Don’t
LOOK Just
LISTEN y BY Ma rt in Ke nn
Book
2
BE DONE WITH AN ORDINARY NOTE N A C t BOO wha E K E S
Taking notes does NOT need to be
BORING
A p e n c i l, P E N S, PA I N T a n d S O M E i m ag i n at i o n
DO YOU.... Do you struggle to maintain concentration when someone is lecturing, or preaching
?
Do you feel anxious, agitated and generally uncomfortable in crowded rooms
?
Do you find yourself constantly checking the time, looking around or fidgeting
?
Do you relax so much you almost fall asleep
?
Do you quickly forget what is said
?
Do you think you could share your account of what you heard the next day
?
It was suggested to me that showing examples my note taking would benefit or encourage others to do likewise
ticu par f. a ting belie omoon or r p iti or ing , trad h s n pu io not ominat m a I den
Start your note taking today
lar
More than one way... Creative note taking engages your senses, imagination and body parts
Hearing it ears Writing it down hands and eyes and then reading it again as you add colours The above things should help you retain the message longer than one day
I can’t record it all... so I don’t try! My approach is to listen for certain words and phrases that catch my attention and try to make something visually interesting with them. The things that I find noteworthy will be different to what you find worth recording. I use an ordinary pencil and a small blank page notebook. I work fast as I can’t ask the person speaking to hold on while I catch up.
I try not to draw attention to myself. (no pun intended)
I don’t worry about being neat and tidy... These are just rough notes loosely pencil sketched on location. I don’t really care if it looks perfect so I don’t usually bring an eraser.
Make it as personal as you like You will develop a style and get better with practice.
It’s not a competition to do the best artwork and you may even make a few spelling mince steaks mistakes.
I don’t usually put my own words or thoughts on the page... These are basically other people’s thoughts displayed in a way I think looks more interesting than standard text. I don’t claim to be an orator, teacher or preacher.
I try to capture the essence of what is being said without adding comments.
My intention... I am not pushing or promoting a particular denomination, tradition or belief. The group of people I meet with is deliberately not mentioned. My intention is to encourage others, by sharing examples of my artwork to listen more effectively and remember what is being said for longer.
By being more creative when note taking you can recall and enjoy the message again as you add pen outlines and colours.
I have been told... I have been told that it has been encouraging for a speaker to see that people have been paying attention.
It can make all that time and effort spent in preparation seem worthwhile.
Seeing people in the audience taking notes can make the speaker feel valued.
Time flys... I mentioned earlier in the book about checking the time and this had been something I was guilty of but I do that less often thanks to being absorbed in my recording task. Sometimes I can get so engrossed with sketching my notes that I hardly notice the time passing by.
Use artwork to help you forget that ticking clock.
Sometimes people notice... Sometimes, in spite of trying to be as discreet as possible, people will notice me taking notes. It can open up the opportunity for conversations about what I am doing, We may recall what was said and get to know more about each other. To some my note taking, sketching method is so interesting that they ask if the artwork could be put online in digital form for others to see. My sketchy note taking images are slowly being scanned and continue to be posted when I have free time.
S HINE FOR G OD You don’t have to be heard to be noticed... Sometimes what we do is more important than what we say.