Speed Reading: Part I

Reading is one of the biggest “inevitable” of our life. Whether it is an English assignment, or an office report or simply a gaze at an attractive billboard we are all continuously reading. Since we all have to do it, why not improve our ‘reading skills’?

Reading skills in my opinion refer to two things. The first is the speed of reading. The other is the comprehension ability. I am going to go through some simple methods of improving ones ‘reading speed’ aka ‘Speed Reading’ which will be covered in two parts. Here is part I which will explain what speed reading is.

What is Speed Reading?

Speed reading is the act of quickly absorbing written information. The goal is to read very quickly, but at the same time retain the information. Otherwise it would not benefit anybody. The average college student reads between 250 and 350 words per minute on fiction and non-technical materials. A "good" reading speed is around 500 to 700 words per minute, but some people can read 1000 words per minute or more on these materials.

Speed reading relies on chunking, skimming, and eliminating sub-vocalization to increase speed. Readers will not "read" the words aloud in their minds. Their eyes skim through the material and comprehension is formed within the brain processes. A speed reader may not read every word on the page. They may skip some sections as it as little overall consequence to the meaning. Some researchers believe that as long as the first and last letter is in place, the arrangement of the other letters in the word can still be understood by the brain because it logically puts each piece into place.

Why Speed Reading?

The name says it all. Speed reading saves time, and time is money. It is safe to say that almost anybody can double their reading speed while maintaining equal or even better comprehension level. Studies have also shown a positive relationship between speed and understanding. Contrary to popular belief, slow reading speed actually decreases ones comprehension ability.

This is the end of part I of speed reading. The next part is coming very soon and will explain the techniques of reading faster.