The way you take notes can make a big difference to your productivity, not to mention the time you’ll save. Learning how to write short notes in apps like Illunotes, which we created to be your favorite note-taking companion, can help you remember and learn better.
In this article, we’ll talk about some effective note-taking strategies you can use to become a better student or employee.
Why Should I Take Notes?
Taking notes is essential for learning. Writing down important thoughts and ideas helps you better absorb and retain the information you encounter. You’ll also get a chance to reflect on what you’ve learned and review any concepts that may have been confusing. The added benefit is that reviewing your notes periodically will help you build stronger connections between information in your brain, which is referred to as long-term memory.
But this raises an important question: how do you write notes during a lecture or presentation without missing the information relayed by the lecturer? As we’ll explain next, brevity is key.
Effective Ways To Write Short Notes
As you’ve probably realized during any note-taking session, it’s important to learn effective note taking skills. Writing down everything you see and hear can become exhausting, making it difficult for you to keep up with the presentation or lecture. On the other hand, writing notes that are extremely brief may not help you at all later. This is because your notes should help you develop meaningful knowledge that you can use to remember key concepts.
Here are some techniques that can help you write short notes that are more effective:
Go For Brevity.
Write notes quickly and concisely, so that you can catch the key points of what the lecturer said during the presentation. If possible, take some extra time to write down all the important ideas. Apps like Illunotes let you take notes directly on the slides your presenter is using, so you can annotate the original slides to help you recall information later on.
Know Your Learning Style.
There are different effective note-taking techniques for different learning styles. Depending on your style, you may want to use different strategies. Here are some of the most common note-taking techniques:
Visual learners often take notes through sketches and diagrams. You can draft visual notes directly in the app with Illunotes, which lets you draw lines or shapes connecting ideas that make sense to you. This is an indispensable skill for the visual learner, as it can help you remember what you’ve seen better than if you just wrote down information in your notebook or on a whiteboard.
Auditory learners tend to be good at remembering and writing down information that they’ve heard. They can often recall a lecture more easily than what they read or saw in class. Some auditory learners use their smartphones or a voice recorder to record lectures for later review. Illunotes also lets you record voice notes, memos or key points from the lecturer directly onto your slides for later review.
Knowing your learning style is invaluable information to help you tailor your note-taking method to better serve your learning process. When you write short notes, keep this in mind!
Illunotes is an interactive application for educators, presenters and students. We help you take better notes, share slides, and collaborate with colleagues. Visit us at illunotes.com to download the app and try out a demo.