Read a Business Book with a Question in Mind

It is easy to finish a business chapter with several highlighted sentences and no clear idea what to do with them. A better starting point is a question. What are you trying to understand, and which part of the book might help you think about it?

Crossing the Chasm, 3rd Edition by Geoffrey A. Moore is available in Bitig Store's spiral-bound collection. The book examines bringing technology products toward mainstream customers. You can read it as a source of ideas while keeping the circumstances of your own work separate from the examples on the page.

Write the question before opening the chapter

Choose a question narrow enough to carry through a reading session. “Who is this offer intended to help first?” is easier to investigate than “How do we grow?” You may change the question as you read, but having one gives your notes a purpose.

Record what prompted it. Perhaps a conversation revealed different expectations, or a product description seems to address several audiences at once. Describe the situation without deciding the answer in advance. The reading can then help you examine the question rather than merely confirm an assumption.

Separate the author's idea from your interpretation

Divide a page into three columns: “In the book,” “My interpretation,” and “What to check.” Summarize an idea in your own words and add its page number in the first column. In the second, write how you think it relates to your question.

The third column is the useful pause between reading and acting. It might contain a question for a colleague, a piece of information you need, or an assumption that has not been tested. This keeps a compelling example from becoming an automatic instruction for a different situation.

Make the notes specific

A note such as “focus on the customer” is difficult to use later. A more useful note names the customer, the situation, and the uncertainty. For example: “The description addresses both a first-time buyer and an experienced team. Which one is this particular page intended to serve?”

That example is a note-taking prompt, not a conclusion about any business. Its value is that another person can understand what you are asking. Keep each note small enough to discuss without rereading the whole chapter.

Read in passes when the material is dense

During the first pass, follow the argument and mark a few places to revisit. On a second pass, work through the sections most relevant to your question. You do not need to turn every paragraph into a task or a highlight.

With a spiral-bound edition open beside your notebook, you can move between the text and your notes without holding the spread in place. Keep page references clear so that a later discussion can return to the original context.

Use one idea in a discussion

Choose one note to bring to a colleague or reading partner. Begin by explaining the question that led you to the passage. Then describe the idea and what you are unsure about. Invite the other person to challenge your interpretation before discussing any possible next step.

• What does the idea help explain?
• Where does our situation differ from the example?
• Which assumption would need checking?
• What information could change our view?

Keep the discussion small. A useful outcome may be a clearer question, not a new project. If the idea does lead to an action, record what you expect to learn from it rather than assuming the book predicts the result.

Revisit the question after a few chapters

Return to the question at the top of your notebook. Has it become more precise? Did the reading expose a different issue? Add a dated note about what changed, and keep the earlier version visible.

A business book can be valuable even when you disagree with part of it. The aim is to understand the argument well enough to examine it, connect it with evidence, and explain your own judgment. A small set of careful notes supports that kind of reading better than a stack of disconnected quotations.

Explore the book at Bitig Store

See the edition details and current availability for Crossing the Chasm, 3rd Edition: The Updated Version of the Insightful Guide on Bringing Cutting-Edge Products to the Mainstream (Collins Business Essentials) [Spiral-Bound].