Note-taking during interviews is a crucial skill that plays a pivotal role in ensuring success and accuracy. It demands attentiveness, effective listening, concentration, proficiency in writing, and a genuine desire to learn about the subject matter. By diligently taking notes, individuals enhance their recall abilities and achieve a deeper understanding of the subject.
In investigative interviews, note-taking is even more crucial. Investigators are often required to actively listen, formulate questions, and take notes simultaneously, which can overload their information processing systems if not managed correctly.
When done effectively, note-taking allows investigators to differentiate between evidential and investigative details, assisting them in producing more accurate reports and clarifying details that need further scrutiny (Köhnken et al.).
Note-taking strategies are important for effective note-taking and better retention of information. There are several note-taking strategies available beyond using linear notes. The Cornell method, Visual or Mind Mapping methods, and an Outlining method to name just a few. Each strategy is very much a personal choice. The question is have you ever considered your note taking strategy and its effectiveness?
Forensic Interview Solutions promotes Notetaker, a visual method of contemporaneously recording the information from an interviewee. 'Notetaker' is a system that has been developed, after extensive and on-going research, by FIS® Associate Kerry Marlow providing a system to help interviewers:
• plan and prepare for interviews
• take notes during interviews
• summarize the information from interviews
• evaluate the quality of their interviews
The system employs the PLAT (People, Location, Action, Time) framework and methods like Spider graphs and Clockfaces to structure information in a straightforward way.
Modern technology has inserted itself into nearly all areas of our lives and interviewing is no exception. It is therefore interesting to discover that handwritten notetaking remains a superior method to record an interview. Research from the University of Tokyo has demonstrated that writing on physical paper stimulates greater brain activity and enhances memory recall compared to typing on a laptop, tablet, or smartphone. The tactile engagement involved in handwriting plays a crucial role in memory retention, offering cognitive benefits that digital note-taking lacks. Notably, the study found that handwritten notes were recorded more efficiently and triggered heightened brain activation in areas associated with memory and visualization.
My advice is to find a note taking system that will work for you, whether it is linear, structured or a visual mapping technique and use it. The studies settle the question of whether you should “write or memorize?” As technology advances and we continue to innovate with new tablets which can allow handwriting, the importance in an interview setting will not be the recording medium but that “the palest ink (electronic or otherwise) is better than the best memory.”
