Writing a discussion report

taking notes during a debate and  transcription

When taking notes for a report, you need to do some groundwork before and after the debate. In this discussion, we needed some background information on the protagonists and this was provided by the LSE programme leaflet. This is also known as briefing. In addition, The more you are familiar with the topics discussed, the easier the note-taking. Unlike the previous page, this is not about a literal transcription in direct speech.  In this care, you have more freedom to organise your presentation, so you can take note of keywords and paraphrase the discussion, you can use either direct speech (quotes) or indirect speech. After taking notes, you need to look up names and specialist vocabulary mentioned by the protagonists, it is also possible that they use a foreign language word, and if they quote someone, you need to find the exact quote.

When writing, it is your duty to be as accurate as possible - it is better to leave out something you are unsure of, rather than including a possible error. Your own comments should only appear in the introduction and the conclusion, and be kept to a strict minimum in the main text.

Students may like to try this comprehension, research and writing exercise for themselves.

TTS Voice audio reading help software

(<- the lecture by Hogarth)

We invite our students to take attend a lecture on a subject they are interested in. This can be an academic lecture, a debate, a political speech, a presentation, a team discussing economic themes, a board meeting, a charity explaining their work, an author presenting his new book. You can practise this exercise with 1 hour documentaries This is a skill that is important to master because you will have to take notes at evening classes or university.

Before the event - be prepared. 

Take a binder (A4 or A5) with empty pockets  or a file with you. At the event, they will give you hand-outs or you need to pick up a leaflet with the information related to the lecturers and the title of the event. Also you will need the hard surface of the file or the binder to write.

If you know in advance what subject is going to be discussed, look up articles about it and articles about the lecturer. In case they use specialised terms, you will be able to write these words down more easily.

Take a notebook and use a pencil to take your notes. We recommend a soft  graphite pencil (b or 2b)   to avoid leaking ink. Don't forget a pencil sharpener

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At the event - pay attention

The reason why we ask you to practise taking notes from documentaries on TV is to train you to pay attention to all the information and at the same time writing it down. You will soon realise that you don't need to write everything down, but it is important for you to write down anything related to names, location, species, technical terms, numbers because this is information. Keep alert all the time. You don't have to write the exact sentence and you don't have to make complete sentences in your notes. When the event is finished, tear your pages from your notebook and put them in your file.

After the event - transcription. 

Title section

The exercise of transcription is relatively straightforward. write: a report then write down the place and the date of the event, Title of the event. Name of the lecturer, your name. - the presentation is up to you.

Introduction:

Give a few lines about the event itself, why you chose to be there.

Body of the text

If this is a debate with several people speaking you need to start a new paragraph with the name of the person (italics, caps or bold) and followed by your interpretation of what they said. You have to write in indirect speech because your notes are not the exact words of what that person said. Look up the spelling of words in a dictionary, check out the name of the person. If you have any doubts that you made an error in your notes, leave it out. You don't need everything that was said during the discussion. Make sure that your sentences are grammatically correct. 

Conclusion: This is the section where you can give your opinion to the reader. Do you agree with the lecturer, which points did particularly strike you.

Attachment: write: "further information" If the debate is a book promotion, this is where to add the title. Usually you add the website of the lecturer so what your reader can investigate further. 

and sign, with your web-address, blog or website.

You can illustrate your report if you want.

some note-taking tips by http://jerz.setonhill.edu/

Develop a notetaking method that works for you.

Fine-tune the structure and organization of your notes to increase your notetaking speed and comprehension later.

• Start each new lecture on a new page, and date and number each page. The sequence of material is important.
• Write on one side of the paper only. You can set them out side-by-side for easier reviewing when studying for an exam.
• Leave blank spaces. This allows you to add comments or note questions later.
• Make your notes as brief as possible. "Never use a sentence when you can use a phrase, or a phrase when you can use a word" (Berkeley).
• Develop a system of abbreviations and symbols you can use wherever possible.
• Note all unfamiliar vocabulary or concepts you don't understand. This reminds you to look them up later.

zebras54 hope this section has been useful to you.
best wishes!
(The Discussion Report about a debate at the London LSE about the Iron Curtain has moved here:  Iron-Curtain )