Learn to Read Fast~

[~SnowAngel~]

Sooo I'm just going to through something out here for now~ check back later for better details?

Speed reading is basically reading groups of words at the same time. Through practice, you can read much faster. Your speed is measured by words per minute. (wpm) The average is about 150 wpm.
If you apply some of the techniques, you can double or tripple your reading and understanding.
This is not the same as skimming or skipping words~

There's a few free programs and a few books that you can find online if you search~ for you time being I'll just put a few links here~ feel free to post your wpm XD
You can also learning about typing faster~ which I recommend :P

I haven't read these pages yet, but they should be useful! XD

test your speed: http://www.readingsoft.com/
http://www.spreeder.com/
http://www.fourhourworkweek.com/blog/2009/07/30/speed-reading-and-accelerated-learning/

I recommend using this trial several times~ it's online and you have unlimited tries :o
http://www.readfaster.com/tre.asp

and here's a comparison of some speed reading software~
thoo I don't recommend getting them since they're overpriced x_X you can learn online for free what they teach you XD

I've heard that there were ways to apply it to science, but idk much about them :f



ummmm to give an idea of some techniques:

You can learn to read clusters of words horizontally and vertically.
You can learn to not re-read sentences.
You can learn to expand your area of recognition to see/understand more words at once.
Health and posture also plays an important role in reading fast~

If you can find the book, try getting speed reading for dummies~ lol

 

[Evac]

According to the first link, my reading speed is 166 wpm with 82% comprehension. xD
Haven't checked the other ones yet, but thank you for sharing. ^^

This is something I'm constantly trying to improve, especially for English texts. One should never forget, though, that only reading faster means nothing if you can't grasp what the text is talking about, so it's important to work on both traits simultaneously.
Such is a big problem in the 'internet age'. People have so much content around them that is quite hard to stop and focus on something...

 

[~SnowAngel~]

actually if you read some studies~ reading faster improves comprehension. It does take plenty of practice, but it can be done.
The best I got up to was around 500 wpm, then it dropped to 300 with 90% comprehension. ummm now I'm just a little lazy when reading~
Other things can effect how well you read also. Things like distracting music, gum, a curved spine, not enough fresh air, etc.
However, you can't apply speed reading to special subjects like science and math, or when you're reading to learn. You have to use a different technique to speed read in those. Basically, you practice receiving that information faster and more often. Even if you don't remember what you just read, when you stop to think you'll remember better than when you were reading it 5 times to get it.
soooooo I might add more to this later~ typing speed is also something alot of people lack since they aren't taught the right way to type. I don't type the correct way, but learning to type that way helped me type faster~

 

[SirEpic]

I scored 305 on that test ^^ (no cheating )

 

[Evac]

Well, I would like to read more about this, so more posts on the subject will be welcome! My English reading/comprehension skills are still quite lacking, and I do want to improve them. ^^
I'm still a bit skeptic about the effects of speed reading on comprehension -- maybe because most of the texts I read (involving lots of math and chunks of code) make me stop to think about what's really going on... Guess I can't develop reading skills only with this kind of material. xD

 

[Karlotto]

295 wpm with 82% comprehension. I`ve always been able to read fast and efficiently, I generally choose not to though. Makes me feel rushed.

 

[~SnowAngel~]

Howard Berg is known as the world's fastest reader. He's written a book with audio before which I can sum up for you kinda~~
You can be a little skeptic about the idea, but the techniques given do work.
http://www.skepdic.com/speedreading.html
http://speedreadinguniversity.com/

I only remember so much from his audio, which was recorded from several years ago using tapes. I don't have it anymore, but I could find them again maybe. The audio clips were around 20 minutes long, with about 2 minutes worth of knowledge in each (he really went on about random things.. lol).

Anyway~ He said something about practicing to look at lines of text without caring whether or not you can understand what you look at. You do like a chapter reading one whole line at a time. Then go back and do 2, 3 and 4. He says what's important is that you're seeing the text and making your mind speed up. Once you've done that (or just clusters or words~) you can try reading normally, and you'll actually be reading faster with good understanding.

There are various exercises that some programs have, most of them deal with stretching your range of vision, and actually exercising your eyes. (it's a natural eye treatment that reduces the need for glasses, and keeps your eyes healthy).
Anyways~ you look in zigzags, circles, and distances with a focus point as part of the exercises.

Then there's actual reading tests. You'll either read columns of words, or certain groups of words will flash on the screen for a little time. You may even be given a task where the words will make a diamond pattern by increasing and decreasing how many words you see at once. After any given task, you are given a test to see what you know~


ummmmmm I know alot of that is probably confusing soooo be patient and I may give better examples~

 

[Will98]

760 wpm 91% comprehension.....

 

[Ghost Kitty~]

Blahs im slowish xD