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I agree with your comment on being "focused." In analyzing my own learning preferences, I found it is much easier for me to stay focused if I can speed my way

I agree with your comment on being "focused." In analyzing my own learning preferences, I found it is much easier for me to stay focused if I can speed my way through something. Speed is the key for me, not the format. For example, if I have the choice to learn the same information via a video or book, I'd opt for the book because I know I can read a lot quicker than the person in the video is going to speak. This helps me to stay focused. On the other hand, if I can speed the video up to 4 or 5 times its normal rate, I would opt for that over the printed page because I can listen faster than I can read. For me, it isn't the format as much as the speed at which I can complete my learning that is important.

j10sanders 9y ago
I highly doubt you absorb much at 4-5x speed. 3x speed is very fast -- if the speaker talks quickly, it's borderline unintelligible.
- jldugger 9y ago
  It depends on practice. I'm at roughly 2x speed for podcasts, and a blind acquaintance I know hits 4-5x, especially for TTS.
- Izkata 9y ago
  My internal voice while reading is around 2-3x as fast as most people speak (this is natural speed, without trying to speed-read). It's also one of the main reasons I stumble over words when speaking - they get jumbled together because I can't actually speak that fast. So I don't find that unbelievable at all.
- innocentoldguy 9y ago
  I understand where you're coming from. When I first started doing this, 1.5x was the maximum I could go and still retain information. After a while, I was able to retain information at 2x, then 2.5x and so on. It took me a year or two of practice to get to this speed. It also depends on what you're trying to learn, how clearly the speaker is enunciating, and whether the speaker has a heavy accent or not, I guess, but it works for me in most cases.

j10sanders 9y ago

I highly doubt you absorb much at 4-5x speed. 3x speed is very fast -- if the speaker talks quickly, it's borderline unintelligible.

jldugger 9y ago
It depends on practice. I'm at roughly 2x speed for podcasts, and a blind acquaintance I know hits 4-5x, especially for TTS.
Izkata 9y ago
My internal voice while reading is around 2-3x as fast as most people speak (this is natural speed, without trying to speed-read). It's also one of the main reasons I stumble over words when speaking - they get jumbled together because I can't actually speak that fast. So I don't find that unbelievable at all.
innocentoldguy 9y ago
I understand where you're coming from. When I first started doing this, 1.5x was the maximum I could go and still retain information. After a while, I was able to retain information at 2x, then 2.5x and so on. It took me a year or two of practice to get to this speed. It also depends on what you're trying to learn, how clearly the speaker is enunciating, and whether the speaker has a heavy accent or not, I guess, but it works for me in most cases.