Must-have note taking skills

Welcome to another edition of English that works: developing communication skills for everyday interactions. We hope the remote working tips and idioms shared previously were useful. The focus this week is note-taking skills. Remember that to make the most of this series, do the tasks assigned and keep a record of all your learning.

From missing the hustle and bustle of my office canteen to enjoying the peace and quiet of working from home, I think I’ve adapted to the ups and downs of remote working quite well. As online meetings are here to stay, slowly but surely, most of us will find ourselves being assigned the important role of taking meeting notes for the virtual meetings we attend.

An often-underrated skill, it requires a lot of effort and skills like organisation, active listening and concentration.

Even though it may sound old fashioned, I still prefer taking notes with pen and paper before transferring everything electronically and sharing with my team. Whatever mode you’re comfortable with, here’s my note-taking skills’ checklist:

1 Get the basics ready before the meeting. Record the date and time, purpose, agenda and attendees present (and absent).

2 Use bullet points, not the transcript. Keep sentences short and sweet, writing down only keywords, decisions, and action points, if any.

3 Take notes throughout. Record items as they come up, rather than after the meeting because you’ll probably forget key points. Where possible, it’s a good idea to send the minutes out on the same day. This will ensure that your task is done and dusted immediately.

4 Include a call to action. It helps highlight any specific, time-bound to-dos to attendees, keeping everyone accountable and ensuring no one is left high and dry.

In this article, I’ve used binomials to talk about effective note-taking skills. They have been written in bold. In your journal, write the meaning for each one and aim to use at least three of them this week.

Many languages use fixed terms like binomial expressions or binomial pairs for more effective communication. But they are often the hardest parts of learning a language because, like idioms, they may not always be literal.

They are regularly used in speech and informal writing by proficient speakers because they catch the listener’s
attention and have a pleasant rhythm.

From your own reading, find three new binomial pairs. Use them to write a short text about your note-taking skills and share it with us at [e-mail].

Priya Iyer