How to Take Great Notes
- Come Prepared: Before you come to a class, lecture, or meeting, make sure to review your notes from the last time round. This will bring you fully up to speed and ready to pick up where you left off.
- Be an Active Listener: When note-taking, many people make the mistake of mindlessly taking down every word without really comprehending what is being said.
- Question, Answer, Evidence: This is a very effective method of taking notes, as it forces you to engage with the material as you write and allows you to describe the topic in your own words.
- Use Shorthand: The average student writes 1-3 word(s) per second, while the average speaker speaks at a rate of 2-3 words per second. Therefore, developing your own system of shorthand writing can help you to write more efficiently and avoid falling behind.
- Color-Code Your Notes: Many people find that adding a splash of color to their notes help to make the information more readable and easier to retain.
- Take Notes from Your Textbook: After a class or a lecture, you may want to supplement your notes with information from a textbook. Taking notes from a textbook is another skill worth mastering.
- Review: Look over your notes later in the day and test yourself to see what you know.
Infographic from Visually
