“Be Careful What You Say, He Writes Stuff Down”

Posted August 22nd, 2007

My mother likes to talk, talks a lot, and has an excellent memory. She never learned to drive a car. So, when I visited her some years ago, we made the rounds of relatives and friends in the rural area where she lived. I heard lots of gossip and health, death and disease reports that are a required part of those visits.

But I also heard lots of stories and anecdotes that were interesting and helped me appreciate the gifts of being in community and conversation. As we drove along the two lane roads, my mother would tell me all about the people who lived in the houses and how long they had been there and how many children they had and where they worked and who their kinfolks were and all kinds of things about the good, the bad, and the ugly parts of rural life.

I always carry pen and paper wherever I go, and I write things down that interest me. And many things interest me. One of my strengths is ideation. Sometime later, I take those bits and pieces of information and write them in my journal, along with my thoughts and feelings about what I heard or observed. This day I was making mental notes and then writing what I heard down in a little notebook when I got back to the car. Mother was curious about what I was doing, so I told her. There’s something else you should know about my mother. Whatever she knows, others will soon know.I told you she likes to talk.

When we got to the next house on our tour, the obligatory introductions were made and Mother told them where I lived, where I worked, how wonderful I am to come visit her, and to drive her all over two counties. Then she looked at me, looked at the people we were visiting, and said, “Be careful what you say, Charles writes stuff down.” So then I had to tell them what I had written down that day. It was almost like they were benchmarking so they could say something worthy of being written down. I told them that it does not take much for a comment to be noteworthy to me.

Several years later, I was at a work location and I had retained that habit of carrying pen and paper with me wherever I went. In this case, I had my daily planner, a habit of an effective, maybe even a highly effective person. One of the employees was telling me about a problem that he wanted addressed, and asked me to do something about it. I asked a few questions to gain clarity and understanding. I was taking notes in the planner. When we finished, I restated what he had said and told him I would get back with him. He agreed with my summary, and then asked me if I was really going to do something about it. His manager, who had been present during our conversation, said, “If Charles wrote it down in that notebook he takes everywhere, you can bet he’ll be back to see you.” I thought this manager and my mother had been talking with one another.

This made me think that people notice when someone writes something down. When my mother noticed it, it was almost like I was doing something wrong and people needed to be careful around me. When the manager mentioned it, it was almost like creating the record of the conversation meant that action would be taken. I just like to write stuff down because it helps me remember something that might be important or valuable. Since studies show we forget about 70% of what we hear within twenty-four hours, there might be merit in writing some of what we hear down for future reference.

Yet, I have been to meetings, training sessions, and conferences where some people don’t write anything down.I see others who take lots of notes. This leads me to wonder about the value of writing things down. Guess where I stand? At meetings I have led, I encourage people to write things down by playing a George Strait song, “Baby, write this down, Take a little note to remind you…” One of the most effective ways of writing things down is through graphic recording, when both words and images are used to capture what happens in a meeting. My friend, Michelle Boos-Stone, excellently captures the flow and important points of meetings through graphic recording, so don’t be careful what you say!

Questions for Individuals and Groups:

What are the advantages and disadvantages of writing things down?

What is your preference about writing things down? Provide reasons for your preference.

How do you remember necessary things in your life and work? What methods work well for you?

What would make you careful about what you say if someone is writing things down?

This entry was posted on Wednesday, August 22nd, 2007 at 10:50 am and is filed under Observations.