Have you ever looked over your conference notes? Every time you attend a panel or seminar, you will almost certainly be covering page after page with text, trying to sum up what each speaker is saying. However, these are no good if you don't go over them afterwards.
You will struggle to retain much information if you do not use your notes to jog your memory. However, the main problem many people have at this stage is time. In a busy week, can you spare an hour or two to go over your notes and revise what you learnt at your last conference?
Luckily, you don't have to. There is a more efficient method of note-taking that can be incredibly beneficial to busy employees. All you need to do is to split your pad into two (or just take an extra one) and dedicate one section to 'action steps'.
So what does this mean? Essentially, you will be writing notes as usual. However, when you hear something you can act on, you will be noting this down as an action step instead. When the conference is over, you will essentially have a to-do list prepared that will enable you to implement the wisdom you will absorb at the conference.
This can be an incredibly useful tool, as one of the main problems with going through notes is working out what you can actually do with all the information. This way, you will be deciding this as you learn.
For example, if you hear about a certain product that could benefit your business, you might write an action step telling you to research it or even order it if you are certain it is right for your company. Then, rather than picking through your notes afterwards, you can get straight to taking action as soon as you get back to the office.
