Behold the Power of the Notetaker
Why the Person Taking Notes Actually Controls What Happens Next
Have you ever been designated the note taker in a meeting? I have, and I hated it every time.
My handwriting looks like a small child's. I hate having my laptop out during discussions. And honestly? Capturing details isn't where I thrive—it takes extra effort on my part.
But here's what I discovered after running workshops for dozens of companies:
The note taker doesn't just document decisions. They determine what actually happens next.
When Nuance Dies, Solutions Die With It
One thing I've learned facilitating sessions with various challenges and numerous points of view is that nuance matters. They say the devil is in the details, and they're absolutely right.
Yet without a good notetaker, these nuances get lost. I've seen it happen repeatedly, and it's usually because the notetaker just summarizes the big stuff without capturing the MOST important details.
Don't get me wrong—major decisions and the really big things don't vanish. But all the reasoning and insight variants needed to ensure everything works? Those can easily disappear into the committee void.
The Workshop That Broke My Heart
About 18 months ago, I facilitated a workshop for 40 people split into 5 teams. The insights were incredible—rich, nuanced, breakthrough thinking that could transform how they worked together.
Then the designated note person read their summary.
My jaw dropped.
All that insight gold was mashed together. The keys were missed. The company definitely missed out on breakthrough thinking because someone treated "similar themes" like "identical solutions."
Here's what got captured: "All teams agreed we need better communication and more trust."
Here's what they actually said:
"We need better communication because our engineering team processes information completely differently than sales"
"We need better communication because our managers assume everyone thinks like they do"
"We need better communication because we're solving the wrong problems instead of the right ones"
One version leads to generic training nobody remembers. The other leads to specific, actionable transformation.
Look, those insights didn't vanish completely. People remember things, especially very astute or unique information. But the magic happens when you capture the subtle differences that determine whether solutions actually work.
AI Can't Read the Room (Yet)
Now, in the world of AI, automated notetakers are everywhere—and this is genuine progress. But AI notetakers can only process language. They miss body language, comfort levels, the pause before someone agrees, the energy shift when a real insight emerges.
The best notetakers capture three things:
What is being said
What is NOT being said
The salient nuances in people's opinions
This isn't just about workshops. It's murdering your regular meetings too.
Strategic planning sessions where "risk mitigation" becomes generic instead of specific. Team retrospectives where real problems get summarized into platitudes. Client feedback sessions where nuanced concerns become bullet points. Innovation discussions where breakthrough ideas get flattened into buzzwords.
Make Notetaking a Superpower, Not a Punishment
Stop treating the note-taking role like you're asking someone to clean the bathroom. This person is literally determining which ideas survive and which ones die in committee.
Celebrate this role. Appoint someone who's actually good at it if possible. And if you're stuck doing it yourself, remember: you're not just documenting a meeting—you're preserving the thinking that could transform your team.
Because in six months, when someone says "I thought we decided X," the only thing standing between clarity and chaos is the quality of those notes sitting in your shared drive.
Think about your last important meeting. How many game-changing details are trapped in someone's half-hearted summary, waiting to be rediscovered when you're wondering "why didn't this work?"
Your notetaker isn't just capturing what happened. They're determining what happens next.
The details you miss today become the problems you solve tomorrow. Make sure someone's actually catching them.
Want to see real collaboration in action? Our LEGO® Serious Play® workshops don't just teach teamwork—we put your team to work solving actual challenges together. Skip the lessons, get straight to results. CONTACT US for more details.
