How to Read Faster by Using Speed Reading

Being able to speed read has enormous benefits for both study and business use. Take a look at the steps below to increase your reading speed.

Instructions

1. Step back and take a look at how you currently read a book or document. Do you use a book mark to place under the line your reading, or trace your fingers along the words as you read? Do you lip sync the words as you are reading? You will need to practice and condition yourself not to lip sync or place anything under the line you are reading. Having a pointer like your finger is actually a good tool for faster reading.

2. The biggest area to work on is your ability to increase the words that you read at a time. You are trying to read blocks of words at a time and not individual words. You can practice this technique on a magazine or newspaper that has a page formatted into a thin column of 5 or 6 words. Your goal is to skim and reduce your time fixating on a word to a minimum. You are trying to consume words in blocks, think of it as skimming the words.

3. Use a pointer like a finger to dictate your reading speed. So don't let the finger follow what you just read. Move you pointer at a constant speed, as you get better you can increase the speed. Do not go back and read something you have already passed, your goal is to extract the raw information you need in the quickest time.

4. Practice is the key. This is not something that can magically happen over night. Also remember that some things are not meant to be read quickly. Sometimes you will want to read each word by word and soak up the information. The speed techniques are for consuming the basic raw information as quickly as you can. This is very useful for studying and reading business reports.