Listen, Read or Both?

The question posed this week is in regard to Podcasts vs Text and which is the preferred manner of absorbing information for each person.  My answer is simply, “It depends.”  I would also say that, “Both” is an applicable answer as well.  How’s that for ambiguity?

There are a number of factors that will weigh into both forms of media.  This includes the subject matter covered, length of the presentation and, possibly most important, the interest level of the audience regarding the subject matter.  No amount of technology or flowery writing can truly compensate for lack of interest in a topic.

For relatively short items, I do quite well with audio. But, like an overly long voice mail message, I tend to lose interest and get sidetracked easily.  So, for me, the perfect Podcast is a short, concise podcast.  I’m a visual learner, so I need something at which to stare in order to maintain longer-term attention.  Otherwise, my  multithreaded multitasking tends to kick in and I move on to some other topic of interest.

With text-based items, I can maintain attention to the topic at hand for a larger amount of time.  So, for things which I need to truly absorb, I need it in written or, more accurately, graphical form.  Some hybrid comprising the two is acceptable as well.

In answer to a specifically posed question regarding how I might prepare for an exam, I’d have to rely solely on written media.  I’m a note taker and tend to write all over my printed materials.  I tend to remember the information much better than if I simply hear it.  Also, when the time comes to review my notes, I can scan over the parts I want to review and easily skip those items I don’t wish to review at the time.

So, yes, I’ll abide by my initial answers of “Both” and It “Depends”.  But, alas, I usually end up going back to the text based version. Although, I do tend to equally enjoy both text-based and audio books.  Both are good for long flights.  Audio books are great for commutes or longer drives to customer sites.  It seems that context and modality are equally important.