What’s in this guide👇🏿
Notetaking basics
Getting started and wrapping up your assignment
https://youtu.be/kYTPGY9J_-k?si=dNNW5lmv2dO6fL7z
How long should my notes be?
- Aim for between 2 and 6 pages of notes.
- Your goal is to share what we found noteworthy or interesting about the meeting and to raise any questions you had. Documenters notes are not minutes. If you find yourself spending hours on your notes or feeling overwhelmed, take a deep breath and feel free to reach out to the team.
- Ask: What would I tell my neighbor about what happened at this meeting?
What if I don’t understand something that happens in a meeting?
- If you encounter something confusing during a meeting, leave us a comment right in your notes and we’ll try to help.
- If there’s a specific moment in a meeting you think folks should watch or hear for themselves — and there is a recording on YouTube — you can link to that part of the video. Here’s a video showing how to do that.
- If you have an urgent question, you can call or text a Documenters team member. We will get back to you as soon as we can
What’s the difference between an observation and an opinion?
- When we train together to document meetings, we talk about sharing facts and not personal opinions. We do encourage you to share your observations, but that line between opinion and observation might not always be clear.
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Example:
❌I don’t think Council Member Jane Smith knew what she was talking about and sounded silly.
✅Council Member Jane Smith appeared confused about the legislation, based on the questions she was asking.
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