SPEED READING - TIPS

HOW TO INCREASE YOUR READING SPEED

A)  Minimize the number and duration of fixations per line to increase speed.

You do not read in a straight line, but rather in a sequence of saccadic movements (jumps). Each of these saccades ends with a fixation, or a temporary snapshot of the text within you focus area (approx. the size of a quarter at 8 inches from reading surface). Each fixation will last ¼ to ½ seconds in the untrained subject. To demonstrate this, close one eye, place a fingertip on top of that eyelid, and then slowly scan a straight horizontal line with your other eye-you will feel distinct and separate movements and periods of fixation.
B) Eliminate regression and back-skipping to increase speed.

The untrained subject engages in regression (conscious rereading) and back-skipping (subconscious rereading via misplacement of fixation) for up to 30% of total reading time.
C)  Use conditioning drills to increase horizontal peripheral vision span and the number of words registered per fixation.
Untrained subjects use central focus but not horizontal peripheral vision span during reading, foregoing up to 50% of their words per fixation (the number of words that can be perceived and “read” in each fixation).

The Code

You will 1) learn the technique, 2) learn to apply techniques with speed through conditioning, then 3) learn to test yourself with reading for comprehension.
These are separate, and your adaptation to the sequencing depends on keeping them separate. Do not worry about comprehension if you are learning to apply a motor skill with speed, for example. The adaptive sequence is: technique ‘ technique with speed ‘ comprehensive reading testing.
As a general rule, you will need to practice technique at 3x the speed of your ultimate target reading speed. Thus, if you currently read at 300 wpm and your target reading speed is 900 wpm, you will need to practice technique at 1,800 words-per-minute, or 6 pages per minute (10 seconds per page).

Comments

  1. UnknownAugust 3, 2013 at 9:36 AM

    I sure would like to increase the speed at which i read . How do I do that without compromising on my understanding of what I'm reading ?

    ReplyDelete
  2. Shradha KaulAugust 4, 2013 at 2:08 AM

    Hi Subuhi,

    Pl. follow this:

    Reading Comprehension: Keeping it all in your head.

    There's no point to reading something quickly if you don't recall any of it later. The mistake many people make when they learn how to speed read is that they don't work on their reading comprehension. Here are some suggestions for increasing your reading comprehension.

    Suggestion #1: Don't read everything at the same speed.

    Different types of material call for different reading speeds. Lighter reading, such as news articles, can be read faster than heavy material, such as textbooks. Before you start reading, figure out the difficulty level of what you are reading and adjust your reading rate accordingly.

    Suggestion #2: Know your purpose.

    Before you begin reading, determine what you want to get out of your reading. Are you reading for fun or to learn something? What information do you need to gain from your reading? How much detail do you require? By thinking about what you want to gain from your reading, you can adjust your strategy. For instance, I read the news every day. I don't really need every detail, but I want to have a general idea of what's going on in the world. To achieve this goal I read through articles quickly, focusing on the headline and summary. I only read deeper when I see something that interests me. This allows me to read 30+ news articles in less than half an hour. I don't get every detail, but I don't want every detail.

    Suggestion #3: Pre-read

    One of the most powerful tools for reading comprehension AND reading speed is pre-reading. Pre-reading is taking a cursory look at the material you wish to read before you actually read it. Preireading works in steps and depends on the material you are reading. Pick the steps that apply to the material you want to read.

    1. Start with the basic facts. What is the title of the piece? Who wrote it? Who published it? Take the time to learn about what you are reading.

    2. Look at the basic structure of the piece. If you have a book, look at the table of contents. If you have an article, read the summary, or scan the article for headings. Simply knowing how the information is organized can often reveal much about the material.

    3. Read any summaries. By reading the summaries, you get a feel for the most important information in a piece.

    4. Go through the headings and read the first couple sentences under each heading. Most of the important material in a piece is written close to the headings. By reading these sentences before the rest of the piece, you are exposed to most of the material. If you are reading a small article, read the first sentence of every paragraph instead.

    5. Read the rest of the article. Since you have already seen most of the major points, you can focus in on the finer details of what you are reading.


    Suggestion #4: Re-Process the information.

    Another powerful comprehension tool is to reprocess what you have learned. Write the points of what you read in your own words, or talk about it someone. If you process your material in multiple ways, you will remember more of it.

    Conclusion

    Review these techniques and you will become a faster reader while improving your concentration.

    Apply these advanced reading techniques, and you will no longer be reading slowly and without comprehension.

    ReplyDelete

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