Frog and Goat

There is a fascinating article in the NY Times today about accelerating recordings to eck out more time for commericals and to consolidate storage for everything from lecture notes to 911 calls.

Here’s the reason I’m mentioning this at all:

–Most research has indicated no loss of comprehension or intelligibility at playback speeds of two or even three times normal speed. Cameron Earle, who is helping to commercialize variable-speed playback applications developed by Brigham Young University, said that most students chose rates that were 80 to 120 percent faster than normal with no decrease in test scores. Although it does take some getting used to, Mr. Earle said, he estimates that “80 percent of acclimation is in the first hour.”

Perhaps even more significant, the technology may have benefits beyond saving time and money. “People who are listening at accelerated speeds learn just as much, and there’s some evidence they may learn even a bit more,” said Kevin Harrigan, an associate professor at the Center for Learning and Teaching Through Technology of the University of Waterloo in Canada. The consensus is that the extra brainpower needed to follow speedy speech enhances comprehension. “If you’re listening at accelerated speeds,” said Joel Galbraith, a researcher in Penn State’s instructional systems program, “it forces you to not do anything else, so you’re more focused on it.”

Ray Juang, a University of California undergraduate who would often fall asleep in Berkeley’s vast lecture halls, agrees. “On average, I understand the material better during playback than in the actual lecture room,” Mr. Juang said. “The speed-up does force me to pay more attention.”–

So, riddle me this Batman, during all the trainings I’ve ever given I always have someone who says “You are talking too fast”. Kind of makes me want to whip out this article the next time I hear that and say “Pay more attention.”