Dear readers,

I am thinking. I wonder who may be able, and want, to shed insights into what I am about to say. Neuroscientists? Researchers of the brain, of communication, of vision?

I came upon a post (which I cannot find now!) that was debunking an oft quoted statement; ‘The brain processes visuals 60,000 times faster than text.’

In one of my own (Engage Visally’s) core visuals that aims to describe a little behind the alchemy of graphic facilitation or graphic recording I too quote this quote and, I attribute it to Semetko and Scammell (2012).

The debunking of this statement sort of mortified me, describing it as one of the lazy, unscientific data points society leans to. I have learnt and believe strongly that facts/quotes are supported by referencing, that they are reputable. Further my field of visual facilitation tries hard to build the evidence base for our practice.

And so… I began to dig. I spent some money to join an online access portal to be able to read the original quote. And I found it in ‘The SAGE Handbook of Political Communication. 1st end.’ And there it is, boldly in print, in a section exploring how the brains biology interprets the world 🌍

BUT, time and research does not stop there in 2012, that’s a heck of a long time in the science of our brains. This original statement is very concise and rememberable.

Which brings me to my challenge to readers of this post;
‘Can our modern day counterparts support or counter this statement in a concise way?’

The quole attributed to as found in ‘The SAGE Handbook of Political Communication. 1st edn.’ The SAGE Publications Ltd. Available at: https://lnkd.in/eBjpEap6 (Accessed: 15 July 2024).