Speed Reading

1. Set a clear purpose before reading to focus your mind

"Clarifying your purpose helps the mind tremendously. Instead of evaluating which of the hundred urges to follow, it has a clear directive."

Activate your brain's goal-seeking nature. Having a purpose for reading activates different neural networks, changing the mind's focus and awareness. This helps reduce distractions and increases concentration on the material at hand.

Establish your "why" for reading. Before starting, clearly state your intention. It could be to ace an exam, solve a problem, or simply unwind. The clearer the purpose, the easier it will be for your mind to interpret and retain information. Even if your purpose seems obvious, articulating it helps direct your mental energy more effectively.

• Examples of reading purposes:
  • Learn money-saving strategies for business growth
  • Study specific chapters for an upcoming exam
  • Improve computer programming skills for a work project
  • Prepare for a literature discussion
  • Gain knowledge for writing a research paper
  • Relax and get lost in a story

2. Preview material to build a mental framework and make predictions

"Preview helps the mind make accurate predictions. It allows the mind to see what the text is about, determine its length, and assess the writing style."

Gain a bird's-eye view. Previewing material before diving in gives your mind a framework of what will be discussed. This helps you understand the type of information that will be presented and how it will be organized, much like having the cover of a jigsaw puzzle before assembling the pieces.

Tailor your preview approach. Different materials require different preview methods. For articles and reports, read the first and last paragraphs, examine words in bold or italics, and glance at illustrations. For books and manuals, review the table of contents, read chapter headings, and sample portions of the text. For textbooks, focus on chapter objectives, summaries, and review questions.

• Preview checklist (T.H.I.E.V.E.S):
  • Title
  • Headings
  • Introduction
  • Every word in bold, underline, quote, and italics
  • Visual Aids
  • End of Chapter Questions
  • Summary/Conclusion

3. Adjust reading speed and style based on content and difficulty

"It is, therefore, wise to adjust reading speed in accordance with the importance, form, genre, and difficulty of the material."

Recognize the diversity of written material. Not all content is created equal, and your approach should reflect this. Technical manuals, legal documents, and academic texts often require slower, more careful reading. Familiar topics or lighter material can be read more quickly.

Be flexible in your reading style. Adapt your speed and attention based on your familiarity with the subject, the complexity of the text, and your purpose for reading. Don't feel bad about slowing down for challenging material or speeding up for easier content. Your reading speed should fluctuate naturally as you move through a text.

• Factors to consider when adjusting reading speed:
  • Importance of the material
  • Complexity of the content
  • Your familiarity with the subject
  • The genre or type of text
  • Your purpose for reading
  • How long the information will remain relevant

4. Use space reading and chunking to capture more words at once

"Chunking opens line of sight to capture more words in a single glance. The eyes are not set on a single word of a sentence, but instead, on a block, or chunk, of words in that sentence."

Leverage your eyes' natural ability. Your eyes can process an image or object both as a whole and as individual parts. By looking at spaces between words (space reading) or groups of words (chunking), you can capture more information in a single glance, increasing your reading speed.

Practice expanding your visual intake. Start by looking at spaces between every two words, then progress to every three or four words. With chunking, begin by grouping two or three words, then increase to four or five. Focus on grabbing combinations that form meaningful phrases to enhance comprehension along with speed.

• Space reading example:
  Even - though - you - are - not - looking - at - any - of - the - words - in - this - paragraph - your - eyes - and - mind - are - still - able - to - pick - up - the - text.

• Chunking example:
  Even though you / are not looking / at individual words / in this paragraph / your eyes and mind / are still able / to pick up the text.

5. Eliminate subvocalization to increase reading speed dramatically

"Subvocalization greatly reduces the speed at which you read by adding an unnecessary step, or steps, to your reading. In addition to seeing the word, you are also hearing and/or speaking it."

Break the sound barrier in your mind. Subvocalization, the habit of pronouncing words in your head as you read, significantly slows down your reading speed. Our minds can process visual information much faster than we can speak or hear words.

Techniques to reduce subvocalization:

• Close your mouth while reading to disengage vocal processes
• Read faster than you can speak to outpace your inner voice
• Hum or listen to instrumental music to occupy your vocal cords
• Use space reading or chunking to grab multiple words at once, making it harder to sound out each word

By eliminating subvocalization, you can potentially double or triple your reading speed immediately. Remember, it's a habit that takes time to break, so be patient and persistent in your practice.

6. Reduce eye fixation and regression to maintain flow

"Fixation also reduces reading comprehension. Meaning is easier to pull from groups of words than from individual words or even single letters."

Optimize your eye movements. Fixation (pausing on words) and regression (re-reading) are natural processes that can significantly slow down reading speed and disrupt comprehension. By reducing these habits, you can maintain a smoother flow and better grasp the overall meaning of the text.

Strategies to minimize fixation and regression:

• Reduce the number of words you fixate on by using space reading or chunking techniques
• Decrease the length of time you hold each fixation by continually moving your eyes forward
• Use an index card to cover text you've already read, preventing regression
• Practice controlled eye movements, focusing on smooth transitions between words or chunks

Remember, the goal is to develop a rhythm where your eyes and mind work in harmony, picking up new information as soon as the previous set is processed. This creates a flow that enhances both speed and comprehension.

7. Expand visual range using peripheral vision techniques

"Peripheral vision encompasses everything that the eyes can see beyond whatever is directly in front of them. In other words, everything we see from the sides while looking ahead makes up our peripheral. It is the largest part of our visual field."

Harness the power of side vision. Expanding your visual range through peripheral vision allows you to capture more words in a single glance, significantly increasing reading speed. The brain processes information from the sides 25 percent faster than from direct vision, making this technique particularly effective.

Exercises to expand peripheral vision:

1. Sticks and Straw: Insert toothpicks into both ends of a straw while looking at its center
2. Off the Wall: Bounce a ball off a wall and catch it with alternating hands while maintaining a fixed gaze
3. Open Your Awareness: Focus on a target and gradually notice details to the right and left
4. Shultz Table: Identify numbers in a grid while focusing on the center
5. Raining Letters: Recite letters to the left and right while focusing on a center column
6. Centered Text: Read text with a vertical line down the middle, focusing on the line and capturing words on both sides

Practice these exercises regularly to gradually widen your peripheral vision and apply it to reading. With persistence, you'll be able to capture entire lines of text with a single glance at the center of the page.

8. Identify main ideas and topic sentences for better comprehension

"To improve comprehension, pay attention to the main points or the big picture, so to speak, and the broader context. When sifting through a lot of details, take an occasional step back to identify how those details relate to the overall message the author is trying to communicate."

Focus on the forest, not just the trees. Understanding the main ideas and how details support them is crucial for comprehension. This approach helps you grasp the author's overall message and how individual pieces of information fit into the larger context.

Strategies for identifying main ideas and topic sentences:

• Look for sentences that introduce what follows, often at the beginning of paragraphs
• Pay attention to words or phrases that repeat throughout a paragraph
• Notice transition words that show continuity or contrast
• Consider how each paragraph supports the overall message of the piece
• Practice identifying the levels of information: sentence > paragraph > chapter > overall work

Remember, a topic sentence is usually short, general, and may pose a question to be answered by the supporting sentences. By focusing on main ideas and topic sentences, you'll develop a better understanding of the text's structure and message.

9. Build vocabulary to enhance reading speed and understanding

"A strong vocabulary is essential to increasing reading speed. Studies show that people with a strong vocabulary not only understand more but read faster."

Expand your mental dictionary. A robust vocabulary allows your brain to recognize and process words more quickly, leading to faster reading and better comprehension. While building vocabulary takes time, there are creative ways to approach it without resorting to rote memorization.

Techniques to improve vocabulary:

• Circle unfamiliar words while reading and look them up later
• Use a thesaurus along with a dictionary to learn synonyms
• Read a variety of materials to expose yourself to different types of words
• Listen to audiobooks to learn words in context with auditory cues
• Learn common prefixes and suffixes to guess word meanings
• Engage in conversations with people who have strong vocabularies
• Use vocabulary-building apps, games, or online resources

Remember, actively working on vocabulary yields lifelong benefits, enhancing not only reading speed but overall communication and comprehension skills.

10. Practice recall and review to cement information in memory

"If no attempt is made to remember material, the brain will not retain it. You'll have a sense that you do in fact remember, but as soon as you try to recall that information, you'll realize that in actuality, you can't."

Actively engage with the material. The brain automatically discards most of what we read within hours. To combat this, use the Recall and Review technique: periodically stop reading to recall what you've learned, then review the material to ensure accuracy and completeness.

Implementing Recall and Review:

• Stop reading every 30 minutes or at the end of each chapter/section
• Attempt to recall the main points and key details from memory
• Review the material to check accuracy and fill in gaps
• Focus on main ideas, supporting details, and any fascinating information
• For fiction, recall events, characters, dialogue, and important scenes
• For non-fiction, focus on key points, supporting details, and any intriguing facts

This technique not only improves memory but also enhances concentration. Knowing that you'll need to recall the information later naturally increases attention and engagement with the text.

11. Visualize content to stay engaged and limit daydreaming

"Visualization is the act or process of forming images in your mind. It's similar to daydreaming, except instead of letting the mind run the images, we sit in the director's chair and take conscious control of the scenes."

Create a mental movie. Visualization helps manage the tendency to daydream while reading by actively engaging your imagination with the content. This technique keeps your mind focused on the material and enhances comprehension and memory.

Practicing visualization:

1. Start with fiction: Visualize characters, scenery, and events as described
2. Move to news articles: Picture the events and incidents being reported
3. Progress to history: Imagine historical events, figures, and their actions
4. Tackle science: Visualize parts, processes, and how they interact

To develop visualization skills:

• Practice with song lyrics: Create mental images of the scenes described
• Use audiobooks: Form pictures in your mind as you listen
• Visualize while reading: Form mental images simultaneously with reading, without pausing

Remember, visualization takes practice but becomes easier and more automatic over time.

Last updated: January 24, 2025