Hello, and welcome back to the language section of English for Leadership and Management. As you've seen from the previous videos, even the best plan and organized meetings include a lot of details. How do you best deliver and remember these details? Yes, you use the right tools. One effective tool is to summarize. This can be in spoken or written form. In this video, we will go into more specifics on how to better summarize. Are you ready for a brain warmup? Let's review. In Module 1, we learned that summaries are the most important ideas and the biggest pieces of information. The first step to writing a summary is to make sure you understand the information. Then write or speak your information. Find key words and phrases or make an outline. Next, create a strong topic sentence. Fourth, add details and support without adding your opinion and finish with the concluding sentence. Let's go back to our meeting and see if there's something we can help Elizabeth summarize. Do you remember the scene where Jake introduced the KM? >> Before we move on, I would like to suggest that we implement a collaborative KM to help in our knowledge sharings. >> I don't, I'm not familiar with the KM. >> Do you mean a knowledge management system? Yeah. It came as a new technology, but it does support communications and problem solving and helps innovate ideas, a lot of ideas that are only stuck in our heads. >> Jake, I have to agree with you. We've used this before to help us solve problems. Once, we had this mouthwash that was leaving a bad taste. One of our sales reps quickly found a solution, put it in the knowledge management system, and it saved us time and money in the long run. >> This is really interesting. This could allow us to take advantage of the knowledge base across different business units. Jake and Lucy, why don't you take advantage of this? Talk to IT, find out a time and cost for implementation. >> [CROSSTALK]. >> Sure. >> What is our first step to summary writing? We need to understand the information. If you're not quite clear about a KM, watch the clip again or refer to the transcript at the end of this module. Believe me, I had to watch the video through a few times myself. Now jot down notes on a piece of paper. What are biggest ideas from this segment? What are the main points about KMs that you would need to tell a coworker who wasn't at the meeting? Remember, key phrases can be copied, but you'll also want to use your own words. The best way to write down the key points is from memory. Try not to look at the transcript or have the video playing as you write. You don't need to use complete sentences. Here's what I wrote. KM, knowledge management system needed to help share knowledge and information. Like a database. Helps solve problems, all team members can see info. Saves time and money. Information is immediate. Fast communication. What's our third step? It's time to write our topic sentence. Your topic sentence should be strong and solid. Every topic sentence will have a topic, plus a main point. An easy way to write a topic sentence is to ask who or what is it about, and what happens, or what does it do. For example, look at my notes again. Who or what is this information about? Oh, KMs are knowledge management systems. What is my main idea? What do they do? Oh, solve problems quickly. Now add a few words that make sense to write a complete topic sentence. Knowledge management systems, KMs, solve problems quickly. That's a great topic sentence. Way to go. We're ready for step four. It's time to add the details. This time as you look at your notes, ask why or how, why can't these problems be solved quickly? Oh, because it's a database that all team members can access. It saves time and money because bits of information don't get buried or lost. Information is live and immediate. Here's the tricky part. When including details, use your own words, but don't add your own opinions or beliefs. Do you see how I added my own assumptions that everyone would be able to access the information and that it's immediate? The video never mentions that. If I were reporting this to a coworker about a summary of the meeting, I could be giving them wrong information. So what details would be best to add? KMs are like a database that save time and money because information doesn't get buried or lost. It's a fast way to communicate. Last, let's write a concluding sentence. Sometimes, when there is a lot of information, it's common to repeat the main point. Since summaries are so short and concise, this is not necessary. Instead, in your concluding sentence, ask so what? Why are KMs useful in business? Oh, because team members can communicate without as much trouble or difficulty. You made it. Let's see what our summary looks like all together. Knowledge management systems, KMs, solve problems quickly. KMs are like a database that save time and money because information doesn't get buried or lost. KMs help team members communicate without as much trouble or difficulty. Let's review the takeaways from this lesson about writing effective summaries. Read or listen to the information more than once if you don't understand it. A topic sentence will have a topic, plus a main point. When adding details, remember to be concise and exact. For concluding sentences, ask so what of the information you've received. Keep in mind, to summarize means to shorten. What are the most important bits of information you should pass along to someone who has a lot of work to do? We hope you've enjoyed this segment. Though summary writing can be a skill that requires a great brain power, it's also a skill that gives your own brain great power to remember information. Thanks for watching English for Leadership and Management.
