The rate at which new information is available in the world of today is unprecedented. You could learn something new today and it’s outdated by tomorrow.
The internet has made it a lot easier to access information – you are basically a Google search away from learning how to build a rocket, or learning how to cook a five-star hotel meal.
Social media is where the information seems to circulate at lightning speed, with a single page refresh you can have access to information from many including entertainment, politics, and sports – all at once.
The thing about having increased access to information is that you are more likely to read each information much faster.
News agencies have now mastered the art of crafting headlines aimed at catching the readers attention at a glance.
Our urge to learn more things has helped us develop the ability to read a lot faster.
Many of us already do a little bit of speed reading here and there but we just don’t know it.
Speed reading is an essential skill that we need to learn in other to stay ahead of the pack and learn more things.
Learning this skill requires some level of discipline and practice, so we have put together six exercises that will help you develop the skill in order to improve your comprehension.
Assess the task
In order for you to get the best out that journal or article, you are about to read, skim through the text to get an idea and look out for key points.
Read the headings and subheadings; read the first paragraphs of each chapter to get a feel of the writers’ style of writing.
Ask as many questions as possible
Ask questions that you hope to find answers to while reading through the text.
Anticipating these answers will improve your comprehension and the speed at which you read.
You can skip the irrelevant information by focusing on the information you are looking forward to getting.
Since you will not remember everything that you read, learning to extract only relevant information that you need.
Reduce subvocalization
When a child starts learning to read, they usually vocalize the words by whispering or saying them softly.
When they advance to the next level, they move their lips as if they are saying something, but they aren’t really vocalizing.
Adults readers say the words in their minds – it is referred to as “subvocalization”
However, subvocalization hinders us from reading faster.
The average adult speaks at about 150 words per minute In order to read a lot faster, while the average reading speed is 200-300 words per minute.
You have to eliminate subvocalization in order to achieve speed reading.
Read words in groups
Reading words in groups is an efficient method of learning speed reading.
You can teach a child to speed read by dividing a page into 3 columns with two to four words in each row.
Encourage the child to read the words together by jumping from one column to the other.
Develop your vocabulary
Knowing the meaning of a lot of words will help you read a lot faster.
You will spend less time trying to figure out the meaning of words.
Try to learn new words every chance you get – it will help your comprehension and boost your intelligence.
Set goals
Try to time your progress. You can achieve this by reading sections with the same word count.
Try to push yourself by Increasing the word count that you read in the given time.