• Divide your page into different zones,
use them for particulars you need
Remember, each of us has our own
needs, and hence our own unique style
of zoning Notes on notes/
Questions,
investigations,
points to ponder/
to-do list, action
points
Main flow of the
discussion/ critical
information,
references, values
Colonel university system
Summary, take
out/ key points,
highlights
Tricks: Use symbols like:
□ A square checkbox denotes a to do item
⃝ A circle indicates a task to be assigned to
someone else
* An asterisk is an important fact
? A question mark goes next to items to
research or ask about
Famous
User

Oxford format

Sketchnotes
In a global survey it was found that
people don’t like taking notes
because they are boring
But…
The don’t need to be
Jazz up. It also makes things easier
to understand and remember.
Basic
tools

Compare as much as possible. Particularly with people
who surely brought a different perspective to the
meeting:
1. You may have missed a point
2. You may missed the IMPORTANCE of a point
Comparing with your peers is also very helpful. Please,
do not ignore what they took down in a meeting.

Review as soon as possible. A highly important part of great note taking is great
follow up. Review way before you forget:
1. The shortcuts, colour codes, squiggly lines and other symbols/markings you
used in the notes
2. Explanation of the points, or which point is related to which other point, or
which point is more significant than which other point and so on
The best review is a report/ meeting minute/ memo. That’s more skill to learn.

Do not share unedited notes. Please, understand that only you know the meaning
of all those squiggly line and arrows and asterisks. Please consider the struggle the
reader will have trying to find which point follows which point, and what is most
important.
If someone ever agrees to read your raw notes and work on it, remember to by
that person a lunch, a shirt and a nice box of chocolates, not forget birthday cards
and uncommon booze on your way back from vacation… a couple of concert
tickets for Bryan Adams, and a gift voucher to Vasavi would not hurt either.

Further:
Visual Note Taking
Meeting minutes
Memos
Report writing

Thank you