Taking Notes at Meetings and Assemblies

by punkofnice 16 Replies latest jw experiences

• 

  punkofnice

  I was considering recently the value and content of talks by reviewing notes I'd taken.

  It seems I've taken copious notes but the content was naff. Not because I'd missed interesting bits but the talks were bland 'ministry' adverts.

  The talks all seemed to be full of 'do more or god will murder you'. 'Feel guilty because you don't measure up.' 'Blind obedience to the GB is required' 'Become dense in the head'

  No interesting history ever mentioned. The only history was the erroneous 607BCE/1914CE lies.

  Was it just in the UK or is there really NO CONTENT OF VALUE outside of JDub cult adverts in the talks everywhere??
• 

  LostGeneration

  I would usually start each convention or assembly with a fresh notebook, with the goal of taking notes through the whole thing. After the first morning I would slow down or just quit altogether. It was the same message I had heard hundreds of times already! Poor content overall, I posted on it recently:

  http://www.jehovahs-witness.net/watchtower/beliefs/205678/1/Content-is-King-Why-the-Meetings-Fail

  Its really strange when I look back on it now. So much bland repetition. The same message, over and over. Its pretty amazing that people can be brainwashed by the JWs and any other cult by simply putting them in a closed environment and repeating the same message over and over. Scary.
• 

  blondie

  I only wrote down what was different in tone or content, no matter how small. I finally tossed all my notes. Hard enough reading the current crap.
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  Momma-Tossed-Me

  It is interesting that you bring this up because the other day I was thinking how much more an attendee could get out of a convention if the society reccommended that the witnesses use the Cornell note taking system or some other more effective system for later review.

  Then I realized if they did use a college form of notetaking then witnesses could easily see the repetition and perhaps do further effective research later thus leading them to connect the dots necessary for finding out that the reasoning is full of logical fallicies.

  Of course you will always have the nazi like devotees no matter what is said. But education does encourage people to be more proactive and to gain control over their lives.

  MTM
• 

  blondie

  http://lsc.sas.cornell.edu/Sidebars/Study_Skills_Resources/cornellsystem.pdf

  The Cornell Note-taking System

  2 1/2"

  6"

  2"

  Cue Column

  Summary

  After class, use this space at the bottom of each page to summarize the notes on that page.

  1.

  Record

  : During the lecture, use the notetaking column to record the lecture using telegraphic sentences.

  2.

  Questions

  : As soon after class as possible, formulate questions based on the notes in the right-hand column. Writing questions helps to clarify meanings, reveal relationships, establish continuity, and strengthen memory. Also, the writing of questions sets up a perfect stage for exam-studying later.

  3.

  Recite

  : Cover the notetaking column with a sheet of paper. Then, looking at the questions or cue-words in the question and cue column only, say aloud, in your own words, the answers to the questions, facts, or ideas indicated by the cue-words.

  4.

  Reflect

  : Reflect on the material by asking yourself questions, for example: "What’s the significance of these facts? What principle are they based on? How can I apply them? How do they fit in with what I already know? What’s beyond them?

  5.

  Review

  : Spend at least ten minutes every week reviewing all your previous notes. If you do, you’ll retain a great deal for current use, as well as, for the exam.

  Notetaking Column

  Adapted from How to Study in College 7/e by Walter Pauk, 2001 Houghton Mifflin Company
• 

  Pistoff

  I took notes only to stay awake; later, as I began to fade, I would not resist the urge for a nap, and just let the head bob.
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  Mr. Falcon

  Great topic. I never quite understood this. And make no mistake, days or a week after the convention you will always get some super-zealot JW who will approach you and ask if you want to "compare notes."

  I have taken notes until my freaking hand felt like it was going to fall off, only to go home and never read the notes AGAIN. Now I don't bother taking notes. It's nothing that can't be looked up on their CD-ROM in 2 seconds if these computer-illiterate cultists would just take the time to learn how to use the search feature. The last time I took notes, I would jot down a few mindless points from the speaker and then fill in the rest with Iron Maiden lyrics.

  Maiden rulz.
• 

  Nobleheart

  @Mr. Falcon

  I used to take notes like crazy too, almost felt like a university lecture. I had between 20-30 notebook pages. But I rarely reviewed them at home, and when I did I realized it was the same old, repetitive 'counsel'.

  That was until last assembly we had in September. I'm sure I won't be attending the next one.
• 

  Yan Bibiyan

  F@#k the notes, "Maiden rulz."
• 

  pirata

  My family reviews the note in our family worship after the Assembly and Convention. There are sometimes many interesting points to be brought out and disgust... er.. I mean discussed.