Key Takeaways
- Long-hand note-taking can potentially help you retain and recall information better than taking pictures of slides, reports, etc.
- Using abbreviations, codes and other shortcuts can improve your ability to take effective, usable notes.
- Consider creating mind maps based on your notes to help see how information is connected.
It’s no secret that retaining and recalling important information that we learn are invaluable skills—ones that serve us well throughout our lives in just about any professional or personal situation.
It also may be that holding on to info and calling it up on demand feels especially challenging today. Thanks to factors such as the internet contributing to shortened attention spans and the aging of the Baby Boomers, there are a lot of people looking to keep their minds sharp. What’s more, many highly successful people tend to recognize the importance of lifelong learning—continuing to build new skills and discover new insights that can help them remain successful.
That’s one reason the brain-training apps market is expected to grow to a $56 billion industry by 2031, according to InsightAce Analytic.
But the thing is, you might be able to boost your memory retention and recall skills—at home, in the workplace or out in the world—simply by taking a very low-tech action that you probably did for a good chunk of your life: taking good notes using a pen and paper.
The power of the pen
If you’ve attended a lecture, a training session, a seminar or even a Zoom presentation in the past few years, you’ve likely seen participants taking pictures of slides or other info with their phones. Snapping a quick pic of that informative pie chart is the new form of note-taking these days.
But according to a 2023 study published in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, longhand note-taking may better enable you to process, remember and recall that info.
The survey compared the effects of longhand note-taking, photographing lecture materials with a smartphone camera and not taking any notes at all. These are some of the findings:
- Longhand note-takers outperformed photo-takers and non-note-takers on a recall test.
- The longhand note-takers even did better when the photo-takers and control participants were allowed to review an exact transcript of the lecture slides via their photos or printouts.
- Photo-takers performed comparably to learners who had not taken any notes at all.
- Relative to those who took photos or did not take any notes, longhand note-takers maintained better focus and, in turn, demonstrated superior retention of the content.
If those results seem obvious, consider this: Across the experiments, participants misjudged all three techniques as being equally effective. As the study’s authors note, “Knowledge that is easily and conveniently acquired in a snap may not be better remembered.”
Indeed, taking a picture on a smartphone requires no meaningful mental engagement with the information being captured. In contrast, writing down notes requires you to focus, keep up with the information being presented, and decide in the moment which details are most relevant as well as how disparate bits of information connect to each other to form a bigger, more comprehensive picture of the situation.
If you’re looking for more reasons to take pen in hand, consider reports that Bill Gates, former Meta COO Sheryl Sandberg and Virgin’s Richard Branson make it a point to regularly write down notes on paper.
Hone those note-taking skills
There’s a decent chance it’s been a while since you’ve taken handwritten notes while someone is speaking. With that in mind, consider these tips:
Jot down key phrases
Note-taking is exactly that—notes. Don’t try to write down a speaker’s full sentences or even every “a,” “the” and “and.” Rather, write the key words and phrases that you need to get the idea or the point—including any technical terms that are important for comprehension.
Abbreviate
If you need to get notes written down fast, use abbreviations. You can make up your own (as long as they make sense to you), or you can use common abbreviations. For example:
- etc. (et cetera) = and the rest
- ex = for example
- RE = regarding
- info = information
- p = page (pp = pages)
- s = stocks; b (or FI) = bonds
Add your own words
Paraphrasing in your own words can help you better comprehend what you’re hearing and remember it later. That said, if the speaker is relaying highly specific terms or data, aim for accuracy.
Use a code
For example, when the speaker makes a major point, circle, underline or star it—then use a different code for each minor point or subpoint they make. Make numbered lists that track the order of the speaker’s points. You can choose your specific codes for emphasis, of course—just be sure you’re consistent.
Print out the slides
Most presentations are accompanied by slides. Print them out and mark them up—annotating them with the relevant information in the exact right place.
Flag missing info
Even if you have an efficient, fast system, you likely will miss an important detail occasionally. If so, leave a space or a “fill in the blank”-style line. After the presentation, seek out the missing info.
Write down questions that arise
As you engage with a presentation and process what you’re hearing, it’s likely that questions will arise in your mind based on what you’re hearing. Write them down—during pauses in the presentation, perhaps—so you can research them or bring them up during a Q&A session. Questions can both help crystallize your understanding of the material and increase your knowledge.
Tweak your approach with asynchronous learning
Asynchronous presentations, webinars and the like are recorded for participants to view at their convenience. You can pause these recordings, of course, but try to watch them all the way through without stopping them. The reason: It can help you avoid the temptation to write down every word accurately—at which point you become more like a transcriber going for perfection rather than a learner seeking to understand and process information.
Another tip: Watch the presentations at regular speed instead of speeding them up, to get yourself closer to the “you are there” feeling that helps with focus and concentration.
Harness the power of your notes
One problem with taking pictures during presentations is that the photos are likely to sit, untouched, on your phone afterward. But the same issue can occur with written notes. If you stick them in a drawer, they won’t do you much good.
To get the most from your note-taking efforts, consider some post-presentation work.
Mark ’em up
Review your notes very shortly after a presentation to ensure they make sense and to fill in any missing info that you heard but didn’t write down. Use one color to highlight the major sections and point, another to indicate supporting points. If the speaker followed up on a point several minutes later with new or augmented information—which often occurs if a presentation is somewhat nonlinear or if someone in the audience asks a follow-up question—indicate the connection between those two moments (using stars, arrows, a specific color, etc.).
Check in with others
If you’re part of a cooperative group or team that’s attending a meeting or presentation, compare notes with each other afterward to see whether you’ve missed important details. This action can also lead to group discussions about the information, which can help further your understanding or provide insights you hadn’t thought of.
Do a study-sleep-study routine
After the meeting or presentation, review your notes briefly before you go to bed as a check-in for understanding and to reinforce the information that is especially relevant to you. Then, in the morning, do another brief review. The reason: A study out of France, published in Psychological Science, found that getting sleep between two learning sessions not only reduced the amount of practice needed by half but also ensured much better long-term retention.
Create a mind map
Mind mapping is a visual technique used to graphically organize notes and draw clear connections between the various ideas that may have been raised during a presentation or meeting. It captures information quickly yet in a highly organized format. It also makes it easy to link and cross-reference very different yet connected pieces of information. And it translates your notes into a visual document that is fast and easy to review. The end result is a clearer picture (literally) that translates information into knowledge that can then be used to create next-step action plans.
Mind mapping techniques can be found across the internet, and software programs also enable on-screen mind mapping.
Conclusion
In an increasingly tech-driven world, it’s easy to forget that old, well-established techniques for getting things done may work as well as or better than the latest modern approach. Give pen-to-paper note-taking a shot the next time you need to capture information, and use it to make informed decisions about your business, your life or both.
VFO Inner Circle Special Report
By John J. Bowen Jr.
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