Speed reading? How to read faster?

[dxkj]

Is anyone here a really fast reader? I always pronounce the words as I read them. When I try no to i read a lot faster but I dont remember what Im reading.

I have like 1k pages worth of reading to do in the next 2 weeks so any help would be appreciated

 

[DaWhim]

look at 2-3 words for each eyes at a time. if you have the time, go to library and borrow some books for speed reading

 

[Amorphus]

process the meaning of the words in your head as you're moving on to the next few words... basically, don't read like this:

you see:......cat.............eats.................food.......
brain see:..........cat...............eats...................food

more like this:
you:.......cat..eats..food.....dog...eats...cat....
brain:...........cat..eats...food.......dog..eats..cat....

at least, that's what I do, more or less. read phrases, not individual words. learn to identify words quickly, and get the meaning of a sentence - don't memorize the context, or remember the exact wording.

 

[chess9]

Does anyone have any recommendations for a speed reading program? My daughter only reads about 380 wpm and she has a lot of homework.

-Robert

 

[PlatinumGold]

i finished the Da Vinci code in about 3 hours. does that qualifiy me as fast??

and yes, the key is NOT to verbalize.

here is an analogy that might help.

when you read words, do pronounce or are you conscious of EACH letter?? no, none of us do. that is the basic principle that the speeding reading course i took is based on.

verbalizing is a crutch. our mind is capable of seeing and understanding much more than we are aware of. NOW when reading highly technical material speed reading is not recommended as often times the material or concepts are new to the brain, JUST as you are more aware of EACH letter when reading or pronouncing a word you see for the first time.

 

[dpm]

I've been a fast reader from as long as i can remember - i read so much that i found myself speed reading without noticing it. Its great when you are just reading for fun, and its ok to just get the jist of things, but when I'm studying I have to force myself to slow down so I take everything in.

 

[marquee]

skip a couple sentences or paragraphs here and there, especially ones that are just fluff and really dont contribute to the storyline.

i used to be able to finish whole books relatively quickly. its good for school since they have deadlines when you have to finish them by. that said, now that i dont have to read for a class, i find books much more enjoyable when i read every word without skipping. when you speedread, you're just missing out on some good stuff!

 

[PlatinumGold]

Originally posted by: marquee
skip a couple sentences or paragraphs here and there, especially ones that are just fluff and really dont contribute to the storyline.

i used to be able to finish whole books relatively quickly. its good for school since they have deadlines when you have to finish them by. that said, now that i dont have to read for a class, i find books much more enjoyable when i read every word without skipping. when you speedread, you're just missing out on some good stuff!

speed reading and SKIP reading are not the same.

i don't skip a single word.

do i verbalize some of the words?? yes, particularly if there is a turn of phrase or an expressive statement that just HAS to be verbalized, but all the scene setting stuff can be speed read with NO loss in comprehension. i find when i speed read my mind visualizes things better than when i read verbally.

 

[SP33Demon]

Originally posted by: dxkj
Is anyone here a really fast reader? I always pronounce the words as I read them. When I try no to i read a lot faster but I dont remember what Im reading.

I have like 1k pages worth of reading to do in the next 2 weeks so any help would be appreciated

Send me $10 PayPal, and I'll send you information on some good speed reading courses. </GoogleSalesPitch>

 

[chess9]

Thanks for the responses guys, but I'm interested in hearing from someone who has actually used one of the commercially available speed reading programs, such as RapidReader.
Thanks,
Robert

 

[kranky]

There was a recent thread about it here.

One thing I could add to my response in the other thread is that, just like basic math, you will get faster at it if you do more of it.

If you add single digit numbers all day, it won't be long before your brain will register "11" before you even realize you read "4 + 7". Your reading comprehension is the same - keep reading, and force yourself to see groups of words instead of looking at each word individually. Your brain will keep up.