The 21st century is truly a modern age, so we’ve all grown fond of using technology on a daily basis. Even at meetings, laptops have almost become indispensable, alongside other gadgets that help everything at the office run without a hitch.
But…we say that laptops are almost indispensable for a reason. We believe that writing down notes on a piece of paper trumps technological advances we’ve seen in the last few decades. So today, let’s explore why you may want to pack printed pens and notebooks when going to a meeting as — and leave your laptop behind.
Benefits of Using a Notebook Instead of a Gadget at Meetings
Writing Notes Down Helps You Understand Concepts and Ideas Better
The many benefits of taking notes on your laptop include being able to take more complete notes faster and access information on the Internet if needed. The world of knowledge is only a few clicks away, which can be an advantage at a meeting.
However, when it comes to understanding the things you’re discussing at the meeting, a notebook is actually the better option. A 2014 study done on students shows that by writing down notes, rather than typing them out, it’s possible to understand the material better and memorise more details.
Better still, note-taking by hand helps synthesise information better, not to mention that it offers a stronger conceptual understanding. Later on, this allows for a better application and integration of the covered material.
This research also showed that, as expected, laptop users can take notes faster than those writing them down. But when you’re at a meeting, the point isn’t to take as many notes as possible.
In fact, it’s better for meetings to last as long as expected, as inspiration can strike and new ideas can form at any moment. People need some time to grasp information and comprehend it before drawing some conclusions from it.
You Can Start Writing Immediately!
Picture yourself going into a meeting. Once everyone sits down, it only takes roughly 30 seconds for them all to get their notebooks out and unscrew the lids off their pens.
That kind of practicality isn’t possible with laptops. Yes, they’ve come a long way since the first computer ever. Today, laptops are quite speedy overall, with typing out notes proving faster than writing them down.
But to get there, you need to turn your laptop on and wait for it to load. That itself can take way longer than 30 seconds, especially if your machine is overloaded with programmes and documents. Sometimes, you will also switch the machine on and see the battery is empty. So, you’ll lose even more time while trying to find an outlet to get it running fast.
Worse, if the software decides to update, you’re in for quite a wait (and possibly multiple restarts). By the time that ends, the meeting might already be over!
Notebooks Aren’t So Noisy…
Although a laptop is multi-functional in that it not only lets you write down notes but also stay in touch with co-workers and clients at the same time — it does make a lot of noise. In contrast, the sheer act of writing notes down in a notebook doesn’t cause much noise whatsoever. It is a hardly detectable, almost non-existent type of noise that shouldn’t bother anyone.
…or Distracting
If you want to get anything done during a meeting, your focus has to be steady. As useful as they are, laptops tend to be quite distracting, especially if you’re already prone to losing focus and procrastinating.
Even the slightest sound may shift your focus from the task at hand to emails, chatting, or worse, Internet browsing and games. And since entertainment at the dullest moments of the meeting is right at your fingertips, the temptation is sometimes too much to handle.
All the bright light coming from your laptop could also disrupt others around you, which cannot be said for a mere inconspicuous notebook. Better still, you won’t see any notifications or messages popping on paper. Those can certainly distract you while typing away since you do have to keep your eyes glued to the screen.
Your Notebook Won’t Break Down at the Meeting
And the notebook won’t certainly start glitching, making you lose track of the meeting while trying to fix it. Laptops have their bugs, which are prone to popping up at the worst moments. Screens freezing, batteries dying, and keyboards malfunctioning — all of those are completely real problems that may strike at any time.
With a notebook, however, you hardly have anything to worry about. The worst thing that could happen is that you finish the notebook and don’t have a replacement ready. But even then, you can borrow some paper to complete your notes before the meeting ends. Later on, you can simply copy them to a brand new notebook!
Even worse, with laptop glitches being all too common, reliability isn’t something you can hope for. Your laptop may malfunction at any given moment, so any information you may have on it could disappear forever. People can also lose focus and accidentally delete important data, such as folders, documents, programmes, etc.
Those kinds of problems are simply impossible with notebooks. If you want to destroy information, you have to scratch it out or rip out a page of the notebook. That in itself requires a bit of focus, so it’s unlikely that you’ll do it by mistake!
Nobody Will Feel Left Out
Let’s face it, not everyone can afford a premium laptop, and not even every company has the funds to provide personal laptops for their staff. Thus, if only a few people are using laptops at meetings, creating a divide is almost inevitable.
Your laptop-less colleagues may feel a bit excluded and as if they aren’t at the same level as you. When everyone is using the same branded notebook, however, they feel equal and can thus equally take part in the meeting and share opinions without any qualms. Even the best quality printed moleskine notebooks are a dirt cheap promotional giveaway compared to a laptop.
Another thing to keep in mind here is the importance of team mentality. If everyone used the same kind of branded stationery, it would make them feel more like a team. Thus, the meetings could enhance unity and cooperation, which should help build the team mentality.
As you can see, branded notebooks could actually make your meetings more productive and informative. Even better, they could help unite your team and make everyone feel equally prepared and capable of not only taking notes but reacting to them and analysing them.
If that’s something you want to see at your meetings, we can certainly help you out. We have an array of branded notebooks in our selection that could help your staff focus properly and work together as a team at every future meeting! With it being our bestseller, branded A4 notepads are highly recommended. Another common favourite is our printed A5 notebooks.
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Putting Pen to Paper – A Powerful Marketing Tool
If you require further information or have any specific questions, don’t hesitate to give a member of our experienced team a call on 0800 0148 970 or simply email us today.
