When do I take notes?

You should take your own notes during meetings, even if someone else is taking minutes to share. Why? Because if you are taking notes, then you are processing the information better. You also have to listen more closely, which means you will be paying better attention. Your boss will notice! Compare the minutes that you receive with your notes. Did you miss anything important? For presentations it's good to take notes that include not only information, but also questions that may pop into your head. This way when the presentation is over and they ask for questions, you won't have forgotten yours. For research, good notes are obviously important. They may include lists, pictures, graphs, charts, etc...