How to take notes in a meeting: 5 simple (but powerful) tips
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How to take notes in a meeting: 5 simple (but powerful) tips
Matilda French
9 September 2024
4 min read
Matilda French
9 September 2024
4 min read
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Why should you take notes in meetings?
5 tips for taking the best notes in a meeting
Ready to up your note-taking game? Let’s explore five easy ways to make your notes more effective and easier to read.
Have you already forgotten what was said in this morning’s meeting? Or are you struggling to make out what your notes mean a day or two later? If that sounds like you, we can help.
Taking the right notes in meetings is a guaranteed way to save you time and boost your productivity. If you’ve got note-taking mastered, read our guide on the best to-do list apps to help you put those notes into action.
Taking the right notes in meetings is a guaranteed way to save you time and boost your productivity. If you’ve got note-taking mastered, read our guide on the best to-do list apps to help you put those notes into action.
Why should you take notes in meetings?
- Aid your memory: Good notes will help you remember what you’ve discussed in a meeting, meaning you don’t have to waste time checking in with other colleagues.
- Track upcoming tasks: When notes include upcoming deadlines and action items from a meeting, it helps you to know what needs to be done and when.
- Keep focus in the meeting: Taking notes keeps you engaged and focused on the discussion, which means you don’t miss important points and can ask for clarification when you’re not sure about something.
- Learn new concepts: Note-taking is a proven way to improve learning, so taking notes in a meeting can help you to process information that you might not otherwise understand.
5 tips for taking the best notes in a meeting
Here are our five favourite tips to get your note-taking on the right track:
Tip 1: Prepare properly ahead of a meeting
To make the best notes, you need to come prepared with the right tools. This means ensuring that you’ve got a notebook and pen readily available every time you have a meeting. If you prefer to record your notes digitally, then have your tablet, phone, or laptop charged and your note-taking app ready to go.
Tip 2: Use abbreviations for long, frequently used words
If your company uses specific words often that take an age to write down, ensure you use the abbreviated version of technical words. You can even consider setting up some naming conventions to make it easier for yourself. Here are a few examples:
- Agile: AGL
- Brand equity: BEQ
- Marketing strategy: MSTR
- Sales pipeline: SPIP
- Product roadmap: PRM
Tip 3: Ask plenty of questions in the meeting
When you review your notes, you don’t want to have more questions than answers. This will waste your time, as well as the time of other people who you need to chase up for information. Make sure you ask for clarity in a meeting whenever something is unclear.
Tip 4: Support your notes with a recording
No matter how much you write in a meeting, it can be hard to capture all of your thoughts and every outcome. That’s why it can be useful to record a meeting at the same time. When you think you’ve missed something in your notes, you can return to the recording and fill in the gaps.
You can even use an AI-powered recording and note-taking app, like Otter AI, to help summarise key points that you can add to your existing notes.
You can even use an AI-powered recording and note-taking app, like Otter AI, to help summarise key points that you can add to your existing notes.
Tip 5: Add context to your notes
If you’re returning to your notes a few weeks after a meeting, sometimes it can be hard to make sense of them. By adding context to your notes during or immediately after a meeting, you can provide cues to help trigger your memory long after it’s over.
We recommend adding a date and title to the note before the meeting has started, and then adding extra information when it seems relevant. Here are some questions you can ask yourself to provide context:
We recommend adding a date and title to the note before the meeting has started, and then adding extra information when it seems relevant. Here are some questions you can ask yourself to provide context:
- Are there any new concepts/terms you’ve learned, and is it worth writing them down?
- What are the key outcomes of this meeting?
- What happens next?
- Are there key action points, and do they have deadlines?
And there you have it! With these five simple but effective tips, you’ll be taking notes like a pro in no time.
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Written by
Matilda French
Content Marketing Intern
Matilda has a BA Hons degree in Creative Writing and Film and Screen Studies and is using her love of storytelling to create informative content that helps workers get the most out of their digital tools.
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