People often compliment me and tell me what a great memory I have. While my memory’s respectable, what’s even better is my note-taking prowess. That’s my real secret. I am a voracious note taker in every business situation.
One executive at Vickie Milazzo Institute boils it down to, “The person with the best notes wins.” With that thought in mind, I not only always have a legal pad and pen handy, but also a stack of sticky notes, even in the most informal of meetings. They serve as my external memory, one that doesn’t get erased by sleep, an office crisis or a box of hot glazed donuts.
Have you noticed that as a society we are becoming less skilled at listening? As a legal nurse consultant you can’t afford to be or risk becoming a poor listener.
When you’re talking with an attorney, they must be the center of your attention and you should appear smart and “all in” the conversation. Think about the last time you were talking to someone who was looking past you over your shoulder, checking her Blackberry or appeared to be day-dreaming. Remember how you felt? That’s exactly how the attorney-client will feel – unimportant – if you appear to not be “all in.” You also risk missing a key communication, such as an important issue on your medical-malpractice (or personal injury…) case or worse yet, a deadline. Just like taking notes during the CLNC® Certification Program increased your exam score, taking notes when you are speaking to your attorney-client will dramatically improve the points you score with that attorney.
Whenever you are in your attorney-client’s office, pull out your Mont Blanc pen (or “be like Vic and buy a Bic”) and your notepad (legal size of course) and take notes as you discuss the case or a future assignment.
If you switch conversations to a different case, switch to a different page. You might be killing an extra leaf on a tree or slaying a forest, but it’s a lot simpler and ultimately more efficient to have only notes for one case per page. That way when you get to your office, you can just file your notes with the corresponding case without having to rewrite a single note.
The more you practice note-taking, the more natural it becomes and soon you can talk, maintain eye contact, smile and take notes all at the same time. The same people in my office who see me take notes all day, every day in every meeting or hallway conversation, are the same people who credit me with a great memory. The notes have become invisible and all they remember is that somehow, day after day, I remember everything we discussed.
Note-taking is a powerful business tool for Certified Legal Nurse Consultants. Start today.
Success Is Inside!
| P.S. | Next you’ll need to work on your handwriting so you can decipher all those wonderful notes you’ve taken. |
| P.P.S. | Comment and share tips on how taking notes has enhanced your legal nurse consulting business. |
Tags: attorney-client, Communication, Legal Nurse Consultant, Legal Nurse Consulting, notes, office, Vickie Milazzo
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June 11, 2009 at 6:36 pm
Julie R. Gunn RN, CLNC
In “years gone by” I prided myself as a registered nurse who could care for a large number of patients and recall what was happening with each of them at any time. However, in my 50’s, I have discovered that I can no longer effectively divide my brain into innumerable directions and rely on my powers of recollection. Now working with attorneys as a CLNC® consultant, I have been tempted to think “I don’t need to write that down. I’ll remember it.” It only took one misunderstanding with an attorney for me to realize this was not a good idea. During a case meeting or telephone conversation with an attorney-client, my brain receives so much information that it is impossible to retain each and every detail without taking specific and relevant notes.
June 11, 2009 at 10:10 am
Connie S. Chappelle RN, MN, CLNC
I learned how important note taking was in graduate school (which came in handy when I took the 6 day CLNC® Certification Program). And have honed this process to a fine art.
When speaking with attorneys (phone or in person) I always have a legal pad, highlighter, pen/pencil, and sticky notes at hand.
One attorney that I work with always knows that I will have this equipment available when we are working away from his/my office. I have worked with him so much that I know what he needs before he asks for it. He says I am the most organized person he has ever worked with.
Vickie is right…perfecting note taking makes the process invisible to those around us.
June 11, 2009 at 2:12 am
Jane Hurst
I agree with you Vickie. Note taking is a must in order to work efficiently. After speaking with my attoney-client, I go over my notes to make sure I will be able to understand them.
I live by sticky notes. I write notes to remind myself about notes! I used to have sticky notes plastered all over my computer monitor until I started using handy computer screen sticky notes. You can buy sticky note software, but I use a free download that works well. You can just Google “free computer sticky notes” to find one. They appear as transparent notes on your desktop. Some downloads even allow you to change the color of the notes from the classic yellow to pink, blue and green. I color code my reminders according to importance. It’s just another layer of added brain “memory,” and I can use all the help I can get!!
June 10, 2009 at 11:09 am
Suzanne Arragg, RN, BSN, CLNC
I couldn’t agree with you more, Vickie!
I have attended many meetings with my attorney-clients. I always have my legal pad and pen. In fact, I carry a few extra just in case others attending forgot to bring one. Yes- others do forget! A benefit to this practice is my legal pads and pens happen to have my company’s name and contact information printed on them. It’s a great way to keep your name in front of your client.
But more important is the active listening and communication that occurs between me and my client. It is impossible to have precise recall when so many details in a given case require attention. Keep those notes and as Chris Rheaume mentioned above, scan them into your PC and you’ll never misplace a handwritten note ever again!
June 10, 2009 at 10:14 am
Chris Rheaume, RN, CLNC
I appreciate any ideas for supporting my mid-life memory bank!
Taking it just one step further for those (like me) who like to work electronically, would be to scan your notes at the end of the day and file them in your computer in their respective case folders. Your suggestion to use a separate page for each case as you take notes makes this easy.
June 10, 2009 at 9:53 am
Caroline Bunner, RN, BSN, CLNC
Thank you for the the tip. Taking notes is essential for me as most of my case discussion is done over the phone. It is imperative that I get all of the details correct. I always follow-up with the client with an e-mail to ensure that I am correct and there will be no surprises for either of us (especially when the bill is submitted).
Tom’s blog regarding setting up the iGoogle account is a perfect adjunct to this blog entry. You can add the “notepad” gadget and have your “to-do” list on your computer and can file away the Post-its until you need to reference them.