Breezing Through The Lines Learning to read and write are but essentials in life. Speed reading is a way where the person can read at a faster rate and at the same time still understand the material effectively. Speed reading is done because one can absorb a lot of information in a limited time frame through a faster pace. More information is stored in the short-term memory and the structure of the file is easily seen. Lastly, the person is able to withstand long periods of reading because the eyes are less tired. Speed reading can be helpful to different kinds of professionals and students. Effective speed reading begins with getting ready to read. Do the following to prepare yourself for speed reading. - Remove all distractions. Focus on the material you’re reading. Eliminate all the distractions, be it TV or radio. These things may occupy your mind. This, in turn, will decrease your concentration.
- Know your purpose. Your purpose, be it an exam for the next day or just reading for fun, will help you in pacing how you will read.
- Check out the book. Read the table of contents or blurb. Also, look at the key chapters of the book. This will help you assess what you are dealing with.
Now that you are ready to read here are some tips that can aid you in speed reading... Tip #1: Focus on concepts rather than word by word. When reading, grasp the main point of the document. Instead of focusing on a word per word basis, try grouping the words. Concentrating on a word per word basis will eat up too much of your reading time. Tip #2: Reading aloud does not help. What you can read is faster than what you can say. In addition, merely moving your lips slows you down. To be an effective speed reader, you must learn to use only the eyes in reading and do not involve the mouth. Tip#3: Do not read every word or be fixated with every word. In addition, increase your vocabulary so that you may not get stuck in thinking the meaning of difficult words. Another technique that would help is using key words. Forty to sixty percent of the words in a page are not important. Train your mind to look for the key words so that you can skip the other words. Tip #4: Avoid going back to the same lines. Re-reading lines consumes time. Think of a book as a movie. When you miss a part, you don't always stop and rewind what you watch but just let the video play. Tip #5: Assess yourself. To examine if you have fully understood the text, try testing yourself. Formulate questions along the way when you're reading. This would evaluate your reading abilities. Tip #6: Pacing is the key. You may use your finger or a pen to read each line. Pace yourself using your finger or pen. This will also serve as your guide so that you do not read the same lines. As you progress in speed reading, you may not need this technique. Tip #7: Practice, practice, practice! Like any other skill, speed reading is not mastered after just one try. First, work on the pace, and then continue with comprehension. Practice with newspapers and magazines, and then move on to books. You can set a time goal so that you can control your pacing. You may first have a longer time for reading; but as you progress, your reading time will shorten. Tip #8: Take hourly breaks. Researchers found that it is more efficient if breaks are taken every hour, rather than reading for hours. Effective speed reading involves the preparation before reading and the reading experience itself. These tips would surely help you in increasing your rate in reading and at the same time understanding what you read. It is easy to learn speed reading. The key to speed reading is practice. | 
