Page 49 - DENG101_Communication Skills-I

Communication Skills-I

Notes

Notes Technique of Dividing the Page
Approximately 2 inches from the bottom of your paper, draw a horizontal line all the way
across the page. Approximately 2.5 inches from the left side of your paper, draw a vertical
line from the top to the horizontal line you have just drawn. On standard paper, this will
give you a 2.5 x 9-inch section on the left, a 6 x 9-inch section on the right, and 2 x 8.5-inch
section at the bottom. The 6x9 section is you note taking section.

It is important that you create all three sections because each section has its own purpose in the
Cornell method.
Once you have divided your paper into three sections, you are ready to take notes. While taking
notes, you need to remember the ‘R’s of note taking.
1. Record: During the lecture, record your notes in the note-taking section. You should
(practically you can’t) not try to write down every single word of the lecture, but try to
capture the main points. At this time, grammar, punctuation and spelling are not relevant,
as long as the notes are readable later. There are a number of symbols and abbreviations
that are commonly used while taking notes. You can also develop your own shorthand
or abbreviations for your notes. You can create a key for your abbreviations so that you
don’t forget them. By time and repeated usage you will be able to remember the common
abbreviations.

Example: Some commonly used abbreviations and symbols

& and
% percentage
b4 before
govt. government
w/0 without
ASAP as soon as possible
edu education
diff different/difference
min/max minimum/maximum
qty quantity
2. Reduce: After the lecture, reduce your notes to main keywords. These are cues to help you
remember the information, and they are written in the 2.5-inch section to the left of the
notes. The cue section is also a good place to note any questions that you have as you go
over your notes.
3. Recapitulate: The summary of your notes goes in the 2-inch space at the bottom of the
page. Summarise each page of notes at the bottom of that page. You can also summarise the
entire lecture on the last page of the notes for that lecture. Most lists place recapitulation as
the last step in the 6 R’s, but it is best to write your summary after you write your cues in
the left-hand column. Writing it immediately ensures that the information is still fresh in
your mind, which helps you create a more accurate summary.
4. Recite: Recite the information. Saying it out loud can help to reinforce the learning process.
Ideally, you can cover up the note-taking section and use the cue section to jog your
memory when reciting.

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