How to Speed Read

There may have been moments when you probably wanted to read that document much faster in order to prepare for the meeting or your child did not even bother reading the library book because it looks too long. In moments like this, it would be great to increase your reading speed.

Although reading is a daily task, very few people know that with the right techniques, they can speed read. The term was coined by Evelyn Wood, a school teacher, who found that her reading speed increased as she paced the movement of her hand in order to turn pages. The US Air Force has also shown evidence of Speed Reading with the use of the Tachistoscope. Thus, it is possible for almost anyone to develop the skills to Speed Read. How is this possible?

There are many ways to increase your reading speed. If you are genuinely interested in speed reading, there are several techniques that you can do, including: eliminating certain bad reading habits such as sub vocalization, know what you are about to read, practicing, and investing in a Speed Reading system.

Eliminating Bad Habits

As children, we are taught to read words aloud. However, in order to Speed Read, the best way is to eradicate this habit. Sub vocalization lowers reading speed twice as much as readers who do not read out loud. The human mind does work at a much faster pace. Furthermore, with slow reading, the mind tends to retain less information.

Re-reading is another bad habit that should be avoided. This can happen if the reader is not that interested in the text. Re-reading lowers reading speed greatly. To avoid this ritual, placing a paper over the information read as you keep reading is generally helpful. With time and practice this habit can be eliminated.

Know what you are about to Read

Before you begin reading, ensure that you are aware of what you are about to read. In this manner, you would be able to look for the required information in the written text; thus, increasing reading speed. Skimming the text or document would allow you to visually search for information that you want. However, make sure that you thoroughly understand the text after this is done as skimming does tend to result in lower comprehension rates.
Practice is Key

As with any other task, the key to achieving the results you want is to practice. The term "practice makes perfect" applies when learning to speed read. This can be done with the help of Speed Reading systems.