US Army Journalist - Course - Survival Books

Lesson 4, Learning Event 2DEVELOP NOTE-TAKING SKILLSOne way to develop your note-taking ability, your skill in usingabbreviations and to increase your speed in this task, is to takenotes during television newscasts.Develop the habit of watching the screen while you take notes.Learn to listen to the broadcaster and note his expressions as wellas what he says. Learn to remember more of what was said than younote on paper. Note only the highlights of the report, recordingall essential facts.At the end of the 30-minute broadcast, review your notes, organizeand transcribe them. If you have a video-cassette recorder, recordthe broadcast and review it after transcribing your notes. You maybe surprised at how much of the broadcast you remember withoutusing a tape recorder. Your speed will increase with practice.There are six additional points to consider in note-taking.1. Use a steno pad, or a pocket-sized notepad. Singlesheets of paper may become disorganized and the notestaken on them can become as tangled as a pile of old wirecoat hangers. Steno pads and notepads can be safely andquickly rearranged at the reporter's desk.2. Write on only one side of the paper. Use a new page forevery shift in topic to simplify organization later on.3. Don't lose eye-contact with the subject (interviewee).With practice you can learn to write without looking atthe notepad. This will let the interview become moreconversational and will give the source something to lookat other than the top of a head.4. Pace your note-taxing. When the source says things oflittle interest to you, the tendency is to stop writing.Resist this natural tendency. The person will notice ifyou stop taking notes and his or her enthusiasm may wane.34