Watch more How to Improve Your Reading videos:Improve your efficiency by learning how to read up to three times faster with these proven speed-reading techniques.Step 1: SkimSkim an entire article, chapter, or even book before you begin reading. Take in the title, introduction, any subheadings, and bold-type passages, so that when you start reading, you’ll already know the selection’s main points.Step 2: Let your finger do the walkingLead with your index finger, a pen, or your computer mouse, which keeps your eyes focused and moving ahead. This prevents them from darting around re-reading words, something the average person does to the tune of 20 words per page.TipMove your pointer at a faster rate than you think you can read, which will retrain your brain by forcing you to keep up.Step 3: Shut up!Stop 'sounding out' each word in your head, or mouthing the words silently, two things many of us learned to do in grade school. Air Force research shows your brain can recognize a word in less than five-hundredths of a second, while it takes a quarter of a second—five times longer—to say it in your head.Step 4: “Chunk”Learning not to sound out words will help you 'chunk'—a technique that requires you to group together four or five words by skipping articles like 'the' and 'and.' You’ll still get the meaning, since these words aren’t needed for comprehension.Step 5: Keep goingTrain yourself to stop taking a short pause after each paragraph, something most of us do unconsciously.TipWhen reading a passage on a computer screen, try highlighting the text in a dark color and changing the font color to white.
So, let's take a look at the claims of speed reading and if it's really possible to read 1,200 words a minute. Most of us tend to read at about 200-400 words per minute. Speed readers claim to hit. Calculate fiction and non-fiction rates the same way, using different reading material. Figure out how many words are in the passage you're reading before you start. The easiest way to do this is to use a passage on the computer and put it into a program that performs a word count on the selection.
Your eyes can more easily read white words on a dark background.Step 6: PracticePractice these techniques for at least 20 minutes a day, starting with books and articles printed in large fonts. As you practice, you’ll learn how to prioritize content, speeding you along even more.Did You Know?John F.
Kennedy, a student of speed-reading, told a reporter he could read 1,200 words per minute, although he later admitted to exaggerating that number.