Reading can be boring at times, regardless of whether you're studying philosophy books for school or the morning paper. You can practice reading faster so you can complete these tasks in the shortest time possible. Speed reading involves a lower level of understanding of the text, but with practice you will be able to handle this "side effect".
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Learning to Accelerate Reading
Step 1. Stop talking to yourself
Virtually every reader "vocalizes silently" or moves their lips and contracts their throat as if speaking the words. This habit might help the person remember concepts, but it is the biggest barrier to speed reading. Here are some techniques to minimize this automatism:
- Chew gum or hum with closed lips as you read. This will keep the muscles you would use to vocalize busy.
- If you move your lips as you read, place a finger on them.
Step 2. Cover the words you have already read
As you proceed with the text, your eyes often return to the words you have just read. In most cases these are short and quick movements which probably do not improve the understanding of the text. Use a card like the ones for classifiers to cover the words you just read, and practice not to abuse this habit.
When you don't understand a passage, the brain triggers these "regressions". If you find that your eyes go back several words or lines, it means you need to slow down
Step 3. Understand the eye movements
As you read, your eyes move in jerks, pausing on some terms and skipping others. You can only read and see when your eyes are still. If you can learn to make a few movements for each line of text, then you will read much faster. But be careful, because some research has shown that there are limits on the amount of words an Italian reader can see at one time:
- You can read eight letters to the right of the eye position, but only four to the left. This means about 2-3 words at a time.
- You are able to perceive 9-15 letters to your right, but you cannot read them clearly.
- Readers are usually unable to rationally process the words found on the other lines. Learning to skip lines without losing your understanding of the text is really very difficult.
Step 4. Train your eyes to make a few movements
The brain usually decides where to move the eyes based on the length of the terms or how familiar the next words seem. You can read faster if you teach your eyes to move to specific places on the page. Try this exercise:
- Place a card over the line of text.
- Write an X on the card, corresponding to the first word.
- Draw a second X on the same line. To maintain a good level of interpretation of the text, this must be 3 words further to the right of the first, in the case of simple 5-word texts, while you can draw it in 7 words if you can skip some steps.
- Keep tracing these Xs always respecting the same spacing until you get to the end of the line.
- As you move the card down, read quickly trying to focus your eyes only on the word under each X.
Step 5. Set your pace faster than your comprehension level
Many speed reading programs claim to increase reading speed by first training the reflexes and then continuing to exercise until the brain learns to understand the text. This method is not fully verified; certainly it can speed up eye movements across the page, but the reader may understand little or nothing of the text. You can experience it if your goal is to read really fast; you may understand more of what you are reading after a few days of practice. Here's how to proceed:
- Move a pencil along the text. This should reach the end of the line in the time it takes you to say the words "one thousand and one" at a slow pace.
- Spend a couple of minutes trying to read as fast as the pencil moves. Even if you understand absolutely nothing, stay focused on the text and move your eyes throughout the exercise.
- Rest for a minute and then pick up the pace. Practice for 3 minutes reading the text underlined by the pencil, but this time at the speed of two lines for each "thousand and one".
Step 6. Try a software for rapid serial visual presentation (or "RSVP", from English Rapid Serial Visual Presentation)
With this method, you can use a smartphone or computer application that quickly displays one word at a time, so you can read at the speed you prefer; however, if you set an excessively fast pace, you will not be able to remember a large percentage of the terms displayed. This solution can be useful for obtaining a quick summary of the news, but certainly not for studying or enjoying a good book.
Part 2 of 3: Skim the Text
Step 1. Learn to recognize the parts you can "skim"
This procedure allows you to understand the text - albeit in a less thorough way. You can use it to quickly read a newspaper in search of interesting news or to extract the most important concepts from a textbook when preparing for an exam. However, it is not a valid substitute for an in-depth study.
Step 2. Read the titles and subtitles
Start by reading only the chapter titles and any subtitles of the major sections. Read only the title of each newspaper article or the magazine summary.
Step 3. Read the beginning and end of each section
The texts usually contain introductions and summaries at the beginning of each chapter. For other books, newspapers and magazines, just read the first and last paragraph of each chapter or article.
If the topic is familiar to you, you can read quickly, but avoid scrolling through the words as quickly as possible. You're saving time by skipping a good part of the section, but you don't have to lose your understanding of the text
Step 4. Circle the important words you encounter while reading
If you want to get more information from what you are reading, swipe your eyes quickly across the page without reading as usual. Now that you know the topic and the "gist" of the paragraph, you can highlight the keywords that delimit the important passages. Stop and circle the following words:
- Those that are repeated several times.
- Those that express the main concepts - often the same as the title and subtitles.
- Proper names.
- Words in italics, bold or underlined.
- The terms you don't know.
Step 5. Look at the pictures and diagrams
Graphics often convey a lot of information without requiring a lot of reading. Take a minute or two to make sure you understand each image.
Step 6. Read the first sentence of each paragraph if you are confused
If you have lost track of the topic, then start reading the initial part of the paragraph. The first two sentences should be enough to summarize the main concepts.
Step 7. Study using your notes
Look at the text and look at the words you circled. Are you able, by rereading them, to get a general idea of the text? If some words appear confusing or nonsensical, try reading the surrounding sentences to remind yourself of the topic. At this stage you can highlight other terms.
Part 3 of 3: Measuring the Reading Speed
Step 1. Take the timing as you read
Track your progress by timing your reading speed every day - or every time you perform these exercises. Try to beat your previous record to find the necessary motivation and be consistent. Here's how to get the number of words per minute (ppm):
- Count the number of words in a page or count those contained in a line and multiply this value by the number of lines.
- Set a timer for ten minutes and see how many words you can read in this time.
- Multiply the number of pages you've read by the number of words on a page. Divide the product by ten and you will get the number of words per minute.
- You can also use an "online reading speed test", but the speed at which you read on the screen is probably different than on the physical page.
Step 2. Set your goals
Reading speed should improve if you repeat one or more exercises every day. Many people are able to double their speed within several weeks. Define some goals you want to achieve, so you will always be motivated in training:
- For kids 12 or older, the reading speed should be around 200-250 words per minute.
- A college student should read 300 words per minute.
- A college student who skims text for highlights reads at 450 words per minute. In theory it is possible to read at this speed while maintaining a good level of comprehension of the writing.
- At 600-700 words per minute, you're reading like a college student researching a keyword in the text; most people are able to maintain this speed and understand 75% of the composition.
- When you beat the 1000 words per minute pace, you are on the level of competitive players in speed racing. To achieve it you need to apply rigorous techniques that allow you to skip a large part of the text. At this speed, most people don't remember much of what they have read.
Advice
- Take a break every 30-60 minutes, in this way you maintain concentration and reduce eye fatigue.
- Practice in a quiet, well-lit environment; use ear plugs if needed.
- It is not easy to analyze and change your way of reading, because you begin to focus more on the reading technique than on the understanding of the text. Make sure you are not reading too fast and understand what you are studying.
- If you can't improve your reading speed, get an eye exam.
- Read important texts when you are well rested and alert. Some people are more active and alert in the morning, while others are at their best in the afternoon.
- Moving the page further away won't help you increase speed. Most people automatically adjust the distance to reach maximum speed.
- Zigzag exercises, which aim to train the eyes to move from left to right and then back to left, are unlikely to be effective. Most people who use them keep moving their eyes from left to right, one line at a time.
Warnings
- Attempting to read faster beyond a certain level compromises the understanding of the text and its memorization.
- Be wary of expensive products that promise you faster reading; they mostly offer advice and teach exercises similar to those described in this article, or describe some methods that are not supported by scientific research.
