I am reading so much the past few weeks, that I decided to look into the different techniques for speed reading. I have been looking into the subject for a while now, as I believe we should always improve our skills and the way we do things. It will be much better use of my time as well. I will be able to get through more posts, research faster. I am not speaking of just reading faster and then not have a clue what I read.

Some interesting facts about speed reading

Most people read at about 200 words per minute at approximately 60% comprehension. The top 1% of fast readers, read at about 900 words a minute at about 85% comprehension. That is 5 times faster as the average joe… like me. Reading efficiency is measured by Number of words per minute X Comprehension rate. If we take the Top Readers it will be 900 X 85% or in other words a reading efficiency of 850 words per minute. On the other hand for the average joe it is 200 X 60% or a reading efficiency of 120 Efficient words per minute. The top readers are there for 7 times more efficient readers that the average reader.

Types of reading

According to some facts on Wikipedia there are three types of reading.

Mental Reading - This means that you are sounding out each word while reading. This is the slowest type of reading
Auditory reading - this is hearing out each and every word. Although still not the fastest, it is faster than Mental reading
Visual Reading - This is the fastest type of reading. This is the understanding the meaning of the word instead of hearing out or sounding out each word.

We are interested in the last type (Visual) of reading and this is something that can be taught through a lot of training and then it needs to be practised.

Faster than 900 words per minute is not possible

It does not matter what of the reading types are used, it is proven that we cannot read faster than 900 words per minute. This was proven using a few dimensions:
- The shortest possible fixation period is around one 6th of a second
- The shortest recorded time between these fixations is about on 30th of a second,
- The eye cannot see more than around 3 words in each fixation.
When we combine these above points in was proven that no human can read a ten word line of about 3 inches, hence calculating a rate of 900 words per minute at maximum.

Various training courses

There are various training courses and when I googled I came up with the following examples:
Reading Dynamics
Shilin Speed Reading
Here is a free one Read speeder

I also found a nice site, which assist user to read better and comprehend what you read better. Perls Reading , does an assessment of your current reading ability and comprehension. They then train you to the appropriate level.

A few Speed reading tips

First Skim then read

Many speed reading courses teaches "Skimming" and not the ability read faster. Skimming is when you glance over the text you are about to read. This allows your brain to pick up some of the information already. This also assist with comprehension.

You should improve you fluency, which in turn will improve your speed

Not fluently recognising the words, has a massive negative impact on the speed you are reading. If you can train yourself to recognise words quicker, it should have a positive impact on your reading speed and ability.

First understand what you want before you read

This is actually an extension to the Tip number 1 First Skim then read . When you skim you see how the article or post is structured, and this will allow you to focus more on the things that you think are more important.

Speed reading test

Here is a free speed reading test here for those who are interested in measuring your current reading speed.

I am far from a speed reader or even a specialist on the subject. What I do know and have learned in life, is that if you do not try you will never know, and I think practice is very important to learn this skill, I will end on the following note.

Practice, practice, practice!

Leave comment below on your current reading speed after you have done the test.

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