Would you like to read much faster? In this article, I’ll break down the different speed reading techniques that can help you achieve it.
Speed reading is all about recognizing chunks of text beyond just words and sentences. It involves grouping lines together to extract key ideas, avoiding subvocalization, and using peripheral vision to take in more information at once.
Sounds confusing? Keep reading, and I’ll explain this technique in detail!
The Reading Technique You Learn in School
From a young age, you’re taught to read in a specific way, and that method sticks with you throughout your life. But…
In elementary school, you first learn to break words into syllables. Then, you practice putting those syllables together to form complete words.
Next, you start recognizing words as individual reading units—meaning you’re trained to read word by word.
This approach works fine for early education, but what comes next? Is this really the highest level of reading you can achieve? Absolutely not. There are techniques to boost both your reading speed and comprehension. And that’s exactly what speed reading is all about!
The Problem with Reading in Your Head
Subvocalization is when you read in your head as if you were reading out loud. This slows you down because it forces you to process text word by word.
Reading this way feels natural—it’s basically a silent version of reading aloud. Some people even find themselves whispering without realizing it!
Now, let’s dive into what speed reading is really about.
How Speed Reading Works
If you start grouping words into phrases and sentences, you can interpret them at a glance. That’s the essence of speed reading.
To make this clearer, try applying it right now as you read.
If you’re a regular reader, your eyes probably jump from word to word. Right?
Now, a trained speed reader takes bigger jumps—let’s say three per line. Instead of stopping at every word, they only move their eyes three times per line, while a regular reader would stop at every single word.
Experienced speed readers take it even further. Some only stop twice per line, and the most advanced can process an entire line in a single glance! Instead of reading word by word, they read by lines.
If you’re studying a degree that requires a lot of reading, mastering speed reading is a game-changer.
What’s the result?
It’s simple—a trained reader can read six to seven times faster than an untrained one.
And since this technique requires more focus, comprehension actually improves, meaning they retain even more of what they read.
Benefits of Speed Reading
Speed reading is a powerful tool for college students, especially those who need to process large amounts of information quickly. It’s essential in fields like law or medicine, but also in many other disciplines.
The main benefits of speed reading are:
- Faster reading speed: You can dramatically cut down the time it takes to go through a text. You can finish an entire book in just a few hours.
- Improved comprehension: Since the method requires intense focus, speed readers tend to remember what they read much better compared to regular readers.
- Reduced study time: Your eyes and brain work less, which reduces the chance of headaches.
Peripheral Vision: The Key to Boosting Your Reading Speed
The first thing you need to do is develop your peripheral vision. This means focusing on a fixed point in the text, but taking in everything around it.
There are several exercises you can do to improve this, but the best way is to practice speed reading using the method described earlier. In other words, try to take in an entire line and understand it with just one glance.
At first, you might need to take a couple of jumps on the same line, but as you develop your peripheral vision, those jumps will become fewer.
Resources on How to Read Faster
Online Courses on Speed Reading
There are online courses available to help you develop speed reading skills. On Udemy, you can find the following course:
Become a SuperLearner® 2: Learn Speed Reading & Boost Memory
To Keep Learning About Speed Reading
Just like there are courses to learn speed reading, there are also books. The best-selling book on this topic on Amazon is the following:
Speed Reading: Learn to Read a 200+ Page Book in 1 Hour
Kam Knight
This book presents simple tips to not only accelerate your reading, but understanding and memory.
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