Saturday

Utilizing Speed Reading To Promote Productivity

By Mamie Conrad


Whether you are a student or a worker looking for a way to increase your productivity, you can definitely consider learning more about speed reading. People read for all sorts of reason. Some may be doing schoolwork, while some may be involved in clerical work in the office. Being able to read much faster will guarantee a lot of benefits.

If you read at a faster rate, you will be able to do more. You can even improve your concentration as well as comprehension by doing it. It is good to know that it is possible for humans to increase their reading speed to two or three times more than the usual 200 to 300 words per minute speed of a regular reader.

You can increase the rate at which you read books, letters and other printed materials with a higher amount of comprehension as well. You can do this by following well determined techniques or joining commercial training or classes. You will be asked to determine the factors that lead you to read slower such as bad environment and low concentration levels.

Therefore, the first thing you should do to improve your skills is to promote a proper environment. Choose a place that will be conducive for you to read properly. If you have poor eyesight, have the proper pair of eyeglasses prescribed. Be sure there is adequate oxygen supply to the brain too and that you are not too tired for the task.

Try the various techniques recommended by experts as well. Avoid too many eye stops along the way since they are one of the reasons why you read slow. Instead, you can concentrate on reading relevant phrases only. Eye stops may only take seconds but if you add all these seconds together, a great fraction of your time is taken away from you.

You also have to minimize back skipping. This is why promoting better concentration and comprehension is necessary. If you can, do memory exercises once in a while to avoid reading what you have already read but missed in the previous pages. Pay attention to relevant information by learning how to sift through the words.

Guide your eyes by pointing words or phrases using a pen or a finger. This is a very good thing to do when you are skimming. Drawing certain shapes, such as zigzags or one slanting line from the top to the bottom of the page, will help in reading much faster. The movement of the pen will force your eyes to follow as well.

Chunking is really a big deal if you want to read faster. Avoid reading each letter or word. Instead, read phrases to reduce time spent. Another thing that can cause you to be slow is subvocalizing. This pertains to the act of silently reading words either through the lips or through the mind.

Speed reading also involves training yourself psychologically. You need to learn how to concentrate on a relaxed manner to get benefits. If you should require commercial coaching, there are many courses or training available these days. There are even books, online videos or software that you can use. Just make sure you choose a material that will suit your learning style to guarantee results.




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