If you’re in a one-on-1 meeting with a customer, or a conference call involving several participants, effective note-taking skills are crucial to keep on top of the information being discussed. It isn’t easy to remember details or keep up with the conversation if you’re not able to effectively take notes. This article will help you improve your note-taking skills, so that you can have more effective and well-organized meetings in the future.
Pick a method of taking notes that suits you. There are a variety of methods to try, including the Cornell method, which breaks your notes into a small column on the left and a more extensive column on the right. The smaller column is intended to highlight the main ideas of the discussion while the larger column concentrates on the specifics. You can then add a summary at the bottom of the page to tie everything together.
Keep your notes simple. It’s easy to get caught up in the minutiae of taking notes, but you need to focus on what’s important for your notes to be useful to those who read them later. Don’t copy boardroomschool.com your notes verbatim and instead use symbols or shorthands that will be easily identifiable when you review your notes later.
Ideally, your team will discuss their agenda ahead of time so that you can create an outline prior to the beginning of the meeting. This will eliminate the trouble of recording key moments in the meeting, and help you stay focused throughout the discussion.