5 Note Taking Strategies to Complement Your Meeting
Many meetings and business gatherings entail idea generation, brainstorming and strategizing. But how are you capturing the Eureka moments that are splendidly created and shared? Ensure your innovative ideas become more than just shared words by developing a note-taking strategy to coincide with your meeting content. From paper and sticky notes to whiteboard and digital canvas, note taking isn’t what you remember from the classroom.
What note taking style is best for your meeting? Here are Roam’s 5 recommended note taking approaches and how they can benefit your meeting experience.
DESIGNATE A NOTE TAKER
Securing a designated note taker prior to your meeting ensures that all important ideas and topics are captured as specified by the facilitator. Best for speaking events with little audience participation and detail-oriented discussions, important content can be captured and shared digitally with attendees shortly after the meeting’s completion. And for a more creative approach, branch outside the Word document and explore utilizing note taking programs like Evernote and OneNote.
FLIP CHARTS
Relatively small in size, portable in nature and free from technology, flip charts can accompany you wherever your meeting may take you. To ensure clarity and optimal visibility, this method is best for capturing brainstorm sessions and depicting simple processes in small group settings. Flip charts allow you to avoid distractions and focus attention on a single meeting topic by moving to a blank page when there is a change is discussion – without losing any previously captured ideas. After a day of meeting, take your flip chart full of notes and ideas back to the office for further reflection and study.
Enjoy a complimentary flip chart when utilizing Roam as your offsite meeting space. From the easel to colored markers, our hospitality team will ensure you have everything you need for a successful team meeting.
STICKY NOTES
Engage your attendees and capture group-wide feedback by facilitating your meeting with a sticky note session. Giving each meeting attendee their own sticky note pad and pen empowers them to take an active role in the discussion and encourages engagement. Ask for positive feedback about a recent product launch, areas for team improvement or ideas for solving a recent problem, and allow your teammates to move around the room and use sticky notes to contribute to the conversation. Attendees leave the meeting feeling valued and heard, and a day of brainstorming is captured by collecting a wall of sticky notes.
WHITEBOARD
Get creative and allow the walls to fill with ideas when utilizing a whiteboard for your upcoming strategy session. Great for early stages of brainstorming and ideation, whiteboard space serves as a blank canvas to capture every spoken word and idea. The forgiving nature of the dry erase marker makes it easy to work through concepts, re-order priorities and remove initiatives the group determines are mediocre. This approach is great for visual learners and the magnitude of space allows initiatives to be graphically worked from idea to detailed action plan.
Roam’s meeting spaces are an ideal setting for brainstorming sessions and ideation. A complimentary whiteboard or whiteboard wall in every meeting room encourages creativity, innovation and collaboration.
VISUAL GRAPHIC RECORDING
Take your meeting to the next level when you experience your content visualized with a live, real-time graphic recording and sketching. Impress your clients and engage meeting attendees when you hire a graphic recording artist to join your gathering and graphically capture your discussions and conversations. Add an element of fun that also furthers your meeting objectives.
When meeting at Roam, consider partnering with our friends at Sketch Effect. Their talented team and seamless process allow you to create an elevated meeting experience with ease. Engage your attendees with the real-time sketching, and take the completed graphic recording back to the office for further discussions. You’ll also receive an digital copy via email to share with other colleagues and teammates who may have missed the meeting. Connect with your Roam Meeting Coordinator to get the conversation started about incorporating Sketch Effect at your next meeting.
Take some time to consider your group size and meeting agenda in order to determine the note-taking strategy that works best for you and your team. Planning ahead will ensure your brilliant ideas are captured, and also allow you to focus on successfully facilitating your meeting.