Is it possible to take excellent notes and absorb the information too?

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timjamesbrennan

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For my work I often have to have phone conversations with companies. Lots of detailed notes have to be taken whilst at the same time it is important to ask any questions that may arise during the call.

When I was at university, I at first took lots of notes in lectures, but found that I was so busy making the notes that I didn't really absorb the information. What worked a lot better was to record the lecture and then really try and understand what was being said at the time and ask any questions. Then when I came to review the information I would write it out or just listen to the tapes. This was a much better way to learn certain subjects for me.

I am now looking for an even better way, because I really don't have the time to go back over conversations to make notes. One option that sprung to mind is to have the phone conversation transcribed from recorded speech into text. I'm not sure if I can afford a real person to do this but I am going to look into finding some software.

Does anyone have any advice?
 
2 issues come to mind, first off, depending on your location it may not be legal to record your conversations or it may only be legal if you get prior approval from all participants. So before going any further I'd check to be sure that it is legal in your location and that you feel if you have to ask to allow recording that your customers will not be offended. Personally I know I'd be wary of working with someone who had to record everything.

If you pass that hurdle then you can get transcription software but the best I've seen was in government programs and even then it only got about 80% of the words correct. There still needed to be a person read and listen and correct the transcription. Now that was a few years ago and technology has improved but don't count on any transcription SW to be 100% accurate.

My suggestion instead is to look at ways to take abbreviated notes that will trigger your questions and practice better note taking skills. You might look at the Cornell method combined with some shorthand system. Proper Gregg shorthand can be very complex to learn but might be useful. I've actually taken a slightly different step, I use EasyScript plus a few of my own special abbreviations and a 2 color pen modified Cornell system. I take quick notes in blue or black ink in the main section using my own modified EasyScript shorthand and add any questions, action items or areas of concern in the margin in red ink. Sometimes I circle or star things I need to ask about in red. The color helps me keep the 2 kinds of notes straight and the shorthand means I can keep up with a conversation.
 
timjamesbrennan said:
For my work I often have to have phone conversations with companies. Lots of detailed notes have to be taken whilst at the same time it is important to ask any questions that may arise during the call.

When I was at university, I at first took lots of notes in lectures, but found that I was so busy making the notes that I didn't really absorb the information. What worked a lot better was to record the lecture and then really try and understand what was being said at the time and ask any questions. Then when I came to review the information I would write it out or just listen to the tapes. This was a much better way to learn certain subjects for me.

I am now looking for an even better way, because I really don't have the time to go back over conversations to make notes. One option that sprung to mind is to have the phone conversation transcribed from recorded speech into text. I'm not sure if I can afford a real person to do this but I am going to look into finding some software.

Does anyone have any advice?
Click to expand...

I completely understand your situation, as I too have gone through this. Being able to actively listen and capture the necessary notes seems almost impossible. I feel lucky to have learned a technique that has helped. Mind mapping is a simple note-taking structure that unlike linear notes, helps capture the right information in a way the brain, and more importantly, the conversations happen. GTD and David Allen have some resources here, as I originally went through some of the webinars on the subject. I have found throughout the years that using the mind mapping has simplified my note-taking ability and captured the information in a simple, yet easy to remember fashion. I can look at my mind maps even years after and still understand the notes. There are also many options on the internet to how to learn and use this technique. I have been teaching those I manage at our call center to use this, and it has become one of our favorite skills! It took me some practice and customization, but now I will never go back to regular note-taking.

Hope this helps!!
Brian Ingles
 
I had the same issue in university. There, I used simple mind maps just as prompts and focused on absorbing the details. These days, in business, I'm fortunate that I can generally assign someone else to be the note-taker and focus myself on understanding in depth.

This is a great example of something that can be outsourced -- you may not be able to record the conversation, and verbatim transcription is expensive (about $50 for an accurate transcript of a 1-hour call). But a virtual assistant will only cost you the hour of their time and maybe a few extra minutes to clean up their notes and send them to you. A decent native English speaker might run you $20-$25 an hour, but you can probably find a perfectly competent offshore resource for $10-$15/hr.
 
When I take notes in phone-and-screen-share meetings, quite often the notes interact with the meeting. That is, I'll screen-share the file where I'm typing the notes, someone will make a suggestion, I'll type it in and say, "Yes?" and they'll either correct me or agree.

I realize that this only works for the screen-share situation.
 
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