Time Management Blog

No matter what your reading and comprehension abilities are, you can learn to read faster with a well designed speed reading program. As well, your comprehension abilities are maintained, and sometimes they even get better.

In a speed reading course participants are taught to scan through the material quickly. They learn how to skip over the parts they don’t need and focus on just the meaningful information. Rather than focusing on each and every word in turn, the objective is to pick up the meaning of the text by reading phrases and sentences as units.

Technical information can be boring to read, especially the tech manuals that contain thousands of pages of information. However, you can get through them quite rapidly by speed reading while still gleaning the most important material. It’s very important that they remember everything they need to in order to avoid having to re-read the text.

When kids are learning to read, they are taught to read a single word and say it out loud to help retain recognition. They then do the same with each word that follows. This methodical and slow moving process of reading is retained as time goes by. However, a good speed reading course can teach the brain a faster, more efficient way of reading.

The first speed reading program was developed and introduced in Australia by Evelyn Woods in 1958. Since then, learning to read faster has become extremely popular, especially when it comes to reading informational text.

It’s possible to find a variety of techniques when looking for a speed reading program. They are all designed to help participants learn to read faster. But some critics claim that many of the courses only help to achieve faster reading while reducing the comprehension rate. The speediest readers can plow through a couple thousand words in just an hour, as demonstrated in speed reading competitions. But their comprehension rate is only around 50%.

This is considered by some to be an essential component of a speed readng course that is lacking in many programs. They measure their success based solely on speed instead of comprehension and retention. This is highly important, of course, especially when it comes to technical content.

As you’re researching the various speed reading programs available, be sure to look for ones that are able to improve your retention and comprehension, not just your speed. When you put these new skills into action, you’ll find it easier to get the information you need from any of your reading materials.

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by Kim Allarie

You might have read the hype about speed reading being able to transform your life by enabling you to take in information considerably more quickly than usual, thereby enhancing your skills as well as upping your value as an employee.

For a number of people, increasing their reading speed is the main objective, while for others, it is more essential that they develop their ability to comprehend and retain what they read. A high-quality speed reading program can do both, and consequently amp up both your personal and professional life.

The typical reading speed is around two words a second with standard comprehension. For ordinary reading this is probably sufficient, but with the help of a good speed reading program the average rate could be boosted to four or six words a second with similar comprehension.

But there are those who have very particular reading requirements and wish to improve their reading speed to ten-plus words per second with better than normal understanding. A comprehensive speed reading program with lots of practice and testing can help them reach their objective.

Many speed reading programs train students to rapidly search through the text to ignore irrelevant information and pick out the pertinent parts. The idea is to be able to gather the essence of the material through reading entire sentences or phrases as a block, instead of just individual words.

Improve Speed, But Don’t Lose Comprehension

Sometimes individuals who undertake to learn speed reading encounter difficulties with the practice of sub-vocalization. This is the tendency to mentally sound out each word while they read. In speed reading, a primary focus is on developing the ability to not sub-vocalize while you read. In its place, you are taught to concentrate only on the words that have significance to the general context. You will become skilled at intentional reading and will therefore increase understanding at the same time as speed.

There are various ways of teaching speed reading, as well as different ways that each individual learns. One method might work better for some students than another. Basically, speed reading endeavors to guide the brain to distinguish only important words without sounding them out mentally. If you have difficulty with one approach, find another speed reading course that teaches these skills in a way that will assist you to progress more efficiently.

Just like learning any new activity, you need to continuously practice your speed reading techniques in order to master the art.

Learn more about the time management skill of speed reading at The Speed Reading Site.

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