For many students, school is starting right around now. They’ll be learning how to organize, multi-task and most importantly, how to take great notes.
From realtors and small business owners to corporate ladder climbers and even house hunters, note-taking is very important for success because they are essential for thorough follow-through, effective relationship building and customized marketing.
That said, I recently learned about a structured note-taking system called The Cornell Method, from real estate expert and keynote speaker Brian Copeland during the 2013 ERA Real Estate All-Star Agent Retreat. The system condenses and organizes notes to provide a short yet detailed record of what was discussed during a class, business meeting, home viewing, etc.
Here’s how it works:
- Divide your paper into three areas – as shown here.
- In the right column, take your notes during the meeting, class, etc. using bullets, sentences, short-hand, etc.
- In the left column, jot down cue such as questions, main points, visual cues, and other clues that jog your memory. You can fill this in after the event.
- At the bottom, record a summary of the most important goals and main ideas. This, too, should be filled in after the event, as you are reviewing your notes.
Tips:
- As soon as possible after the event ends, write questions based on the notes you took in the right-hand column. This helps to clarify meanings, strengthen memory, etc.
- If studying for an exam or certification, cover the right column and recite the answers to the questions or ideas represented by the cues.
- After the event, reflect on what you have on paper to ask and answer questions such as, “what is the significance of this information?” or “How can I apply this knowledge?”
- Finally, review your notes, cues and summary at least ten minutes each week to better retain the content for current use or a future deal, meeting or exam.
These are really great tips for quickly organizing vital information. Share them with your back-to-school crowd, employees and co-workers for an improved, systematic approach to jotting it all down.
Image courtesy of adamr at FreeDigitalPhotos.net