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Avoid the temptation to view conference calls as less serious than traditional face-to-face meetings. They can be an important part of your career, and taking good notes during conference calls keeps you from wasting the group’s time. Here are 8 top tips for taking conference call notes:

#1- Play to your strengths
If you type faster than you write, type your notes in a word processor to be sure you keep up with the discussion. However, you may be able to track the flow of conversation more easily and draw connections between ideas if you are using a pen and paper. Find which approach works best for you, and remember that some handheld devices can offer the best of both worlds.

#2- Prepare ahead of time
You know the call is coming, so there is no excuse for not being ready. Open a word processing program or get a notebook, and take whatever other steps you need to hit the ground running from the start of the meeting. Ideally, your setup allows you to keep your hands free to capture important information.

#3- Record the call (if possible)
Recording the call may not always be an option, but it is the best way to make sure that you remember everything that happens during the conference call. The drawback is that it is not always easy to refer back to specific parts of the discussion.

#4- Use an agenda
You can distribute an agenda for the conference call ahead of time and build in spaces for note taking. It will allow you to keep the meeting on track and give you a chance to quickly organize your notes while the call is underway.

#5- Repetition is necessary
Do not be afraid to ask a speaker to repeat a key point if you had trouble getting it down the first time. It will avoid misunderstandings later on, and everyone would rather take a moment to repeat a single statement if it means that they won’t have to repeat the whole meeting later.

#6- Don’t leave yourself out
Remember that you are an active participant in the meetings, and your comments will steer the discussion. It may feel strange to take notes on what is coming out of your own mouth, but remembering what you said will put the other remarks in context. It will also be helpful when trying to recall what you DIDN’T mention during the meeting.

#7- Summarize the meeting before the call ends
If possible, take a moment at the end of the meeting to summarize what has been discussed with the other participants and compare it with your notes. That way you can be sure that everyone is walking away with the same major ideas.

#8- Make sense of your notes while you still can
Immediately after the call, go back to your notes and check them for readability. If you used shorthand or abbreviations, this is the time to go back and write things out fully, while the meeting is still fresh in your mind. A few months down the road, you may not be able to translate your thoughts from the page as easily.

Being adequately prepared and planning out your note-taking strategy ahead of time will let you take thorough, useful conference call notes, which ensures that everyone has spent their time effectively. Hopefully, these 8 top tips will help.