Struggling during the speech? Fear not, this article will provide some simple tips that you can start using today to make your life easier! The fact is, it can be difficult to have an hour-long talk with your notes.
Contents
Should you use a laptop?
Besides having rules about laptops, it really depends on you. If it helps you capture material quickly, then, by all means, bring it along. Just remember: nothing should confuse you with what the professor is saying. You need to focus on the discussion all the time.
If a laptop confuses you (maybe some boxes may pop up, you need attention, or you suddenly try to figure out how to highlight something, etc.), then having a laptop is not a good idea. I will say this: there is nothing like a notepad having tangible freedom. You can write notes anywhere and think quickly in your sheets. This will be even more difficult with a laptop if you plan to concentrate fully on the discussion.
Use point form:
The point form is actually an extension of what I was saying above. At any rate, avoid paragraph writing. Create bullet points so you can write faster and then digest information more efficiently. Also, if you need to write side notes, it’s really easy to write short stories with bullets vs. paragraphs here and there.
Organize your notes
There is a lot of advice on how to organize notes. I recommend that you organize your notes by the date of each lecture. This way, you will be able to bundle all your College Note based on a specific time period, which will help you while you are studying. For example, professors can create a cut-off point for exam purposes so that the midterm exam has 1-10 lectures, let’s say, and the final exam includes 11-20 lectures.
These are certainly examples, but courses may be conducted in this way or lecture materials may be allocated separately. However, exams are usually based on lectures so it is best to organize your notes accordingly so that you know what to look for when studying for exams or quizzes.
In addition, your professor will mention the material according to the lecture date, so you can do the same so that you can both stay on the same page if you need to mention something while getting help.
Use diagrams
Like shorthands and symbols, images often convey an idea much more effectively than actual words. If you are faced with a situation in which a diagram is more useful, dive in and share your understanding of the material in that way. Just make sure nothing is lost in the translation.
That is, if you look at your notes a week or a month later and are surprised by what you think, you will run into serious problems and there will be a gap in your speech notes. It’s also worth noting that you don’t want to get involved in the creative diagramming process at the expense of attention (a common problem). Save fancy notes for those times when you are not lecturing and under stress.
Should you record the speech?
I won’t bother. When you listen to your recording you waste a lot of time trying to capture the content. Make good use of your time to be fully alert and present in the speech and only then capture the material.
In addition, some ideas can be expressed on whiteboards and/or slides and a recorder will not capture all of these. Also, if you record a speech, you may be tempted to simply take it and not present it completely. Overall, you will create more work for yourself and risk losing important points. My advice is to keep your recorders at home!
In general, the best course of action when taking notes in college is to do what is best for you, which one is most understandable to you, and choosing any method will help you capture some of the lecture material without the risk of missing out.
The idea is simply to get all the information, simple and easy. How you do it really depends on you but here are some good tips that will help you along the way. With time and adequate practice, you will turn on a good system and you will no longer lag behind in speech.
