The average rate of speech is around 125 words per minute.
Words play a huge part in the thinking process, and the words race through our brains at speeds much higher than 125 words per minute. When are listening we ask our brains to receive words an extremely slow pace compared with its capabilities.
When we listen, therefore, we continue thinking at high speed whilst the spoken word arrives at low speed. Our brains are capable of comprehending speech 4 or 5 times the rate at which most people can speak.
Slowing down our brains is near impossible. The human brain is made up of 13 billion cells and operates in such a complicated but efficient manner that it makes our computers seem slow-witted.
The differential between thinking and speaking rates means that our brain works with hundreds of words in addition to those that we hear, assembling thoughts other than those spoken to us.
We can listen but we have some spare time to think.
