Every day we come to work. We check out our schedule. We join our meetings. They are normal sequences, behaviors. We have done over and over again.
Meetings? There are many meetings during our work. Some of them are meaningful. While others are a waste of time. Some people hate meetings …
How many people remember what have been discussed in a meeting?
I have seen this pattern in my daily work
- People come to a meeting room. Some might even not know meeting’s topics. Sad but true.
- They sit on a chair, listen to the speaker.
- The meeting ends. They leave.
So far so good. A typical meeting. Except, many of them do not remember what being discussed, agreed in that meeting.
Why?
They had thought that they would remember.
Don’t Trust Your Memory
I, once, read from a book that statement. Don’t trust your memory. If you want to look in the “why”, then ask google.
There are so many researches about it.
And here is my most favorite author, Mr. Jim Rohn.
Take Notes
There is an easy solution: Take notes. You can bring your paper/pencil or electronic devices to meetings; you take notes in ways you like most.
But there is an ugly truth. I still have not seen people taking notes in a meeting. They still come to meeting in bare hands. I kept asking myself, why do they not take notes? Maybe they do not see the values out of it.
Value. Yes, human works base on it. Let’s try to find values from my point of view.
A Tool to Remember and Review
Once we write things down, we increase the chance to remember them. That is an obvious fact. Think about the old days when you were in school. You wrote what teachers said. You took notes on your books.
Meetings might be boring. But with a notebook in our hands, we can review what we have noted down. We can jot down our new ideas, thoughts, or even drawing some fun images.
A Skill
Taking note is a crucial skill. However, it is not easy at all. People have to learn to master it.
Image we are in a meeting room, the speaker keeps talking, information flows, there are papers and a pencil in our hands, how will we start writing?
Professional
Not all meetings require taking notes. I do not mean that at all. We, as a professional, know what meetings are important. We, as a professional, must show our professionalism. We must try to put ourselves in the speaker’s shoes
We must try to put ourselves in the speaker’s shoes. One day, you are that speaker. You are the one who sends messages. And they just get lost. Feel that pain and show respect NOW.
How To Start?
Very simple folks!
- Buy a notebook (or some piece of paper) and a pencil.
- Bring them to every meeting you attend.
- Write something down. Do not care too much about what you write.
- If you do not know what to write, draw a circle, a face, a line. Just make sure it is different than before the meeting.
Soon you will know what to write. It is a skill. Skills are gained by practice.
Don’t you believe me? I was not born with the ability to write this post. I have been a terrible writer as well. Guess what? It does not matter. As far as I practice, I get better every day.
