With nearly any material you come across about speed reading, you will find some discussion about the habit of subvocalization. However, there is a part of the process that is necessary and actually serves the reader to mastering the essential skills of reading fast and comprehending the material.
You want to learn to speed read and you’re doing a web search on the topic. Unless this is the first thing you have read, you have probably come across much negative talk about the possibility of ever really reading super fast and achieving good comprehension with speed. Here is why that happens, and what you can do to overcome it.
If you’re reading this, then you’ve bought into the idea that speed reading can be an essential skill for success in today’s knowledge economy and academic success. These are skills you don’t have now, but want to learn and master. After doing some research, you discover that there are many options of learning media you can choose from. But which one is really the best to insure your success?
You want to learn to speed read and you’re doing a web search on the topic. Unless this is the first thing you have read, you have probably come across much negative talk about the possibility of ever really reading super fast and achieving good comprehension with speed. Many people have tried and failed to master comprehension at super fast speeds. Here is the answer.
Does speed reading really work? No, it does not work! You work it. Now before you stop reading thinking, “that last statement is obvious,” I’ll ask you to stop and think for a moment and consider the following ideas.
Whether you have just started to look into speed reading, or whether you are a frustrated learner who has tried and not mastered the skills yet, there are 6 essential concepts you must understand if you hope to master the skills as a lifelong habit, or skill set.
Do you remember Aesop’s fable of the Tortoise and the Hare? As you read this article about speed reading you probably think I’m going to talk about the fast hare. On the contrary, I am going to sing the praises of the lowly tortoise.
When people watch me read they will often say something like, “Oh, you’re a speed reader. Does that really work?” I will usually respond, “No!” I know that sounds flippant, but truthfully, it does not work. You work it. Speed reading is a systematic approach you apply to learning and absobing printed material.
As someone begins the journey to learn speed reading immediately speed takes center stage. The learner knows something must change, and engages in exercises to move the eyes more efficiently. This initial approach is sound up to a point. However, the learner can often get overwhelmed and frustrated and then give up the process and return to the old inefficient patterns.
Speed reading is a vastly popular keyword internet search term with several million searches per month. Many people want to discover how to do this vital information management skill today. However, before someone learns to speed read, it might be helpful to take a step back and observe something that is taken for granted. When you read, whether it is speedy or not, what does your mind do?