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Do you still use paper and quill to record notes... or a laptop?

Phil

| 0 Posts

14 Nov, 2018 12:14

I thought I would ask the opinion of HR professionals.

Throughout my career I have hand written my investigation and disciplinary notes, some going on to 30 – 40 pages long (and a very saw hand).

What is common place now, is it still to use the old fashioned quill and paper or do people tend to use laptops?

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  • Sally

    | 0 Posts

    14 Nov, 2018 13:03

    Hi Phil

    I do mine on a laptop as we are going along. I then spend a good chunk of time tidying up my notes at the end of the meeting. I'm not sure what the answer is... I have trialled outsourcing the notetaking, but some of the context/acronyms etc can get lost using an external resource.
  • Nina Waters

    | 0 Posts

    14 Nov, 2018 13:06

    Laptop for sure - I type far more quickly than I can write, so the notes are more comprehensive. If contentious, print a draft copy and get all to initial it at the end of the meeting, so there's a reference point if there is any debate about the 'tidied up' version.
  • Carrie

    | 0 Posts

    14 Nov, 2018 14:06

    I tend to write then type! not great use of time but I cant type as quick as I write and my hand writing is not always clear enough to read!
  • Clare

    | 0 Posts

    14 Nov, 2018 15:15

    Before our team all had individual laptops , I also took notes by hand and then typed them up afterwards which was rather time consuming to say the least. Now it is so much easier and quicker to type them as I go along and then correct them (i.e spellcheck etc) afterwards
  • Samantha

    | 0 Posts

    14 Nov, 2018 16:33

    I was given feedback that my clicking away on a keyboard was a bit off putting so I've reverted back to hand writing, typing up and then distributing.
  • Elizabeth Divver

    | 0 Posts

    14 Nov, 2018 19:04

    No one has mentioned voice recognition software, which is now easily available. I take notes by hand but have experimented with reading them back.
  • Stan

    | 0 Posts

    21 Nov, 2018 10:01

    I've never done an investigation/disciplinary, but I do plenty of research, make notes in meetings, summarise reading, and in a different role record walk directions.

    I find a laptop/tablet is too intrusive when other people are involved, and prefer handwritten notes from books/articles as I like to do diagrams etc. I very rarely want direct summaries on the computer; I would tend to restructure my original notes if circulating to colleagues, or use them to write a paper combining different sources. I sometimes scan handwritten stuff in.

    Voice recording works well for some things (with permission where it involves other people), though I find VR software output needs careful checking and listening back/transcription can be very time-consuming.
  • Stephanie

    | 0 Posts

    21 Nov, 2018 11:32

    In reply to Elizabeth Divver:

    We get consent from all parties to record the meetings; upload to gdrive as an mp4; share in gdrive (as "view" only) and get everyone to email that they have listened and agree. Very secure; no mistakes; can only access with a 2 step verification code
  • Wendy Perry

    | 0 Posts

    21 Nov, 2018 22:15

    In reply to Stephanie:

    Hate to say this but.... I am lucky enough to have maintained my shorthand skills and although not at the speed I once was, this serves me well in formal or informal meetings. Of course, some of you will have worked out that if I can do shorthand I'm old enough to have been a touch typist too so I have also used a laptop. However, I have to admit to trusting my shorthand more than technology. It's all very well using technology until it does something unexpected or doesn't do something you expect and you lose an hours worth of meeting notes. Not funny. Also, small point, I attended a meeting today with notes taken by the host and the keyboard clicking away was extremely annoying so I would urge those of you who use one to select a soft touch keyboard.
  • Tim

    | 0 Posts

    22 Nov, 2018 19:29

    Ipad mini using OneNote. You can turn off keyboard sounds so there is no distraction, the small size is unobtrusive (works in interviews too), and the result is fully searchable as well. You can also easily make margin notes.
  • Ana Tomsa

    | 0 Posts

    23 Nov, 2018 10:47

    I am typing the investigation and disciplinary notes as find it very time saving.
    In my organisation the HR is a supporting function during the process. I have developed the skill to simultaneously type and active listen what is being said.
    Also, the technology and word corrector help a lot by highlighting the typos, so you don't need to concentrate on it when typing.
  • Robey

    | 0 Posts

    23 Nov, 2018 11:29

    Write *then* type. My handwriting is indecipherable to anyone but me, which provides me with a good deal of plausible deniability when writing up the Board minutes...
  • Peter Stanway

    | 0 Posts

    23 Nov, 2018 15:49

    In reply to Robey:

    The key issue is what the note taker is able to do best.
  • Catherine Fehilly

    | 0 Posts

    26 Nov, 2018 11:59

    Hi, I use my laptop to take all my notes. Like Wendy I used to notetake using shorthand and am a touch typist but as my handwriting has deteriorated over the years, I now find typing directly onto the laptop is best. I have a template I use for notetaking which makes it easy. keyboard sounds are turned off so it does not distract in meetings.
  • Lesley

    | 0 Posts

    26 Nov, 2018 14:01

    I find it almost impossible to hand write notes. I get too much wrist and hand pain if I need to use a pen for more than a minute or two and I also lose attention - I cannot stay wholly focussed on the meeting if I'm writing by hand.

    For me, typing directly works best. I type fast and don't need to see the screen to type accurately, so I can stay engaged in the meeting even though I'm typing away. I tend to just make verbatim notes and then tidy up afterwards, as that doesn't actually require any additional thought and tends to be quicker than trying to structure the notes more carefully. I will bold/italic things that need emphasis as I go with keyboard shortcuts (Ctrl+b/i to trigger formatting, ctrl+space to clear formatting) and occasionally colour or highlight too.

    I do sometimes record really important meetings too (with permission) but I've had that backfire (recording corruption or files lost), plus transcription takes AGES.