Taking Notes in a Mentor Session

What do you think?

Is it appropriate for a mentor to take notes during a mentor session, especially when mentees are sharing a lot of information?  It certainly can be. 

Photo by Adolfo Félix on Unsplash

Here are a few considerations for taking notes: 

• Note-taking can be distracting to mentees if you are not careful.  Every time you write something down, they may think, “Why did he record that?  Was that important[MD1] ?”  Or, if you take notes on a computer or phone, mentees may think you are surfing the internet or losing interest in them.  It may be helpful to let them know you are taking notes – “You may occasionally see me writing in my notebook, typing on my computer, or entering something into my phone.  I am just taking a few notes.” 

• Use a notebook and pen if you have a noisy keyboard.  The clacking of a keyboard can be quite distracting.

• Try to record only the most important thoughts so that: 

  • You can maintain eye contact with mentees.  If you take too many notes, you may miss the nuances of facial expressions and body language.

  • You don’t have to sort through pages of notes to find the most important details.     

• If the above-mentioned challenges prove to be too distracting, consider entering/recording notes in your computer or phone after the session.  Do this immediately after the session, however, so that you don’t forget any key ideas. 

What do you think - should a mentor take notes or not? If he/she does, what do you think are some best practices for doing it well? Feel free to leave a comment.

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 [MD1]I’ve notice this for myself when meeting with a counselor.  Whenever he writes something down, my first thought is, “Why did he write that down?  Is that important?  Is that bad?  Did I say something wrong?”  Now, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t take notes; it’s just that you can try to be subtle about it.