Speed Reading
Whether you're hitting the textbooks in philosophy class, reading long-winded emails from co-workers, or just reading the morning newspaper, chances are at one time or another you've wished you could read a little faster. A host of companies now offer books, training sessions and even computer programs to increase reading speed, sometimes at a cost of hundreds of dollars.
Look on google for free web software for practicing speed reading. You can try www.spreeder.com for example.
Here are basic tips to keep in mind.
1. Time your current reading speed.
Not only will timing help you to tell if you're improving, but it will also keep you motivated.
- You can break out a book and a stopwatch and either time how long it takes you to read a certain number of words on a page or find out how many words you read in a given amount of time.
- An easier way to time yourself is to take an online reading speed test. There are plenty of these available: just enter "reading speed test" in your search engine. Many of these have reading comprehension tests, as well, so you can see how well you're understanding what you're reading.
- Regardless of how you decide to time yourself, be sure to read at your normal speed during the timing, and time yourself on a few different pages - the average of your times should approximate your average reading speed.
2. Get rid of distractions.
Even if you think you read better when you have music playing or when you're in a crowded coffee house, you can probably increase your speed if you reduce distractions to a bare minimum. Try to find a solitary place to read, and turn off the TV, radio and cell phone.
- Even being in a room of people talking is distracting. If no solitary place is available, try using earplugs to block out any distractions around you.
3. Adjust reading speed depending on the material.
Often, we must trade off comprehension for speed, so an important part of increasing reading speed is deciding how thoroughly you need to comprehend a particular piece of writing. So before you even start reading, decide how fast you intend to go.
- If you're reading a newspaper article, chances are you just want to get the main ideas, and you can skim through the passages quite rapidly.
- If, however, you're reading a mathematics textbook or a demanding philosophical treatise - and you need to fully understand the material - you do not want to rush.
4. Learn to separate the wheat from the chaff with pre-reading.
No matter what you are reading, there is frequently a lot of "filler" that you can read quickly through or even skim over. With practice, you will be able to identify the most important parts of a book as you skim through it. When you get to such a passage, slow down.
- Before you begin a chapter or book, look over the entire piece very quickly. Try to find patterns of repeated words, key ideas, bold print and other indicators of important concepts. Then, when you actually do your reading you may be able to skim over large portions of the text, slowing only when you come to something you know is important.
5. Train yourself not to reread.
Most people frequently stop and skip back to words or sentences they just read to try to make sure they understood the meaning. This is usually unnecessary, but it can easily become a habit, and many times you will not even notice you're doing it.
- One exercise to help you avoid rereading is to take a sheet of paper or index card and drag it down the page as you read, covering each line once you've read it. Try to drag the card in a steady motion; start slowly, and increase your speed as you feel more comfortable.
6. Stop reading to yourself.
As you read you probably subvocalize, or pronounce the words to yourself. Almost everybody does it, although to different degrees: some people actually move their lips or say the words under their breath, while others simply say each word in their heads. Regardless of how you subvocalize, it slows you down.
- To break the habit, try to be conscious of it. When you notice yourself pronouncing words to yourself, try to stop doing it.
- Practice visualizing a word at the moment you see it, rather than confirming the word in your mind and then visualizing it.
- It may help to focus on key words and skip over others, or you may want to try humming to yourself or counting "1,2,3,4" repeatedly in order to prevent subvocalizing.
- One exercise to stop your lips from moving is to put a finger on your mouth and keep it there while you read.
7. Read with your hand.
Smooth, consistent eye motion is essential to speed reading. You can maximize your eyes' efficiency by using your hand to guide them. One such method is to simply draw your hand down each page as you read. You can also brush your hand under each line you read, as if you are brushing dust off the lines.
- Your eyes instinctively follow motion, and the movement of your hand serves to keep your eyes moving constantly forward.
- Note, however, that many speed reading instruction books warn off using a tracking member in speed reading as it inhibits the process.
8. Spend Less Time Switching.
When you switch from a sentence to the next, your eyes move with the same speed backwards (right to left) as they do forwards (left to right). Notice and correct this. Try to minimize the gap whenever you notice it by instantaneously flitting your eyes to the next sentence.
- Practice the above point to get rid of distractions and focus on the book.
9. Practice reading blocks of words.
Nearly everyone learned to read word-by-word or even letter-by-letter, but once you know the language, that's not the most efficient method of reading. Not every word is important, and in order to read quickly, you'll need to read groups of words - or even whole sentences or short paragraphs - instantaneously. The good news is you probably already do this to some extent: most people read three or four words at a time.
- Try focusing on the middle of the line while reading the entire line. Do not let any word take shape before moving on the next word. This causes confusion, and at the beginning, problems of not understanding are there. Usually after a month of vigorous practice there is enough practice to skip over many words without misunderstanding the text.
- Once you have mastered that, concentrate on the center of the page, not the line.
10. Practice and push yourself.
While you may see some gains in speed the moment you start using these tips, speed reading is a skill that requires a lot of practice. Always push yourself to your comfort level and beyond - if you end up having to reread a section, it's not a big deal. Keep practicing regularly.
11. Time yourself regularly.
After a week or so of practice, time yourself again. Do this regularly thereafter, and keep track of your improvement. Don't forget to pat yourself on the back every time your reading speed increases!
12. Have a clear purpose for reading.
Know what you want to get from a book before you start reading. Are you reading for pleasure (doing what pleases you) or for information?
- If you’re reading for information, set your purpose, which will either be
- to find specific information, or
- to discover its message, what it’s about.