COMMUNICATION
SKILLS
NOTE TAKING AND NOTE MAKING
NOTES TAKING.
• What is Note taking?
• -Is the process of writing down important information from spoken texts
such as lectures, speeches , or other learning opportunity in order to review
and remember the information later (Sillas, 1980).
Three things to observe from the definition above
Note taking involves active participation (i.e. listening and writing)
Note taking is selective; only central concepts/information are written
Note taking is essential for future reference
Objectives of note taking.
Note taking aims at meeting three major objectives;
To review past lessons regularly
To recite (repeating key concepts from class)
To reflect (connect class ideas and other sources or readings
Why taking Notes?
Taking notes forces one to listen carefully and test his/her understanding of
the material.
Notes provide a gauge to what is important in the text when one
reviews later.
Personal notes are usually easier to remember than the text.
The writing down of important points helps one to remember them
even before he/she has studied the material formally.
TAKING NOTES METHODS.
There are a number of different ways to take notes as
follows;
THE CORNEL METHOD.
• The Cornell Method is based on two columns: one containing the keyword or concept, and the
other containing the description or notes associated with the keyword.
THE OUTLINING METHOD.
This method involves writing a series of topics and sub-topics,
and identifying them by indenting the text, numbering the lines, or
using a dash or bullet point. For example;
Communication
verbal communication
-spoken form
-written form
non-verbal communication
-eye contact
- handshake
THE MAPPING METHOD.
• A mind map is a diagram in which ideas, concepts and images are linked together around a
central concept, keyword or idea.
THE CHARTING METHOD
• Charting is effectively a table of rows and columns. The top row normally classifies the concept
with descriptions or keywords listed in the row below.
THE SENTENCE METHOD
• With this method you simply write every new concept, or topic on a separate line. You can also
number the information if you wish. It is recommended that you use some form of visual aid to
group related points together.
THE DO’S AND DON’TS IN NOTE TAKING
• When taking notes from lectures, speech or any occasion that provides
spoken texts, an individual needs to observe the following;
1. Make your notes brief!
Never use a sentence where you can use a phrase. Never use a phrase where you can use a word.
Use abbreviations and symbols, but be consistent.
2. Put most notes in your own words. However, the following should be noted exactly:
Formulas
Definitions
Specific facts
3. Use outline form and/or a numbering system. Indentation helps you to distinguish major from
minor points.
[Link] you miss a statement, write key words, skip a few spaces, and get the information later.
[Link]'t try to use every space on the page. Leave room for coordinating your notes with
the text after the lecture. (You may want to list key terms in the margin or make a
summary of the contents of the page.)
[Link] your notes. Perhaps number the pages.
NOTE MAKING.
Learning to make notes effectively will help a student to improve his/her study and work habits and to
remember important information. As a student makes notes, s/he will develop skills in selecting
important material and in discarding Unimportant material. The secret to developing the skills is
practice. Notes enable a student to retain important facts and data and to develop an accurate means of
arranging necessary information.
Note making is the process of compiling the notes you have taken from multiple sources, lectures,
readings,
e.t.c in an organized way.
Assembling more detailed information about the phenomenon from several sources.
Here you construct your knowledge about the topic and the main points or key ideas. Note making
involves also active participation (i.e. reading and writing).
HOW DOES ONE READ AND MAKE NOTES?
We read to receive what others have communicated to us through the written communication. In order to
understand or comprehend the written materials, there are strategies/techniques that we normally use to go
through variety of texts. The use of these techniques will, however, depend on the purpose of the reader.
So, reading can be done in any of the four strategies;
i)Scanning (look for a particular piece of information from a text)
ii)Skimming (running the eyes over quickly to get the gist of the entire text)
iii)Extensive /study reading (reading for the purpose of fully understand and be able to remember as much
as possible of what you are reading)
iv)Intensive/critical reading (extracting specific information for more details and deep understanding.
CRITICAL READIND AS A GOOD STRATEGY FOR NOTE MAKING.
SEVEN CRITICAL READING STRATEGIES
Critical reading makes someone to comprehend a text in its holistic perspective in relation to other
realities. This kind of reading, in academia, is probably the most effective way for understanding a variety
of texts. The following are strategies for critical reading.
[Link]: learning about a text before really reading it (skimming).
[Link]: placing a text in its historical, geographical, and cultural contexts.
[Link] to understand and remember: ask questions about the content.
[Link] on challenges to your beliefs and values: examine your personal responses.
[Link] and summarizing: identify the main ideas and restate them in your
own words.
[Link] an argument: testing the logic of the text as well as its credibility
and emotional impact.
[Link] and contrasting related readings: exploring likenesses and
differences between texts to understand them better.
THE DO’S AND DON’TS IN NOTE MAKING
• Don't write down everything that you read. Be attentive to the main points; focus on the "meat" of the subject
and forget the trimmings.
• Notes should consist of key words or very short sentences.
• Take accurate notes. You should usually use your own words, but try not to change the meaning. If you quote
directly from an author, quote correctly.
• Think a minute about your material before you start making notes. Don't make notes just to be making notes!
Make notes that will be of real value to you when you look over them at a later date.
THE DO’S AND DON’TS IN NOTE MAKING
• Have a uniform system of punctuation and abbreviation that will make sense to you. Use a skeleton
outline and show importance by indenting. Leave lots of white space for later additions.
• Omit descriptions and full explanations. Keep your notes short and to the point. Condense your material
so you can grasp it rapidly.
• Don't keep notes on oddly shaped pieces of paper. Keep notes in order and in one place.
• Shortly after making your notes, go back and rework (not re-do) your notes by adding extra points and
spelling out unclear items. Remember, we forget rapidly. Budget time for this vital step just as you do
for the class itself.
• Review your notes regularly. This is the only way to achieve lasting memory.
• Take down some tips about the source you read;
-Author’s names
-Title of the source
-Year of publication
-Place of publication (town or city)
-Publishers and
-Page number (in cases of quotations)
These pieces of information will help you to remember the source for citation and referencing .