Any speed readers out there? How did you learn to do it?

by jonb

Posted: 9 years ago 18 replies

OFF TOPIC

As I stare at my reading pile, I wonder: What if I could speed read?

Yeah, that sure sounds like a good idea.

So, any speed readers out there? Any tools, courses, books that got you to where you are that you'd like to share?

Thanks!

#learn #readers #speed

alanborcic 9 years ago

Eben Pagan said the best speed reading techniques is to read faster and trust your brain to connect pieces. He also suggested reading only chapters that have something that is interest you.

So before start reading, figure out your outcome of reading that book. Then look at intro, table of contents, few last pages for possible summary of the book by an author, then read only parts that will provide you outcome you defined previously
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Zak L.

9 years ago

I read in the 4 hour work week that a great way to read A LOT FASTER - is to read every third word or so.

Your brain apparently picks up the words you missed out.

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Steve B 9 years ago

This method has been around for a long time. Evelyn Wood

Good luck to you.

Steve
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jonb

9 years ago

Originally Posted by BrokeringSchool

I read in the 4 hour work week that a great way to read A LOT FASTER - is to read every third word or so.

Your brain apparently picks up the words you missed out.

Interesting. Have you tried it?

Thanks
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Frank Donovan 9 years ago

Speed isn't always a virtue. My technique is to read at a comfortable pace that allows me to take in what I'm reading, often making notes as I go along. That means I read at probably little more than average speed, but I filter my reading material by quickly deciding which piece of writing is worth continuing with, and then ditching the rest.

As I become more selective, I understand the wisdom of this Nassim Taleb maxim: "If a book isn't worth reading twice, it isn't worth reading once".

Frank
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Adrianhenry 9 years ago

Its all about cutting down internal vocalisation. When most people read they vocalise every word so you will be imposing a natural speed limit on your reading which is the speed at which you speak. If you as mentioned above only read every third word or so in terms of actually vocalising but letting your eyes wash over all the words as you go.

Another good trick is to use your peripheral vision. Do this by starting and ending every line looking a few words from the edge and let your peripheral vision pick up the rest.

This is all alot easier said than done but with practice it gets easier. The way I started was just trace my finger across the line at about 1 second per line and let my eyes follow. You will not be able to vocalise at all at this speed and you will probably not comprehend anything that you read when you do this but if you do it for 10 mins a day your natural reading speed will gradually speed up and your comprehension at higher than your natural speed will also improve.

Good luck!
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Camron 9 years ago

Use your index finger or a pen and swipe it over the page.
if you swipe then you cannot subvocalize. the key is to train your eyes read chunks of words.
you will be amazed what's possible
JKF could read with 2,000 wpm.

When you train it and reach a certain level of words per minute then keywords pop into your field of vision...
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- goneill 9 years ago
  
  Like Camron above, I used to use my index finger just under the line to read in the centre of the page, then just go down one line at a time just reading the text that appears in your sight.
  
  You then adjust the the speed of your scrolling down the page as your reading improves.
  
  Again you must ask yourself why do you want to speed read?
  
  In my case I was doing Literature Reasearch for my project so needed to read lots of articles and trade journals. So I had a few keywords in my mind so as I scrolled through the pages I would be able to make mental note that the article could or would not be relevant. The other tip is if you come across a paragraph that is a bit messy to comprehend make a mental note of basically where it is in the article and then go back to it after completing your first scan.
  
  You just need a bit of practice to pick up speed, you might end up with a photographic mind and read one page at one glance?
  
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David Mcalorum 9 years ago

I got this photoreading course about 10 years ago. 10 or so tapes on cassette!
It also had workbooks and a speed reading book.

Now and days there are some pretty rad apps that you can get for your ipad
or tablets, phone, laptops ect
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Brent Stangel 9 years ago

Speed kills!

Slow the F#@k down!

Seriously though, I take as much time as it takes. If it's important I take it in small doses and spend time reflecting on what I've read before continuing.

It depends on your intent I guess.
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laurencewins 9 years ago

You will only speed read if it's a topic of interest, whether fiction or non-fiction. Practice will make you faster. I read faster than anybody I know and I don't think it is very fast. Focus is also vital. I have only one good eye and still cope better than many because of the focus when I read. I block out distractions.
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KayeMariz 9 years ago

I have practiced speed reading too especially for topics that interest me the most. I would first read on the summary of the book if there is any and I would skim the pages. This works for me most of the time but only that I would tend to miss some details. Ooops.
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focusedlife 9 years ago

2 ways to do it:

1. Spreeder.com

2. Scientific Speed Reading: How to Read 300% Faster in 20 Minutes | The Blog of Author Tim Ferriss

Hope that helped.

Regards

Los
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MarkKelly 9 years ago

No matter if you're hitting the books in philosophy class, reading through nasty emails from colleagues, or simply reading the early morning newspaper, possibilities are at one time or one more you've desired you could read a little quicker.
You can take help from given sites:
wikihow.com/Learn-Speed-Reading
lifehacker.com/the-truth-about-speed-reading-1542508398
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- jonb 9 years ago
  
  So I've tried a few things and reading in chunks seem to work well for me. Instead of looking at one word at a time, I'm following Tim Ferris' advice and reading in chunks of three words. Really speeds things up and I'm keeping comprehension.
  
  As to the "why" of doing this -- I won't speed read novels or books I'm reading for pleasure. But I've got a stack of business books that are screaming to be read, and this technique seems to make sense to help me tackle that pile.
  
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Young Financier 9 years ago

I used a software called 7Speed Reading.
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Ghoster 9 years ago

There is one trick I know, but it takes practice.

Only look at the center of each line. Try it. Your brain will automatically skip over words like "the," "and," etc, and it will pick up on the keywords. It does take practice, though.
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tonyharte 9 years ago

I am only talking about non-fiction here but I have found that most books with an educational purpose have a pretty standard format. For most of what I read I do not need to read every word or every paragraph to grasp the lesson. Usually 3 or 4 passes can net me the info I need and saves a bunch of time reading.
1st Pass - Study the Contents Summary to understand the overall structure of the book.
2nd Pass - Most book do a synopsis of the chapter at the end so read the last few pages of each chapter marking areas of specific interest.
3rd Pass - Skim the Chapter and read more about area highlighted in pass 2. Mark any areas for detailed reading if you like.
4th pass - optional - go back and read in detail areas you have marked.

There is a lot of fluff in books and you can bypass a ton of it plus you are reinforcing what you are learning with each pass.

It works for me......

Best of Luck!
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