Note-Taking at Meetings: What's the Point?

by Room 215 23 Replies latest social current

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  Room 215

  The last time I was at a meeting, I was struck by how many JWs -- mostly women and pre-teenage kids were assiduously taking notes.

  I mean, what is the point? Do they really believe the guy on the platform is saying anything that can't be found -- and reiterated -- dozens if not hundreds of times in their printed material? Do they really expect anyone to believe that they actually pore over them when they get home, or get together to compare notes? The cynic in me persists in the suspicion that it's nothing more than posturing for effect.
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  upside/down

  It keeps you from falling asleep and drooling on yourself!

  u/d
  
  
  
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  Gopher

  I was a note-taker, but the only time I ever reviewed them was after the summer convention for the follow-up Service Meeting part.

  Other than that, I took notes mainly to stay focused awake during the Sunday public talks.
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  MonkeyPrincess

  You know what is so funny about this. I was going through a box of old papers and stuff that i had, and i came across an old writing tablet
  with notes from the meeting. Most of it was scriptures, but on the corners of the paper were notes that my sisters and i would write back and forth,
  you know the kind you got in big trouble for, it was quite funny reading them again, we were silly.
  

  We definatly didnt take notes to use at a later time, it was so we wouldnt snooze off.

  MonkeyPrincess
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  Billygoat

  I think I was a notetaker just to keep awake. Although I will say I still take notes at work meetings and so forth. I may never look over those notes again, but just the act of writing them makes the words stick to my memory better.
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  blondie

  It keeps you from falling asleep and drooling on yourself!

  Good enough reason for me. I eventually started playing word games, anagrams, writing my grocery list in shorthand, to do lists.

  Blondie
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  Billygoat

  writing my grocery list in shorthand,

  Blondie, OMG, this triggered a memory for me!!! I remember wanting to take shorthand in high school and my dad wouldn't let me!! He said that there was too much mysterious and mystical things about shorthand that reminded him of Satan.

  Can you believe that???

  So silly now when I think of it...I remember believing him!
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  SixofNine

  I guess I'm a conceptual thinker, because I end up not getting as much out of a speech when note taking. Something I suspected about myself even as a witness, but went ahead and took on the too lazy/not spiritual enough badge as my reason for seldom taking notes. I simply don't write or process fast enough to actually write down concepts, because generally speaking, concept have to be reworded by me, unless the speaker hits upon a beautiful phrase.
  
  feh... I guess my mind can wonder just as easily with or w/o notes. Something for which I feel no guilt anymore. Here's a tip, say something interesting. Then, even this ADD addled brain will pay attention.
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  Valis

  BillyGoat let me borrow her notes from last Sunday...

  
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  TresHappy

  It eased the boredom for me. I remember one guy who would draw caricatures of the elders who gave the talks at our KH on his WT. He was quite good at it...