Learning To Speed Read
Have you ever wished you could finish a book quickly and start another one? Would you like to read more but are you frustrated with how long it takes you to get through one? You’ll find that this sort of complaint is common, but very few people do anything about it. This is unfortunate, because these wishes are easily granted once you are start speed reading. Speed reading is a series of techniques that allow you read faster will still keeping your level of comprehension high. You’ll find that simply by keeping a few things in mind, you’ll soon be easily zipping through pages.When you start out learning to speed read, make sure that you have a quiet place to work. You’ll find that with a little bit of practice, it won’t matter how much noise there is. Interestingly enough, you also might find that your reading speed goes up quite steadily when you realize that there are no distractions to come between you and the words. Turn off the TV or the iPod and see if your reading goes a great deal faster.
When you get ready to speed read a text, think about what the text itself is. Is it an instructional manual of some sort, or is it a play or a work of speculative fiction? What is it trying to convey to you? How necessary is it that you read every word? Some texts, like technical manuals, simply need to be read more slowly so you can be sure that everything sinks in, but when it comes to works of fiction, understand that there will be slow points and filler. Essentially, there will be parts that you can skim with a great deal of ease without losing the context of the work.
Do you move your lips when you read? Many of us learned to read by sounding out the words verbally, letter by letter, syllable by syllable. You’ll find that if you simply stop doing this, your speed will go up. When you are moving your lips when you read, your speed is impaired by how long it takes for your mouth to form the word. This may not sound like very much time, but it is significantly slower than what simply looking at the word and understanding its meaning is like.
Lastly, don’t strain yourself. Remember to take a short break periodically, your brain wasn’t designed to work at 100% for long periods without any rest. Taking five here and there will refresh you and make you better able to tackle those texts efficiently. In fact, breaking up a large reading into pieces with breaks in between can be significantly faster than reading straight through.
There are many advantages when it comes to speed reading, so take some time to learn this valuable skill. You’ll soon see that there are many opportunities for you to practice your new skill, so practice often and see how fast you can get!