How to Speed Read Effectively
Speed reading is an information-retaining technique that students and professionals use to make their work easier. Both groups of people can find themselves immersed in thousands of pages of material that need to be read in order to complete their goals. But by increasing reading speed, those pages can be read and comprehended at a faster rate. Here are a few tips and techniques that can help people effectively speed read.
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Instructions
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How To Speed Read Effectively
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Eliminate distractions. If you are surrounded by noise, even background noise like instrumental music, do everything you can to get rid of it. Isolate yourself with nothing but the material and a comfortable reading position. Food, drinks and telephones should be out of your reach. By getting rid of the potential distractions, your mind can better focus on absorbing the words on the pages.
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Skim the reading material to gather its general meaning and purpose. Flip through the book and read the chapter titles, pull-out quotes and any diagrams. Then go back and read the table of contents and the forward, if applicable. This sets your mind up to better understand the book's purpose and terminology before you delve into the pages.
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Focus the right senses on reading. Although many people are taught to read out loud or imagine a voice attached to the words, your mind may absorb the material faster by "cutting out the middle men" and connecting them straight from the eye to the brain. Read without moving your lips. In fact, by using your finger as a guide by underlining the words with it, you can actually read and comprehend the material faster. Your finger can act as a pace-setter for your brain, going as fast as you can retain the information.
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Read faster by using your peripheral vision to focus on seeing the words as a whole before understanding them individually. By using an imaginary line down the middle of the page, your mind can start to group the words. You will start to read the pages in a diagonal fashion, rather than a linear way. This also allows you to focus on key words, rather than spending time on decorative phrases.
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Take frequent breaks by pacing yourself accordingly. By taking breaks, you give your mind a chance to rest and recoup since it is absorbing information much faster than it's used to. Set up a specific amount of pages you plan to read in an hour and set a timer in another room.
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