Even in my relatively short foray into office life, I notice that few people bring a pen and notebook to meetings. I’ve been told that over the years, the spiral notebooks and pens once prevalent during weekly meetings have been replaced with laptops and slim, touch-screen tablets.
What You Miss When You Take Notes on Your Laptop
Research shows the many benefits of taking notes by hand.
July 31, 2015
Summary.
Over the years, notebooks and pens have been replaced with laptops and touch-screens in meetings. You can take quicker notes when typing, but is that necessarily better? According to a study conducted by Princeton’s Pam A. Mueller and UCLA’s Daniel M. Oppenheimer, the answer is no. Their research shows that when you only use a laptop to take notes, you don’t absorb new materials as well, largely because typing notes encourages verbatim, mindless transcription. Writing notes in your own words, rather than directly transcribing a PowerPoint, helps you better process what is being said and improves your sense of recall.
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Accelerate your career with Harvard ManageMentor®. HBR Learning’s online leadership training helps you hone your skills with courses like Writing Skills. Earn badges to share on LinkedIn and your resume. Access more than 40 courses trusted by Fortune 500 companies.
Capture your audience's attention with smarter emails, Slacks, memos, and reports.