speed reading

7 08, 2023

To Speed Read Or Not To Speed Read

By |2023-08-06T15:29:47-05:00August 7th, 2023|Uncategorized|0 Comments

Speed reading is defined as the process of recognizing and absorbing phrases or sentences on a page all at once, rather than focusing on individual words.

Research points to three advantages of speed reading.

  • Increased comprehension
  • Less eye time on the page
  • Less eye fatigue

It’s a handy skill in today’s world where we spend so much time reading—emails, web articles, texts, etc. We likely feel pressure to get through all this information more quickly, so that we “stay in the loop” and make informed decisions. Speed reading allows us to do that.

Photo by Tima Miroshnichenko Pexels.com

Photo by seyfi durmaz, Pexels.com

Reading to gain information or facts is one type of reading. I use rapid reading to wade through writing craft articles, blogs, and book research.

I don’t use speed reading if I’m reading for pleasure.

Then I want to savor the story and the author’s style of writing. I read every word.

My go-to technique in speed reading is skimming and skipping smaller words, i.e., prepositions and articles.

The technique creates a problem when I’m writing, though. I tend to leave out those words there too. Fortunately, critique partners, beta readers, and editors put them all back in.

Average adult readers read at a speed of 238 words per minute. Learning to speed read can raise that rate.

President John F. Kennedy was a big believer in speed reading. He read 1200 per minute. President Jimmy Carter’s reading speed is reported at 2,000 words per minute. Evelyn Wood read 2,500 words per minute. Check out other famous speed readers speeds here.

Speed reading is not for everyone, but it is a skill you can acquire. Want to learn more and whether it’s for you? Check out these articles.

http://www.mindtools.com/speedrd.html

http://english.glendale.cc.ca.us/methods.html

Or give speed reading a try with this eight-minute free YouTube video that teaches speed reading techniques.

14 08, 2013

READING FACTS – One Word Wednesday

By |2013-08-14T06:47:52-05:00August 14th, 2013|one word Wednesday|1 Comment

I found another fascinating chart through one of my favorite blogs, Writers Write.  interesting-facts-about-reading_50290ee6a6406_w594

Looking at the chart, I was fascinated to see the advantages of speed reading.

  • Increased comprehension
  • Less eye time on the page
  • Less eye fatigability

I learned to speed read while I was working on my Masters’ degree. Had to. Those professors thought all I had going on in my life was their class reading assignments!

Reality was I worked full time as a teacher, part time with my antiques business, and full time as a corporate wife and mother to three teenagers! Fitting in time to read hundreds of pages was a very real challenge.

I am a firm believer in the rapid reading, especially in today’s world where we spend so much time reading—emails, web articles, texts, etc.

Two techniques I taught reading/study skills classes are skimming and skipping smaller words, i.e. prepositions and articles. Both skills got me through grad school and continue to be a help with all my reading whether professional or for pleasure.

It does cause a problem in my writing, though.

Because I don’t read prepositions and articles, I tend to leave them out when I write. Thank goodness for great critique partners and editors who put all those three and four letter words back in for me!

Interested in learning more about speed/rapid reading?

Mindtools.com offers great suggestions. http://www.mindtools.com/speedrd.html

More techniques can be found here.  http://english.glendale.cc.ca.us/methods.html

There’s even an eight-minute free video on Youtube. Click here to watch.

YOUR TURN: Did the chart hold any surprising facts for you?

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