An important difficulty is of course, finding time to write the notes. If the student chooses the wrong moment to write, he may miss a point of greater importance.

Connecting words or connectives may guide him to correct choice here. Those connectives which indicate that the argument is proceeding in the same direction also tell the listener that it's a safe time to write. Moreover, furthermore, also, etc, are examples of this.

Connectives such as however, on the other hand, or nevertheless usually mean that new and perhaps unexpected information is going to follow. Therefore, it may on these occasions, be more appropriate to listen.

The fourth skill that the student must develop is one that is frequent neglected. He must learn to show the connections between the various points he's noted. This can often be done more effectively by a visual presentation than by a lengthy statement in words.

Thus the use of spacing, underlining, and of conventional symbols plays an important part in efficient note-taking. Points should be numbered too, wherever possible. In this way, the student can see at a glance the framework of the lecture.