Taking notes in meetings

Introduction

Whether attending in a, moderator, passive or active participants, the success depends primarily on the preparation and the quality of notes taken.

According to the survey, 24,7 % of the respondents prepare their meetings "systematically", while for 61,8 % the level of prepraration depends on the nature and subject of the meetings.

In regards to the way meeting notes are taken, 48,4 % write "systematically" all topics, remarks and actions discussed while 9,9 % admit to take never or rarely taking notes during their meetings

However, if note taking is an essential factor for the success of our meetings, the quality of our notes is even more important. Incomplete, scribbled, unstructured notes can mean destroying any benefit of the meetings resulting in wasted meetings and/ important actions not being followed up.

The note taking method

This meeting note book designed by Didier Godart and introduced here below is based on the Cornell notes system. Also referred to as the 1/3 - 2/3 system, the Cornell notes helps students take notes and prepare to study in a more concise and logical fashion. However, the reason for efficient note taking in school is MEMORY, REMEMBERING and getting great grades. But the primary reason to take notes in business is to TAKE ACTIONS not REMEBERING.

So, this note taking method and material extends the Cornell concept to provides an approach and a systematic canvas for the effective organization of our notes during the preparation and the course of our meetings.

The note book allows effective preparation of meetings, improving the organization of notes during meetings and saving time by managing effetively any post meeting tasks such as the notes review, the follow up actions and minutes distribution.

How does it work ?

• The Stamp zone (1) indicating the meeting date & time.
• The Title zone (2) indicating the meeting main subject.
• The Whos zone (3) listing individuals taking part in the meeting. Numbers (Indentificators) on the left side are used to refer to participants in the course of the meeting. The chairman or the meeting moderator identificator is circled. Should it be necessary, the Participant zone could be extended through the Note taking zone.

• The Note taking zone (4) collecting the main notes covering the meeting such as topics addressed, observations, decisions, and strategies. Using this Zone effectively depends on paying attention to the following:
  • Don't try to take down every word. Write down what is important
  • Use abbreviations and keywords
  • Use your own words.
  • Use arrows to connect your notes
  • Make your notes dynamic through the use of colors and symbols
  • Give yourself the opportunity to come back and complete a notion by spacing out your notes.
  • Highlight the covered topics by underlining them with different colors.
  • You may wish to use a non-linear way of organizing your notes called Mind Maps. Mind Maps are diagrammatic ways of organizing key ideas from lectures and texts which emphasize the interconnection of concepts and illustrate the relative hierarchy of ideas from titles, to main concepts through to supporting details. Because they are diagrammatic, they have the potential to capture a lot of information on a single page. They help show the conceptual links between ideas and allow for additional material to be added without the need to crowd the page, and, because they typically feature key words and phrases, they allow for the same kind of review that is facilitated by the Codex Congressus.