Notetaking is a complex activity that requires a high level of ability in ma

Firstly, the student has to understand what the Example lecturer says as he says it.  A non-native speaker may find himself unable to recognize words in speech which he understands straight away in print. And he might also find himself failing to infer the meaning of some totally new words out of context. All that he needs to do, however, is to concentrate on the important points, which would allow him to understand much of the lecture.
    How to decide what’s important, then? The title of a lecture, which often implies many of the major points to be covered, is probably the most important piece of information. The student should make sure that he writes the title down. A good lecturer might explicitly tell his audience what is important, or he might give indirect signals pause or speak slowly or speak loudly or use a greater range of intonation.
    The third basic skill is to write down the main points quickly and clearly. It is helpful to abbreviate and select only those words that give maximum information, nouns mostly, sometimes verbs or adjectives. Choosing the right moment to write is very difficult. Connecting words are quite helpful here. Connectives like "moreover", "furthermore", "also" indicate that it’ s safe to write, whereas "however", "on the other hand" or "nevertheless" suggest that new information is going to follow and that it’s more appropriate to listen.