I know, I know, taking notes can be the most dreadful and unexciting thing – especially when visiting with interesting companies in another country. The speakers at the presentations I attended were all interesting, engaging, and willing to answer as many questions as time would allow. But while you think you will remember everything later that day, when you get back home, or a month later when trying to write your paper, chances are you’re wrong.

When my group visited China, we had the great opportunity to visit with the US Embassy, Lenovo, Ernst & Young, Coca-Cola, and several others. The first presentation we received was at the US Embassy, and we were on a serious time crunch. In one hour, our presenter covered practically all of the industries in which the Embassy aids American businesses in China. I found myself scribbling as many notes as I possible could, and ended up with about three pages front and back. At Lenovo, I had even more. Although we weren’t on a time crunch, the presenter provided us with such valuable information about the formation of the company and their marketing strategy.