Best Practices for Taking Notes
When asking questions, what are your best practices for taking notes?
First during any interview, I always inform the student that I may make some notes, so that I may retain some information after our discussion.
As the student talks or responds to questions, I use short sentences which always start with the current subject.
I may even go back to those notes during the session if I hear contradictions in the students responses or discussions.
After the interview, I immediately take the notes and convert them to a short narrative.
When I'm taking notes on the phone I am typing notes into their profile. If we are in person, then I try to jot key words or points. I don't like to spend too much time writing when face to face. I'd love to hear more ideas on note taking.
I do this as well. I have a checklist of questions/topics to address with each new student and I take notes as I go down the list.
For me the best technic is also is using code and symbol, I think is easier for me to undersatd the information and be more multitask.
For me the best technic is using code. for example symbol, in stated a write a complete words. That give me the opportunity to have more eye contact whit the student.
I also like to use a note pad. I start out by asking the person to tell me something about themselves to break the ice. As the person talks I am gathering key information and asking questions. I ask questions that will engage us in conversation. I write down the key notes and then summarize what we talked about
Scott, Great practices! It's always nice to let the student know you were listening. It helps to build rapport. Do you agree?
Elizabeth Wheeler
Most of my work is done over the phone therefore, I use a legal pad and/or type notes in their file. When I speak to the prospective at a future date, I pull up the notes to review. If the prospective comes in for a tour, I also review the notes ahead of time to be prepared. This process makes them feel more comfortable and lets them now you were listening to them.
I, like many others, use a legal pad to take notes on when interviewing a prospective student. Before the student comes in, I review past conversations with the student. I jot down important phrases or topics I want to discuss or gather more information about. When the student comes in I summarize what we have talked about from previous conversations and then ask for more information. This helps me because I have the topics I want to get more information about right on hand and I stay focused. If a student has a question or needs information that I don’t have an answer to, I write it on a brightly colored sticky note and put it on the legal pad; thus, when we go on tour, I can ask the appropriate co-worker for the answer (e.g. how much would a person make in a particular career/where are graduates working, I direct to our career placement coordinator).
Emily, I agree with you. I find it easier to take notes on a legal pad then to follow questioning script. It shows the student you are generally interested in what they have to say and keeps the follow of the conversation going.
Emily,
This sounds like an effective way to organize your notes. I'll be it makes it easy to summarize what the student has told you and check for understanding, too! Thank you for sharing!
Elizabeth Wheeler
Barbara,
Excellent! Thank you for sharing your best practices!
Elizabeth Wheeler
When taking notes I know from experience what topics I want to touch base on-- so I will make a heading of each of those topics. Underneath I will write one or two words that the student mentions when answering my questions. I make sure to write down any names (whether it be people or schools) and any dates that the mention as well. My memory will allow me to fill in the blanks later, so I can write the meat of their answer down and still pay attention to what their saying, rather than writing every last word that they say down while they're in front of me.
I also like to use a note pad. I start out by asking the person to tell me something about themselves to break the ice. As the person talks I am gathering key information and asking questions. I ask questions that will engage us in conversation. I write down the key notes and then summarize what we talked about.
Thanks for sharing, Adrienne!
These are great tips. Listening carefullly and noting a list of topics that you'd like to explore further in the center of your page makes it easy to refer back to them later in the funnel frame process. Great job!
Dr. Jean Norris
Thanks for sharing, Joelle! This sounds like a great technique for keeping organized notes so that you can easily summarize and check for understanding before moving on. Great idea!
Dr. Jean Norris
Great idea, Greg! Thank you for sharing your best practices! This technique also allows you to summarize important information and check for understanding before moving on.
Dr. Jean Norris
Using the physical page space and short hand words works great. When a student is describing a situation, words or phrases that stand out I write in the center. Information that may not seem connected can be written at the top or bottom of the page to refer to if needed. Also, using abbreviations and symbols helps when taking notes. Underlining or circling can show the importance, and using short hand abbreviations to quickly collect students information as they share it. Both techniques allow me to easily summarize what they've said.
I take short hand notes that remind me of key points of the conversation then put in detailed notes after finished with the call which keeps me more engaged in the conversation and dividing my full attention to the student
