To be honest, "the two-minute warning" was already taken by several others and were invariably about U.S. football. So, as I sat at my laptop pondering a new name, I thought, "Go briefer, Jon. I wonder if 'One Minute Warning' is taken?" It wasn't. 

Okay, but how many words can the average person read in a minute? And can I write a brief blog that short that's also useful and value-added?  

Good questions. So, I went looking for the data. 

It turns out the average person can read about 200-250 words in a minute. College students seem to read about 300 per minute, and presumably, PIs likely read the same. 

But the topics may be themes that cause us to pause and rethink. I aim for around 250-300 words or so.  

All right, but what kind of warning am I giving? Any. In football, the game stops with two minutes to go. Life doesn't work that way. But if we paused for just a minute to reconsider our risks, we might avert tragedies great and injuries small.  

Okay, but why "won" and not "one"? 

I love wordplay and puns. In safety, I have wins and losses. A win is when we have a positive outcome for a safety problem. 

When we have the privilege of helping a student make it through safely, that's a win. When we can't help them make it, and they suffer, that's a loss. 

Some wins are big; some are small. 

The same goes for losses. My win-loss record is 6-2.  

Read on. 

272 words - nailed it. Stay tuned. 

Next: If I Can Focus on Only One Thing

Sources: 

https://www.irisreading.com/what-is-the-average-reading-speed/ 

https://www.quora.com/How-many-words-can-the-average-person-read-in-one-minute