1-06 Listening Skills: Key Words

Students often feel overwhelmed while taking notes during a lecture because they attempt to write down every word the professor says, but this is not necessary, or even possible. A lecture is not dictation, and note-taking is not so much an exercise in writing quickly as it is an exercise of one's ability to recognize relevant information. Good note-taking is a balancing act; write down too much and you can be overwhelmed with information when trying to review your notes, but you have to write enough that you can make sense of it when reading your notes later.

While taking notes, focus on the content words (nouns, most verbs, adjectives, adverbs) rather than the function words (prepositions, articles, auxiliaries). Instead of trying to write down every single word, focus on these key words or phrases that contain meaning. Try to reduce the lecturer's sentence, or even an entire paragraph, down to a few simple key words, as if you were texting the main points of the lecture to yourself.

While taking notes, listen closely for any information the lecturer presents in the form of a list. The speaker may use a list in order to clearly outline the organization for the students at the start of the lecture or may use lists to present information such as reasons, themes or signicant details. If it is in a list, it is most likely important enough to note down.