Effective Note-Taking: Techniques and Tips for Better Learning

1. WHAT IS NOTE TAKING? • Is the practice of writing pieces of information, often in an informal or unstructured manner or simply shorthand. • It is the means of recording the main information during reading or lecture session. • Being a skill it must be learned and refined.

2. Importance of note taking • Helps in recording information for future reference • Enhances concentration and activeness • Enhances understanding of subject matter • Helps on focusing on important points • Improves writing skills • Facilitates making revision when preparing for exam • Aids memory – helps to retain important facts and data

3. How lectures are organised Introduction Announcement of the topic (previous and present) Body of the lecture (deductive and/or inductive approach) Summary (restatement of key points) Aids 3

4. How written texts are organised Title of section/chapter in relation to the whole book (see table of contents) Subsections/subtitles Thesis sentences Topic sentences Connectors and transition markers Font style and formatting (bold, italics, underlining, capitalisation, etc.) 4

5. Three stages for note-making Before Think about the purpose for reading What do you need to know During Skim for the gist Scan for key points Read in advance on the topic and annotate Write keyword notes, adding your own thoughts c) After Organise – include bibliographical detail Review your notes 5

6. 5 Rs in Note Taking process Record - write down important points Reduce – summarize, clarify points briefly Recite/Recall – say over points in your own words without reading Reflect – rewrite your notes in another method and improve your own opinions from notes. Review – reread your notes every week. 6

7. What should all good notes contain? Source: lecture, book, article date, etc. Headings: capturing key points Keywords: key points, examples, illustrations, names, etc. Mnemonic triggers: things that make your notes memorable, e.g. emoji, colour etc. 7

8. Preventing Plagiarism Distinguish quotes/summaries/your own ideas Always record complete bibliographical details Author/editor, name and initials Title of source Date of publication/access to website Place/city of publication of the source Publisher and other important bibliographical details 8

9. How to select main points in a lecture/presentation? • Look on change of toner of the speaker • Use of facial expression/gesture • Writing main points on the board • Use of signal words such as firstly, secondly, additionally, • Repetition of statement sentences

10. How to attain brevity in note taking • In taking notes you have to be brief by: • Ignore unnecessary words or sentences e.g greetings, personal stories • Use abreviations and accronyms eg. Abbreviations such as UN, TTCL, LLB, BBA, PCB • Accronyms e.g CHADEMA, TANESCO, TADEA, TAMWWA

11. CONT… • Clipping of some words/paraphrasing e.g Prep. for preparation, Hist. for history, com. for communication • Avoid repetitions • Pick only the main points only • Use symbols and signs such as +,=,} • Use bullets, numbers or letters to outline points instead of words.

12. Methods of note taking/making • There are several ways of how notes are taken • Cornel method/Tabular method • Diagram/mapping method • Outlining method • Sentence method

13. Note taking/making methods1. Cornel method

14. Notes (Tree diagram) Comm b arrier types P h ysical Physiological Psychological no ob dh ps st i 2. Tree diagram/Mapping/branching

15. 4. Outlining method • Barriers of Communication • Physical barriers • noise • physical objects, e.g. pillars • venues, e.g. bad lighting • noisy transmission, e.g. bad telephone lines • bad handwriting • Physiological barriers • defective hearing – illness, defective organs • bad eye sight

16. 5. Sentence method • Today we are going to consider different categories of barriers of communication. • A barrier is anything that interferes with the coding, transmitting, or reception of information. • There are several categories of barriers of communication, but in this lecture we are going to see the first three.

17. Importance of taking/making notes • Improve our study and academic work habits • Helps to develop distinct skills • Helps stdnts to develop capacity for logical argumentation through notes

18. Problems with listening to lectures • Defective auditory factors • Uninteresting/boring topic/lecturer • Distraction by lecturer’s mannerisms • Giving attention to too much detail – taking too many notes • Concentrating on facts rather than ideas • Negative self-concept • Wandering mind – difficulty to concentrate • You may be focusing on the irrelevant • Tuning out difficult material • Environmental factors – temp, light, ext noise

19. Where do we take notes? • One can take/make notes • During lectures • In seminars/meetings • During fieldwork • Reading printed materials • When browsing the internet

20. Organisation of notes • Notes taken can be organised in different formats such as: • Outline format • Branching format • Tabular format

21. LETTER WRITING

22. A letter is a written or printed message addressed to a person or persons, usually sent by post or messenger. A business letter is a written communication addressed to a person or organization, by a person or organization for specific business purpose It is an addressed document of legal, formal or informal kind for various purposes

23. Business Letter terms Initial → the first letter of a name or word, typically a person's given name or a word forming part of a phrase; Enclosure → a document or object placed in an envelope together with a letter; Correspond (v) → to agree with or match; Carbon” copy → a duplicate copy of writing, typewriting, or drawing

24. Introduction When we have composed the body of our letter and are ready to type, we should keep in mind three things: Typing: Letters should be single-spaced with double-spacing between paragraphs. Print should be clear and dark. Errors should not be erased or corrected after printing. Paragraphing: Paragraph breaks should come at logical points in our message and should also result in an EVEN appearance. A one-line paragraph followed by an eight-line paragraph will not look balanced. Paragraphs of approximately the same length will please the eye.

25. Introduction White space: In addition to the space created by paragraphing, we should leave space by centering our letter on the page. An ample margin of white space should surround the message, top and bottom as well as both sides. If a letter is brief, we should avoid beginning to type too high on the page; if a letter is long, we should not hesitate to use an additional sheet of paper.

26. TYPES OF BUSINESS LETTERS • Application letter. • Complaint letter. • Adjustment letter • Request letter. • Order letter &sales letter • Recommendation letter. • Request letter etc.

27. PURPOSES OF BUSINESS LETTERS • Requesting and providing information. (Information, Sales Covering Letters). • Ordering goods or services. (Order Letters). • Acknowledging the order. (Acknowledgment Letter). • Confirming information or arrangement. (Confirmation Letter). • Expressing thanks or congratulations. (Good News). • Conveying bad news. (Bad news, messages).

28. PURPOSES OF BUSINESS LETTERS (Continued) • Complaining about the products or services. (Complaint Letter). • Answering a complaint. (Adjustment Letters). • Introduction and explaining products or services. (Purchase Covering). • Recommending someone for a job or post. (Recommendation Letter). • Persuading the receiver to do something. (Collection Letter). • Applying for a job (Application/cover letter)

29. Elements/Parts of a Business Letter Letterhead: This is printed and supplied by our employer. It is used only for the first page of a letter. Dateline: The date on which the letter is being prepared is typed a few lines below the letterhead. Inside Address: The address of our reader is typed as it will appear on the envelope. Attention Line: This is not always required. It should be used when the letter is addressed to a company or organization as a whole, but we want it to be handled there by a specific individual. It should be underlined or typed in capitals.

30. Parts of a Business Letter Salutation: We should use an individual’s name whenever it is known, preceded by the word Dear. When the reader’s name is not known, the person’s title is the next best term in a salutation. Dear Sir, Dear Madam or Sir, Gentlemen, Gentlemen and Ladies are acceptable in cases of extreme formality. Subject Line: It is often omitted, but it is courteous to include it. It identifies the content of our message, so our reader may decide whether the letter requires immediate attention. It should be underlined or typed in capitals. Body: This is the actual message of our letter.

31. Parts of a Business Letter Complimentary Closing: This is a polite, formal way to end a letter; standard forms are Yours truly or Truly yours, Sincerely yours, Respectfully yours. Excessively familiar closings should be avoided, except in special situations. Best wishes, for example, could be used when the reader is well known to us. Affectionate expressions, such as Fondly or Love, should, obviously, be reserved for private correspondence. Company Signature: This item is often omitted from less formal correspondence; it should be used when the signer of the letter is writing as a spokesperson for the company, not as an individual. Since this information appears in the letterhead, some companies omit it altogether.

32. Parts of a Business Letter Signer’s Identification: Printed four lines below the previous item to allow space for the signature; this includes the signer’s name and any relevant titles. Optional elements Reference Initials: Consisting of the signer’s initials in capitals followed by a slash or colon followed by the lowercase initials of the person preparing the letter; this item serves as a reminder of who prepared the letter. Enclosure Reminder: Consisting of the word enclosure, followed by a list of the enclosed items, this is a practical courtesy to prevent our reader from discarding important matter with the envelope. “CC” Notation: Also a courtesy, this tells the reader who has been sent a “carbon” copy of the letter.

33. How to Write a Business Letter? An effective business letter uses short, simple sentences and straightforward vocabulary. First and foremost, we should make sure that we spell the recipient’s name correctly. We should also confirm the gender and proper title. We should use Ms. for women and Mr. for men. When we don’t know the name of a person and cannot find this information out we may write, “To Whom It May Concern”.

34. Some common ways to address the recipient: In most types of business letter it is common to use a friendly greeting in the first sentence of the letter.

36. After the short opening, we should state the main point of our letter in one or two sentences: We should use a few short paragraphs to go into greater detail about our main point. Common ways to express unpleasant facts:

37. The last paragraph should include requests, reminders, and notes on enclosures. If necessary, our contact information should also be in this paragraph. Some common phrases used when closing a business letter:

42. Things to consider when writing an application letter • Like a sales letter, application letter is meant to sell your skills, qualification, and experiences to the potential employer • use 1st paragraph to state why are you writing • Use 2nd paragraph to state what you have to offer • Use 3rd paragraph to state how will you follow up,

43. Cover Letter Mechanics Generally: • Mind the 7CS when writing a coverletter/application letter • Limit to 1 page, and typically 3 to 4 paragraphs. • Address your cover letter to a specific person • Tell employer the type of position you are seeking and if you read in a newspaper or someone mentioned it to you. • Include one or two unique qualifications you have and how these relate to the position. Go beyond and highlight your specific qualifications. • Be brief, to the point and businesslike. No errors! • Include your contact information and you will follow up within one week. • Be positive, enthusiastic and professional in your letter. • Sign your letter.

45. How to package an application? • In packaging an application before you send to the potential employer, you: • Start with a cover letter, followed by your CV • Academic certificates and other professional or organisational membership certificates

46. BUSINESS LETTER STYLES The format (layout) is the visual organization of a business letter. The main business letter formats are: Full Block Style Modified Block Style  Indented or Semi-block Style

47. Full Block Style It is the most formal of all the styles and is accepted by most businesses. Every line is left justified. There are no indented lines. The dateline is placed two to six line spaces below the last line of the letterhead. The inside address placement varies depending upon the length of the letter. A common spacing is four line spaces below the date line.

48. The salutation is placed two lines below the attention line (if an attention line is provided). The first line of the body is placed two lines below an attention line or two to four lines below the last inside address line. Paragraphs are single spaced, with a double space between paragraphs.

49. While there are no set rules governing format use, it is generally used for: requests or inquiries; claims, announcements; records of agreement; transmittal of other technical documents; job applications.