If you spend much time in meetings or presentations, note taking is a survival skill. So I\u2019m surprised at how few people bother to do it. Those who do sometimes express frustration at how ineffective it can be.<\/p>\n
I don\u2019t recall anyone ever teaching me how to take notes. I didn\u2019t learn it in school\u2014not even in college. Nor did I learn it from others on the job. It was something I had to pick up on my own.<\/p>\n
That's probably true for a lot of people, and I bet it's why so few people bother to take notes. No one has ever told us why it's important or how to do it. That ends here. I'm going to share not only why you should take notes but also offer four suggestions on how to do it better.<\/p>\n
To begin with, note taking enables you to stay engaged. The real benefit is not what happens after the meeting but during<\/em> the meeting itself. Taking notes not only keeps us focused, it also triggers critical, constructive thinking.<\/p>\n If I don\u2019t take notes in meetings or presentations, my mind wanders. But when I do, I stay more alert and involved. As a result, my contribution is more likely to add value. For this reason, I take notes even if<\/em> someone is officially taking minutes.<\/p>\n Note taking also captures in-the-moment insights, questions, and commitments. Not everything can be resolved immediately. Some ideas take incubation. Questions require further research. Commitments require followup that cannot be done until after the meeting. Without a way to capture these, they\u2019ll just get lost.<\/p>\n\t\t