How to Organize Meeting Notes

I had high hopes that note taking was behind me when I graduated from college; little did I know that taking pen to paper would become a staple in both my career and home life. Whether you end up in a corporate boardroom, as a volunteer or on a planning committee you’ll likely be in many meetings. And if there’s one thing I’ve learned over the years it’s that the only thing worse than a meeting is another meeting to discuss everything you forgot in the first meeting. Trust me it never pays to skip taking notes.

At this point you might be wondering whether this applies to you or if I just need to complain a bit about taking notes. Mostly I want to encorage you to learn the skill of note taking. You are probably thinging is it really that difficult to write down what you hear? The short answer is yes. In fact there have been a number of studies on effective note taking; The Cornell Note Taking System was based on such research. I firmly believe their recommendations offer valuable techniques for taking notes and retaining information whether it’s in a classroom or a boardroom.

I’ve been working or interning since I was 16 years old and during that time I’ve had the opportunity to meet and observe the work habits of many people, one trait the most successful shared is the ability to recall information.

Record notes in the same place whether it’s notes about a phone call, a client request or a meeting at work. I find that one notebook you can keep with you at all times works best. Be sure to keep your note books for at least 6 months after you have filled it. That way if you need to go back and refrence something you still have access to it.  Some people used composition style notebooks, others prefer spiral bound and some prefer pads in portfolios.

I prefer not to use a divided notebook instead I just keep notes in chronological order, but if you’re involved in many different activities it might help to keep one notebook, but divide it into sections using sticky tab dividers.

The Cornell Note Taking System recommends leaving a margin of approximately 2.5 inches on the left side of your paper. In that margin they recommend recording key ideas and facts for review.  For meetings you could use that margin to note follow-up or other important issues or action.
Here is an example:

I go back and forth with using the margin method instead sometime I will just highlight or star action items.


Review notes as soon as possible after the meeting. Enter due dates into your calendar or task management program. Add additional information where notes seem unclear. The sooner you do this the more likely it is that you will remember details that you may have forgotten to write down.
If there is a printed meeting agenda attach it to your notes but don't use it for note taking.
Here is an example:


Otherwise simply copy agenda points into your notebook as you cover each topic.
Start each day with a numbered task list. Carry the list over from the previous day.  Pull tasks from your prior day’s meeting and add to the list.


Here are some additional quick tips:
1. Try to just write down important points, if you try to write everything you hear you will fail.
2. Develop your own shorthand. Abbreviate commonly used words, names and phrases.  One person I spoke with records initials rather than full names.
3. Leave space between points for more notes. If the meeting is informal you may jump back and forth between topics and will need to add additional information or clarification.

Happy Organizing!
Erin