Note taking is a skill that every student must get the grips of. At first it might seem difficult and without pattern…but in fact there are patterns in note taking. I am going to highlight three very commonly used and effective note taking techniques.

Outlining

In this technique notes are taken in a hierarchical format. You start by writing the most general point and then you continue by writing more specialised and/or related notes underneath the general point. This technique will result in a list of points starting from the general concept with related content gathered underneath it. The main disadvantage of this note taking technique is that it is difficult to show links between different concepts. In order to do so one has to use arrows, which in turn mess your notes.

Mind-Mapping

This technique addresses the limitations of outline notes. Mind mapping note taking should be used when the linkage between concepts needs to be clearly shown. Starting from a blank piece of paper put the main topic of the lecture or seminar in the middle of the page. Then using arrows start associating concepts with the main concept. Put each concept in a separate bubble so that it would be easier for you to tell between one concept and another. After having all links between concepts, you will end up with a map (that is why mind mapping ) of the particular topic.

The Cornell System

Cornell note taking technique is very simple. Before you start taking notes, make sure you leave say 5cms margin on the left or on the right of the paper. Take notes normally during the lecture or meeting using any of the note taking techniques above. Then after the lecture or meeting is over, go through all the points and write a summary of them in the margin. Write important keywords and dates in the margin. These short notes on the left or the right hand side of the page are very important since they provide you with a summary by just skimming through them. Also if you have several notes, you can easily search for an important concept by searching through these points only.

All of the above note taking techniques have their pros and cons. They are intended to be used in different situations. What I used to find the most effective when I was a student (and now at work) is to be able to switch from one technique to another on the same piece of paper. After you familiarise yourself with the three techniques you find yourself doing it too. This is because depending on the lecture or meeting you have, you will automatically realise which technique is best to use to jot notes down.