How to Speed Read

We all love reading no doubt about that. We pick up our favourite books and keep reading our loved stories that move us. But, did you know that there is a technique to quickly jump from one book to the next? We are sure that you don’t know about this special technique and must be wondering what is it. This technique is sure to keep you on your toes when you engage in reading activities and will also encourage you to finish your book quickly to go on to the next one. So, the technique we are talking about is called speed reading. Some of you may be aware of this but many people don’t know what is it. Thus, in this blog, we will be discovering what is speed reading and what benefits it gives us in the long run. We will also be looking at how we can employ this technique the next time we sit down to read.

Firstly, let’s try to understand what exactly is meant by speed reading. So, speed reading is meant by the process where a person can comprehend small bits of a full paragraph of a book or article which is known as chunking and they reduce the use of subvocalization. But, there is very little research on this topic and many experts advise to view this theory with scepticism as well.

There are three types of methods used in speed reading which are skimming, scanning and meta guiding. There are even three types of reading such as subvocalization, auditory reading and visual reading. But, the theory is also ridden with controversies as many experts believe that this theory still needs more research to become fully valid. However, we can employ speed reading in our lives. Let’s look at some of the steps in which we can do so Ways in which People can Employ Speed Reading

1. Try to reduce your subvocalization as it tends to create a lot of distraction and is quite unnecessary as well. Subvocalization was good when you were a kid but now you can just understand the meaning of the word by looking at it. Then why keep the inner monologue going? Try other methods to reduce this by listening to instrumental music or chewing gum.

2. Secondly, use the word-chunking method as it will help you to read an entire book in small bite-sized pieces. Word-chunking helps in making sentences composite and you can read multiple words all at once. It also helps in reducing your inner monologue.

3. Thirdly, do not reread the sentences in your book. This severely reduces your reading speed. Sometimes, we make an error while reading a book or may miss a sentence. This gives us a feeling of going back to the left word or sentence and we tend to reduce our reading speed. So, try to curb the habit of rereading.

4. You can try a new method while reading which is the peripheral vision method. Keep your eyes on the centre of a sentence and use your peripheral vision to read the sentence from the start to finish. This method can be applied when you are reading a single sentence.

5. To increase your reading speed, use a timer to keep track of how much time you are completing a page. Set a time limit on the timer and start reading. If you finish before the set time, then your speed has certainly increased. If not, then you will need to practice more so that you can beat the timer next time.

6. Set small goals such as the number of pages you will finish reading in a week, month or year. If you fully pass the test, then you have gained the habit of speed reading.

7. To improve upon your habit of speed reading, it is essential to read more and more books each day. This will help you to speed read faster and in an easier manner.

8. If you find yourself flitting from page to page, use an index card marker to keep you rooted in the place in which you are reading.

9. Keep another small goal when you sit down to read. The goal is to increase your vocabulary of new words and add them to your mind bank of words. This will allow you to use them in future conversations with your family and friends.

10. Lastly, when you read a new book for the first time, try to go over the main theme or points that the book is trying to give out to you.

This will make reading the book easier the second time, and you will gain speed in your reading. So, this is how you can increase your reading speed. Many of our patrons will find these tips useful and will add them to their and their children’s lives. Speed reading is a good method to finish your books otherwise you will end up in a rut. To clear this rut, keep reading and reading faster.