A common practice at some of the most creative workplaces, like Disney, 3M, and Apple, is to take meeting notes categorically to learn more actively.
In creative workplaces, people often take notes laterally across a page as opposed to the traditional vertical method of documenting points down the page.
Instead of taking notes in a linear fashion, this practice recommends documenting what you hear or read laterally, from side to side.
To achieve this, notetakers turn the notepad or digital tool horizontally to create a landscape format. They draw a set of lines to create 6 or 7 columns down the page and place a category descriptor at the top of each column.
The most common categories are Main Points, Actionable Recommendations or Advice, Important Stories and Examples, Memorable Quotes or Phrases, and Disputed Opinions.
Good notetakers leave one or two categories blank for unexpected comments that deserve their own category.
As the notetaker listens and engages during the meeting or presentation, their job is to grab important statements and place them in the appropriate categories. This makes them use their mind much differently.
Now, when they are listening attentively to what is being said, they are making two choices: what is important enough to capture, and what category does it belong under? This approach requires them to learn as they take notes.
Not only does the notetaker end up with a condensed record of what they understand and believe is important, but by capturing points laterally across the categories, they think along with the presenter or meeting participants. They are no longer passive notetakers. They are now active and creative learners.
Taking notes laterally across categories requires the listener or reader to make creative choices as to where the content they consume should be placed. Rather than passively collecting information, the notetaker in this system is now a co-producer of insight.
Try this approach to scribble less and think more during meetings, presentations, and reading. It’s like a software upgrade for your brain.
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