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Viewing 7 Simple Steps to Faster Reading7 Simple Steps to Faster Reading
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Are you a slow reader? Do you sometimes find yourself daydreaming as you read through a passage of text? If you want to increase your speed of reading - and your comprehension rate, this article can help with its seven simple steps to faster reading. By Jimmy Cox When attempting to increase the speed at which you read, it is advisable to take the following steps. 1. Pre-read first. Before you begin to read anything, you should establish your purpose and then give a quick, searching scrutiny. If it is a magazine article, for example, you A. Read the title and explanatory subheads. B. Note the author's name. C. Look at illustrations and read captions. D. Read any boldface or italic material, lettered or numbered points, any boxes or graphs. 2. Read in phrases. The speed at which you read a line of type depends directly on the number of stops, or fixations, your eyes make. In a line of twelve words, if your eyes take in only a single word at each pause, they must make twelve fixations (and some poor readers take in only part of a word at each fixation!). If you widen your recognition span to take in two words, you cut the fixations in half - to six. If your eyes can take in three words at each stop, you reduce the number of fixations to four! It is obvious that this is one of the first concerns of rapid reading. The more your eyes absorb in each fixation, the more you cut reading time. 3. Concentrate when you read. The greatest impediment to efficient and retentive reading is inattention. You must fully engage your mind. You must not let your thoughts wander while your eyes follow the lines of type. Unless you concentrate, the eyes do not transmit clear images to the mind. 4. Practice drills of rapid reading. To attain speed you must constantly stretch your performance beyond what is a comfortable pace. To accomplish this goal, you must widen your span of recognition. You must also quicken the perception rate at which the mind recognizes and accepts word images from the eyes. 5. Master skipping and skimming. These are skills that all modern readers use to get through material quickly. However, there is a pattern to both. They are not haphazard movements of your eyes over a page of type. The technique is in learning how to skip and skim with confidence that you are missing nothing important. 6. Build your vocabulary. Rapid, efficient reading depends above all else on a wide vocabulary. You cannot read rapidly unless your mind recognizes instantly the images of words and phrases that your eyes transmit. If your vocabulary is limited, you must work to build it. 7. Learn to pick your reading speed. You do not drive your car at the same speed all the time. You react based on the condition of the road, the traffic, and the nature of your errand. In the same way, you do not try to race through Shakespeare or an article on astrophysics. You change speeds and gear your pace to what you are reading. The target is to adjust all your senses to complete involvement in the reading process. You must be alert, absorbed, and in a mood to anticipate the author's next words. You must ensure that you fully engage your attention. About the Author: Who else wants a simple speed-reading program to read faster and remember more? Click here for our FREE online eBook! Article Source: 1st Rate Articles - http://1stRateArticles.com |
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