Prompt Cast
The Rise and Fall of Evelyn Wood's Speed Reading Technique
TLDR Evelyn Wood's speed reading technique gained popularity in the mid 20th century but faced criticism for its high cost, lack of reading comprehension, and cult-like aspects. It was later revealed that the reading index used to measure speed reading was rigged, and the brain is not equipped to absorb information at the speed required for speed reading.
Timestamped Summary
00:00
Speed reading became more important with the advent of the internet because it allowed people to quickly gather information from books without having to read them in their entirety.
02:14
Evelyn Wood founded Reading Dynamics and became an international sensation by teaching a technique of speed reading that allowed people to read thousands of words per minute.
04:35
Evelyn Wood's speed reading technique was a huge success in the mid 20th century, with the motto "we're not skimming, we're scamming."
07:07
Evelyn Wood's speed reading technique gained popularity in the mid 20th century, despite early criticism and skepticism.
09:37
Evelyn Wood's speed reading technique was criticized for its high cost, lack of actual reading comprehension, and cult-like religious aspects, and it was revealed that the reading index used to measure speed reading was rigged.
11:51
The brain is not equipped to absorb information at the speed required for speed reading, as each fixation lasts only a quarter to a fifth of a second.
14:04
Speed reading is not a thing and relies on pride and shame to keep people from speaking out about their lack of success with it.
Categories:
Society & Culture
