Today I was watching a video tutorial that had been sped up by a factor of two. Everything was perfectly comprehensible.
That experience leads me to an odd train of thought. Suppose, when the proper situation called for it, we could all learn to speak twice as fast in real life?
There are already special circumstances in which this was done. For example, we’ve all heard the rapid speech of auctioneers. And any fan of Gilbert and Sullivan knows all too well the pleasures of the sped-up patter song.
I would certainly not want to see rapid speech creep into ordinary social discourse, but it might prove useful under specialized circumstances. For example, I could imagine it being very useful during any rapid-response situation.
I wonder whether this is a skill that could be generally taught and learned. If so, it might lead to some interesting efficiencies, when properly applied.
I watched an online course by a famous professor entirely at 2x speed. Not only does it save time, but I find it easier to focus on the content that way.
A while later the same professor came to our company to speak at an event.
It took me a few moments to realize he wasn’t drunk – just talking at his normal speed.