5 ``super-class note-taking techniques'' learned at Morgan Stanley

Is there anyone out there who wants to know the note-taking techniques of first-class business people overseas?

This time, I will introduce a unique note-taking method that has been independently developed by a high performer at the foreign-affiliated company Morgan Stanley. Just practice and you should see a big difference in the speed and quality of your notes.

Hundreds of millions of dollars lost with one memo!

When I was a fledgling trader at Morgan Stanley's New York headquarters, my first failure was due to forgetting to take notes.

My job as an underling is to instantly memorize and process the instructions given by my seniors in rapid succession. A moment's hesitation can lead to a big loss, so concentrate all your attention on memorizing and executing the instructed task. However, there were times when more instructions were given at the same time than I could remember.

I wrote down all the instructions while being aware of the priority and correlation, but there were some omissions and I lost money. Luckily, the market was calm at the time, so I only lost a few thousand dollars.

Anyone can do it if you just take notes of what was said slowly. However, in a field where accuracy and speed are required, if you don't devise a way to take notes, you will end up making mistakes like me.

This time, we will divide it into 5 and introduce the memo techniques of high performers who are active in world-class companies. 1-4 are the memo techniques I learned at Morgan Stanley for each situation, and the fifth is a unique memo technique that my boss practiced. Please use it as a reference for your work or study.

Memo 1. "Memo while taking notes" in "Encryption Code"

Morgan Stanley's secretary Susan was taking notes in a way reminiscent of the spy movie "Encryption Code". One day, shortly after I joined the company, I found this sticky note on my desk.

“Stephen, John Can re 7y FMCR cb at 2 tks Sue” 1030

Do you know what that means? "Here's the answer."

Susan's method is to pick out key keywords rather than writing an entire sentence. You can take notes efficiently by writing only the main points in the minimum necessary words.

While answering the phone, attending a meeting - while taking notes, the cipher code-like "notebook" is perfect. Not only is it convenient for work, but it can also be applied to study situations such as listening to English.

[Tips for taking notes]

1. For English, write down only the consonants. Since there are fewer vowels than consonants, it is easier to guess the original word without vowels. (Example) spread …… sprdbasis point …… bp
2. In the case of Japanese, use the alphabet instead of kanji or kana to take notes. It's easy to speed up your notes. (Example) Telephone …… tel Bic Camera Co., Ltd. …… b cmr

This technique is also used in various memos introduced below, so please remember it as a basic of time-saving memo techniques.

Memo 2. "Regular Memo" in "Abbreviations/Symbols"

At Morgan Stanley, we have a morning meeting every morning for about 10 minutes. At these daily and weekly regular meetings, we knew to some extent who was going to say what, so everyone created their own memo format in advance and took notes according to it.

Here is an example of the memo format used at the meeting. The point is to decide what to check every time, and to separate the "quality of information" whether it is fact or speculation.

[Procedure for regular memo]

1. Creating a “format” for the memo Create entry items in advance and prepare entry fields (see the image above, left half). You can also create it in Word or Excel and print it out.
2. Prepare a lot of your own "abbreviations" and "symbols" Create a lot of abbreviations and symbols to use in your memos (it's OK if only you can understand them). (Examples of abbreviations) Example / example …… eg / that is …… ie against / ag …… against
3. Taking notes while choosing between them Take notes using the abbreviations/symbols on the format and the above-mentioned list of keywords. You don't have to write down everything, just write down the content related to your work. It is also a good idea to decide who you think deserves a note each time, such as "I will take notes every time this person says."
4. Distinguish the nature of the information. Fact …… F (fact) Conjecture …… A/S (assumption) You'll understand, and you'll be able to take notes quickly. It will be easier to organize information and you will be able to effectively connect your notes to your work.

   Memo 3. “Active listening” for “irregular meeting memo” Take notes in a different way.

   Below is an example of the original format used by a colleague at Morgan Stanley. The point is to thoroughly prepare in advance through memo preparation and take notes through “active listening” to maximize performance on the day of the meeting.

   [Procedure for taking notes of irregular meetings]

   1. Confirm the goal Confirm the goal of the meeting in advance. You can also ask the host of the meeting.
   2. Identify questions If there are shared materials, read them in advance and write down any unclear points or questions. Prioritize them numerically. The written questions will be used as materials for "speaking during the meeting" as they are, leading to increasing your value and presence in the meeting.
   3. While actively listening, write down the decisions, undecided matters, and pending matters of the memo meeting. The skill required for this is "active listening" (= a method of listening actively rather than passively, deeply understanding the essence of things such as interrelationships, and listening while remembering them). By taking notes while understanding the relationships, you will be able to notice missing information.
   4. Notes with 5W1H in mind Note the tasks assigned to you and your team members. In particular, it is good to be conscious of Who (who), When (by when), Where (where), What (what), and How (how).

   Sometimes meetings go by without assigning task owners or deadlines. In such a case, you can contribute to the team if you can make suggestions such as "Would you like to decide the person in charge?" This accumulation leads to the trust of team members and directly leads to increasing your existence value.

   Memo 4. "Sales Memo" in "Roadmap & Seating Order"

   You can use the "Roadmap & Seating Order" memo for meetings with customers and sales activities. Here's an example of a format my colleague at Morgan Stanley used to meet with clients.

   [Sales memo procedure]

   1. Creating a roadmap for reaching the final goal Write down in advance what needs to be done to reach the final goal (= creating a roadmap). For example, in order to obtain a contract, it is necessary to discuss the customer's budget, expected period, and contract details, so each item should be clarified and brainstormed in advance.
   2. Based on the order of priority and interrelationships, make a visual note of the relationships. At this time, it is important to hold down the priority and interrelationship of information. The order of priority is indicated by numbers and numbers, and the mutual relationship is indicated by arrows and marks. You can use ``→'' and ``∴'' for ``because'' and ``←'' and ``∵'' for ``because''.
   3. Make notes of the names and characteristics of all customers in the order of seating. Write down your appearance, power (whether you have the final say, etc.), thinking (conservative or innovative, passive or proactive, etc.), and relationships within the team (senior or junior, etc.).
   4. Mark or color your next action Make a note of what to do after the meeting. Since it would be a waste of time to change the colors, I would not use different colors in my notes, but rather put marks such as ★ and 〒. You can then color code them as you read them over.

   Prepare well before the meeting. And make sure you know what to do after the meeting. This allows you to effectively move the story toward your end goal. It will also help you in planning your future strategy.

   Memo 5. “Free memo” on “drawing paper spread out on the desk”

   I introduced how to write memos in the order I learned at Morgan Stanley. Finally, as a bonus, I will also tell you about the memo technique that my direct boss used to do.

   That is an unusual method of using a large drawing paper instead of a memo pad, spreading it over the desk and freely taking notes.

   I wrote a lot of things, not just about work, but from personal things to childish doodles. Here are the benefits of such a drawing paper memo.

   [Benefits of drawing paper notes]

   1. Pure white, wide-field paper like drawing paper, unlike a notebook, doesn't limit your ideas with horizontal lines, so it's easy to expand your thinking
   2. Free layout Since it can be changed, it is easy to write down the correlation and priority of information as it comes to mind and leave it in a visually appealing form.

   It was very impressive because it was a memo that made me feel excited just by looking at it.

   ＊＊＊Do you have any note-taking techniques? "Please choose one and try it." If you change the memo, the performance should naturally change.

   [Writer Profile] Stephen Pong Graduated from Aoyama Gakuin University. He joined Morgan Stanley NY headquarters as a new graduate and also worked at the Tokyo branch. After moving to Lehman Brothers and building a career at the Tokyo branch and NY headquarters, he served as the first web manager at Merrill Lynch Japan Securities. After that, he moved to livedoor and worked in the web business department, strategy consulting business department (seconded to Dentsu), and finance business department. Currently, he is independent and supports business people to change jobs to foreign companies.

   Click here for a list of the series "First-class work hack techniques for working in foreign companies"