Taking notes from speech

Taking notes from speech (in a lecture, tutorial or from recorded audio) can be difficult because it may not be possible to ask the speaker to repeat their words. You may find yourself writing as fast as you can and still missing potentially important points.

• Try to find out what the subject will be beforehand so you are less likely to be taken by surprise and miss things. Read any relevant course work or notes.
• Become accustomed to listening intently. The speaker may signpost significant moments by saying things such as: "I will discuss three main ways in which …", or "I would like to move on to another topic …".
• Be wary of noting down as fact what a speaker might mention as an example of a contentious view.
• Become used to thinking actively about what you are listening to. You probably don’t need to takes notes on everything so get used to identifying what does need to be noted down and what you can let go.
• Create a wide margin down one side of the notepaper you use to take notes. Later on, when you look at your notes again, use the margin area to precis or add extra notes to the notes.
• Of course you can rewind recorded audio when taking notes from it, but try not to do too much of this as it could take a lot of time.
• Try to re-read your notes soon after taking them. This will help to embed the content in your memory.