LISTENING

There is one more essential step to learn before putting pen to paper, and taking effective visual notes all hinges on this one skill: listening.

THREE STEPS TO GOOD LISTENING

There are three steps to good listening:

1) Hear: The first step to good listening is being in a good position to hear well. If you’re in a smaller setting with no sound system, get as close to the presenter as possible. Move away from noisy areas or people. If you’re in a large room, make sure you’re near or under a speaker.

2) Focus: Remove any distractions. Put your phone on “Do Not Disturb” mode.

3) Listen: This is the final step to good listening—actually listening! There are two kinds of listening: head-to-heart and head-to-hand.

HEARING VS. LISTENING ...

Get The Art of Visual Notetaking now with the O’Reilly learning platform.

O’Reilly members experience books, live events, courses curated by job role, and more from O’Reilly and nearly 200 top publishers.