Reasons for Taking Notes
August 21st, 2007Do not ever think that taking notes is what less intelligent people need to do since the opposite is closer to the truth. Note taking is a smart move in almost all circumstances and in this article I will mention several important reasons for taking notes that will help you to remember more and digest considerably more of the information that is given to you in a lecture, presentation, boardroom meeting or in the classroom. Effectively taking notes is not just about writing down sentences since keywords might be enough and is much quicker when the information is flowing rapidly.
Probably the most important reason for taking notes is to help you remember more of the information that is presented to you and taking notes allows you to quickly move from one point to the next without trying to remember volumes of information. While taking notes you will immerse your mind in the presentation and this tends to focus your attention on the information at hand and will more likely allow you to avoid distractions.
When it comes to the end of the lecture or presentation your notes can offer as a handy reference guide and allow you the opportunity to ask important questions to help clarify certain pieces of information that perhaps were not clear. Since you do not know what information will come up it is ideal to take notes whenever you think that the information might help you in the future so I would always take notes in all circumstances. If you never need to use your notes again it still does not hurt to do it anyway, it is a good habit to get into and the more you do it the more proficient you will become in the process.
If the information in the presentation is coming at you too fast there is not much you can do about it but you can try to take down what you believe to be important key words and you can skip back and add more notes whenever there is a break in the presentation. Do not worry that you cannot keep up since everyone else is probably feeling the same. Sometimes using symbols instead of words can be another effective form of note taking especially if that symbol can be a trigger for recall later on.
One of the most important reasons to take notes is of course so you have some material to refer to after the lecture but another important tip is to pay careful attention to the lecturer and you may notice he or she summarizes in point form after each new section of information. Taking notes during the summary can allow you to store large volumes of information for later reference.
Look at the information written on the blackboard as it is usually important and take down this information when you have time or when there is a break in the presentation. The key is take down as much information as possible in a short, easy to read format. It is difficult at first but like I said before, the more you practice taking notes the better and faster you will become.
Once the presentation or lecture is over and you have finished your note taking it is wise, if you have time, to immediately review your notes without being distracted and add to those notes while the information is still fresh in you mind. That keyword you put down on paper in a hurry might trigger your memory after the lecture and you can elaborate on the point further while your mind is still very much on the topic. If you wait till you get home to do this you might forget much of the information.
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