Speed Reading Tips
What is Speed Reading? In common terms, it simply means to read in the shortest possible time. |
How do you read a book?
One is likely to read from start to finish. Also, never going back and never skipping any sections. This is probably one of the most inefficient and unproductive ways to read. The beauty of text in any material is taht it is not linear. What does this mean? It means you can skip down to read only any main point, header or read in any manner you want to. Simply put, it means to read in any order you want. The simple way of reading is start to finish. But this is not always the best or effective reading method. Take comprehension passages for example. For a start, I will recommend my students to read roughly start to finish. But not each and every single word. I want them to get a greater understanding of what the passage is. I will ask them to completeley skim over the passage that they feel are redundant or unnecessary. Will this help? Yes. When they come to the questions section, they will have an idea where the answers are. What makes a good writer? I beleive he or she is one who generally adds anecdotes or metaphors to improve the understanding of a concept, which you can skim over top of it if you get the main point of the reading material. What makes a bad writer? Well, he or she will often go short of explaining the complex details. To summarise, re-reading helps. It allows our brains to have time to form the concepts on what is in the text. Another important point to note is that reading does not set pace. Why? This is because it depends on the context of the materials. For instance, if the information is dense or complicated, this will require more time for information to be digested. Hence, for some books, it is possible to read 800 words a minute but in reference book text, you may read 300 or less words per minute. Similarly, if it is fun stuff, one can ready over 1600 or more words per minute. Agree? So, we can see that speed reading is not how fast or faster one can read. But how you pace yourself for the specific reading text you have to read. Tip No. 2 Stop Subvocalizing It means to stop reading out loud. When we are very young, we were told to read out loud. After we mastered this skill, we were told to read quietly in our head. This is where most reading education and skill levels end. To read faster and move to a higher level, it means we need to stop sounding words in our head. This takes time. It depends on individual. Here, it is not so much important for you to comprehend every word you are reading. The main point here is to train yourself to read without hearing the words in your head. It is not big deal if you are not able to separate the subvocalization from comprehension. Most people cannot achieve this. Hence, on an average, it is about 500 words per minute. To move beyond this rate, it means you need to practise reading faster than you can actually read. How do we do this? It means when we read, we simply see the word and our brain will automatically construct what is written. If we were to read superfast, it means there is no way, we could process the word and hear it in our head. Tip No. 3 Practice Reading That is to read as fast as you can. It does not involve trying to comprehend what you are reading. The main point is to see the text faster than you can read and untie the habit of sounding the words in our head and understanding them. So, how do we do this? See tip no. 4. Tip No. 4 Use a pointer as in your index finger to point and read. Your eyes do not stay fixed at one point. Your eyes actually move around considerably faster. Your finger should move to where you read all the time. It should follow along the current word you are reading. At first, you may slow down. You need to get used to this and adjust. Over time, you will find that it is critical and your reading skill does in fact improves. Let your reading rate double up. Practice sufficient. Soon, you will find that your reading effort is worth it and a priceless tool in reading. |
Tip. No 5 Eliminate distractions Reading cannot happen if external distractions are overhelming. Take a break if need to. Tip No. 6 Have a motivation to read One must connect with the text they are reading. This specific purpose will help you stay focus and alert in your reading. Why is this important? If not, you will find you force yourself to read. You do not know what is happening. You cannot refocus. Your mind decides that this material is boring and you will stop reading. How to be motivated? Find the reason why you are reading. Is it passion? What is your goal in reading? To pass a test. As long as you have a general motivation, you will want to read. Likewise, if you do not want to read, you will come up with more reasons and this will be a struggle to move on reading. Be creative, get motivated. Get a motivation for reading. You can figure it out. |
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