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In a meeting, and need to take notes, etc.

ivanwi11iams

ivanwi11iams

Contributor
Original poster
Nov 30, 2014
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3,066
Georgia, USA
So, you're a Manager/Leader, and often in meetings.

What device, if any, do you use to take notes, etc.?
I've been in more and more meetings, and writing notes on a pad, and then transferring that 'scribble' to my computer is pointless.

I'm thinking of getting an iPad Pro, with Apple Keyboard for work. But, that's also just another device to update, and manage.

Looking for ideas...
 
I picked up a Pro 9.7 and the Pencil and use them to take notes in meetings all the time. Super quick and pretty impressive overall. I use either Notability or Goodnotes (plenty others out there) and both sync my notes to the cloud so they're always with me should I need them.

Couple that with a good keyboard (the Logitech CREATE is my current favorite, but the Apple Smart Keyboard ain't too shabby either) and you're 95% of the way to a laptop replacement.

Last time I traveled for work, in fact, I left the laptop behind and just used my iPad - worked like a charm.
 
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Pen using the iPad Pro 9.7 with the pencil and OneNote. I use like OneNote and it works well for me. I have an Office 365 subscribition and now that Sprint offers unlimited data for tablets I can easily acces OneDrive and all my files on the go. Yesterday I decided to move up to the 12.9 since it is essentially the same size as my paper notepad. I'm on vacation for the next 3 weeks so won't have a chance to see how I like the increased size in meeting until I get back to work.
 
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Why is it still taboo for people to take notes on their phones? I would love to sit in meetings taking notes on my phone. But people would just look at me weird! We have these amazing $1000 computers in our pockets constantly and we can never use them because the old people in power think it's rude. I hate it
 
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username: said:
Why is it still taboo for people to take notes on their phones? I would love to sit in meetings taking notes on my phone. But people would just look at me weird! We have these amazing $1000 computers in our pockets constantly and we can never use them because the old people in power think it's rude. I hate it
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So true, it's ridiculous
 
username: said:
Why is it still taboo for people to take notes on their phones? I would love to sit in meetings taking notes on my phone. But people would just look at me weird! We have these amazing $1000 computers in our pockets constantly and we can never use them because the old people in power think it's rude. I hate it
Click to expand...

because people abuse phones in meetings by checking FB and Twitter. It ain't fair, but that's the truth.
 
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afctee said:
So, you're a Manager/Leader, and often in meetings.

What device, if any, do you use to take notes, etc.?
I've been in more and more meetings, and writing notes on a pad, and then transferring that 'scribble' to my computer is pointless.

I'm thinking of getting an iPad Pro, with Apple Keyboard for work. But, that's also just another device to update, and manage.

Looking for ideas...
Click to expand...
I stopped doing the paper pad and transcribe thing about 5 years ago.

In meetings now, I just type everything said (stenographer style) using a laptop. And whenever the conversation veers off into something unimportant (as it so often does) I'll go back and format/cleanup my notes. It means I don't have to do much afterwards.

Now, I do have a 12" iPad and pencil and it's really fluid for taking handwritten notes. I don't use it because I need my notes to be searchable text.
 
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I've been using iPP 12.9 for a year now and I attend meetings every single day (sometimes 2-3 a day)
I started using GoodNotes with the pencil last January and in a few months 3 other managers purchased 12.9" iPPs and started doing the same thing. We can exchange meeting notes with Airdrop, convert notes to PDF etc.

The president of the company once (during a meeting) said I was showing off with my iPP (he likes mocking people). At the end of the meeting while I was leaving the conference room, I saw him bent down with his hand in the paper bin by the door looking for a paper he accidentally threw away. I told him "this is why I use iPP" lol. To me that moment was priceless!
[doublepost=1481934810][/doublepost]
afctee said:
Spot on! I have a coworker that does that. I often pause the meeting and ask him what was just said... LMAO!
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Phones are not allowed into meetings in my company. We even switch our iPPs to flight mode with only bluetooth enabled for the pencil.

Even when people use laptops and pound on their keyboards during meetings, noone knows whether they're taking notes from the meeting or doing some other work they're supposed to do outside the meeting. This is why iPP is the perfect device for meetings imo.
 
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12" iPad Pro w/Pencil here; we get PDF's emailed to us prior to our meetings with items of discussion, etc. I import those into PDF Expert & markup/write on margins of the PDF's.

For taking notes, I use Notability.
 
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GLS said:
12" iPad Pro w/Pencil here; we get PDF's emailed to us prior to our meetings with items of discussion, etc. I import those into PDF Expert & markup/write on margins of the PDF's.

For taking notes, I use Notability.
Click to expand...
This.

The iPad Pro+Apple keyboard doesn't work well for clinical note-taking in medical school, pencil is too slippery. The felt surface of the apple keyboard would be great for harbouring superbugs...

As long as I have a table this combo is great though.

Onenote is pretty good too.
 
afctee said:
So, you're a Manager/Leader, and often in meetings.

What device, if any, do you use to take notes, etc.?
I've been in more and more meetings, and writing notes on a pad, and then transferring that 'scribble' to my computer is pointless.

I'm thinking of getting an iPad Pro, with Apple Keyboard for work. But, that's also just another device to update, and manage.

Looking for ideas...
Click to expand...



iPP 9.7, and a great app called Beesy, with Belkin Qode Ultimate keyboard. I have the pencil, but find the keyboard faster for taking notes in meeting and Beesy is great for capturing and assigning tasks etc.
 
username: said:
Please explain
Click to expand...

It is much easier to spot if the device is being used in an unprofessional way, since the screen is much bigger. On top of that, many tablets are used like a paper notebook, flat on the table instead of being handheld which creates a barrier and that might lead other participants to think you are doing something private on the device.
 
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iPad Pro purchase and iPad Air II traded in and I even upgraded my missus Chromebook...

8a78111bd4a02d5553b0a0764180ebad.jpg
 
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One weekly meeting I have, we had to outlaw all electronic devices -- unless you are presenting -- due to people doing other things on their devices.

For work stuff, I use One Note. It's the best I've seen for this and I can sync with the copy on my work PC>
 
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...totally agree with OneNote. It has been working great for the last 6-8 months. I was happy when I switched from Evernote to OneNote. And look at Evernote, now :(

Brammy said:
One weekly meeting I have, we had to outlaw all electronic devices -- unless you are presenting -- due to people doing other things on their devices.

For work stuff, I use One Note. It's the best I've seen for this and I can sync with the copy on my work PC>
Click to expand...
 
Yep, I do it too but I have a 12.9 for my notes. Its a bit big and thinking about dropping to the smaller version. But people are always impressed with how well it all works for notes. I use evernote myself.
 
ericwn said:
It is much easier to spot if the device is being used in an unprofessional way, since the screen is much bigger. On top of that, many tablets are used like a paper notebook, flat on the table instead of being handheld which creates a barrier and that might lead other participants to think you are doing something private on the device.
Click to expand...

So if I work for you, I have to bring a laptop to work just to take notes in meetings? I can't use my £$1000 phone because you're worried I'm using twitter? That would make me feel so untrustworthy and unprofessional. And also less efficient and poorer.
 
username: said:
So if I work for you, I have to bring a laptop to work just to take notes in meetings? I can't use my £$1000 phone because you're worried I'm using twitter? That would make me feel so untrustworthy and unprofessional. And also less efficient and poorer.
Click to expand...

First of all that's not how I run my business, but that is a point of view that many corporations have these days.
Besides, the use of any personal equipment on the job is often a no-go as well, so there won't be that many folks sitting there with their expensive personal gadgets taking notes.

Your mileage may vary of course but that is my experience.
 
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