Remember all your meeting details for years to come.

Recently I went back to university for an intensive class. It was my first time back in a classroom setting in over a decade and really allowed me a chance to reflect upon the skills I’ve developed over my working life. One of these skills is the art of note taking which was brought to my attention by all of my classmates Apparently, I’ve developed a system that is unique which I’m more than happy to share in the hope that it assists you!

You see the system isn’t really just mine, like a bower bird I have collected great ideas from others along the way. There are a couple of key elements to great note taking for meetings, being: your notebook choice, the structure of your notes and how you take your notes.

Notebook selections

For me it’s all about the notebook. I’ve tried to go digital, however, I find I use my laptop to show documents (most of ours are too large to carry around) which means I need somewhere to take my notes.

My current preference is the Leuchtturm 1917 because it allows me to create an index of all my meetings, it has page numbers and of course it looks great.

Ngaire prefers Leuchtturm 1917. available from pulpaddiction.com.au

One of our other team members uses a lab notebook which is great in the office, but I find this style too big for dragging around to meetings all over the city.

Max prefers the 128 page Gridded Notebook from Dynamic Stationery. dynamic-stationery.com

Structure

At the top we have the date and the meeting title. This is followed by a diagram which is the important part… Draw the table with the seats and then list out each of people in attendance. This is vital as it will assist you during the meeting and afterwards. 

Draw the table with the seats and then list out each of people in attendance. This is vital as it will assist you during the meeting and afterwards. 

What to write

You can then take notes and attribute them to each person’s initials and remember people’s names during the course of your meeting. 

Only write the key points down. Take notes of what is discussed and clearly indicate actions and who is responsible. This will be important for your follow up work items. If you’re not sure of what the key points are, take notes of everything.

Develop your own shorthand

To allow you to take a lot of notes you need to develop a clear shorthand abbreviation system. Firstly, make sure you write the key concepts in full the first time for uncommon words. 

For example, you might be discussing Chartered Professional status. In this instance write Chartered Professionals in full and then C.P. for the rest of your notes. The goal for great note taking is to create a consistent strategy that works for you.

My general abbreviation style is as follows:

Common words become: first letter followed by a slash. Example: With = w/ 

For two-part words the first part is abbreviated. Example: Stakeholder becomes s/holder 

Full text: Ngaire Tranter will go with Nitro Solutions to meet stakeholders in June
My notes: NT w/Nitro June s/holder meeting

Here’s to great meetings!

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Ngaire Tranter – Environment Director & CEO

Ngaire’s passion for environmental management was accidentally discovered when she was informed that she “talked too much to ever be a traditional scientist”. Since those early days in university Ngaire has used her talents in scientific communications to conduct environmental impact assessments and provide environmental and social governance support for organisations.

In her spare time Ngaire is also developing a world first artificial intelligence program aimed at delivering complex environmental compliance advice in real-time. She also loves spending time with her family and her French Bulldog Gizmo and going boating on the bay.

Find out more about Ngaire