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Why Take Notes During a Speech?

Think about a time you attended a lecture or a speaking event, and the speaker was so interesting that you hung on every word. All along, you might have thought you would remember everything he said.

Well, chances are, you won’t recall everything. In fact, one study reported that we remember only 50% of what we heard during a lecture and within the next 48 hours, that percentage decreased another half! That means by the time that we may want to use the information we learned at the speaking event, little of what we heard will be available in our memories.

So, note taking during a speech is important. But not everyone knows exactly how to take good notes. Well, here are a few tips that will help you take really good notes.

Listening Tips

Taking notes seems pretty simple. A pen, a pad and a couple of ears should do it. However, before we can think about taking good notes, we need to sharpen our listening skills.

Don’t confuse listening with hearing. Listening is to attach meaning to words and sentences. In other words, it makes sense out of the sounds we hear. Hearing is different. It is the involuntary and uncontrollable act of absorbing noise in our brains. When a glass hits a tile floor and shatters, we hear it. Simple. Listening takes practice. Here are some tips you can start using right now!

For one, read up on the content of the speech prior to the engagement. Having a little background knowledge will prepare you to cut through the information to get to the most central ideas. Once you get the main idea, you can connect ancillary information to create a clear idea of what is being said.

Listen for verbal cues the speaker may send. Things like using examples, repeating details or referencing a source may tell you that the point he is stressing may be important. Direct statements that call attention to certain points in the speech tell the audience to listen up.

Non-verbal cues are equally important. A serious facial expression may indicate a critical point will follow. Hand gestures, like pointing to a visual, is a good indication that the speaker wants to be sure you see it. Put all together, listening should be easier.

Note-Taking Strategies

Now that we learned how to recognize when important information is coming our way, just how do we put it all down on paper? Sounds a little like rubbing your head and belly at the same time, huh? Well, not so much. Let’s break down some easy to-do strategies that should help you write better notes.

First and foremost, never try to write down everything the speaker is saying. This is mostly because not everything being said is important. Some information is really just there to take up space.

Of course, listen for direct statements that take you from one place to another. For example, if the speaker directs you to his first point, it probably means that the information to follow is part of the central theme. Once you get the main idea of the speech, listen for sub-topics that relate to the main point and make connections on paper. Depending on your note-taking style, it could look something like this.

How does this help? Easy! As you take notes in the middle section, you may think of questions about what you heard. Later on, when you reflect back on your notes, you will be able to research the questions. When it comes time to summarize the notes, you can add the answers to the summary.

In the margin of your loose-leaf paper, be sure to jot down any words you are unsure the meaning of. When the lecture ends, take time to look them up in a dictionary and incorporate the definitions into your notes. Once you have your notes complete, they become a permanent record of the speech you listened to. Well, if you write them in ink, anyway.

Lesson Summary

To wrap things up, note taking during a speech is a great way to create a permanent record of what you learned. While taking notes is not necessarily difficult, the prerequisite skill for note taking is to be a good listener.

Some people mistake hearing for listening, but they are really quite different. Hearing is the involuntary and uncontrollable act of absorbing noise in our brains. When we listen , we attempt to attach meaning to words and sentences.

There are a few things we can practice now to become better listeners. Before attending the speaking event, read up on the subject so that you have background knowledge. Observe the speaker for verbal and non-verbal cues. Direct statements and other spoken information may lead you to the central points. Gestures and other non-verbal cues may tell you something important is coming your way.

While listening to the speech, take notes. Of course, don’t write every word down. Some information is not as important and doesn’t need to be committed to memory. Create a note-taking sheet where you can jot down notes, questions and a summary so that all of your notes are organized by the topic. It may take a bit of practice, but in the end, you will have a great binder full of good notes.