Different Types of Speed Reading Programs

In order to understand how to conduct speed reading effectively, you have to participate in speed reading programs. Speed reading programs will show you the ropes on how you can read lengthy texts with less time.  These programs will also educate you about the techniques that are employed in order to do this method of reading properly. Speed reading classes, speed reading books and videos, and speed reading software are the three forms of speed reading programs. This article will talk about the benefits and tradeoffs of these kinds of speed reading programs.



The most typical speed reading programs are speed reading classes. In this program, those who intend to learn how to carry out speed reading register in a class and attend a number of lectures wherein the instructor will teach the techniques of speed reading. The advantage of speed reading classes is that you get to learn speed reading from an actual person in a face to face manner. This allows you to inquire about specific questions regarding speed reading. However, speed reading classes are the most inflexible of all speed reading programs as you have to allot some time for it.



Speed reading books or videos are the second type of speed reading programs. This is very different from speed reading classes as it is a self-help type of program wherein you have to figure out speed reading on your own. Speed reading books and videos are great because you have the flexibility of learning speed reading whenever you are available or feel like studying the techniques. In addition, books are very portable so you can bring them anywhere, while videos can be imported on portable electronic gadgets as well. However, the reading materials in this form of speed reading program is very inadequate especially for long term use.



Speed reading software is the final kind of speed reading programs. They are also self-help type of speed reading program just like speed reading books and videos. However, they are more dynamic and they have more content. The reason for this is that majority of speed reading software may be updated over the internet. Unfortunately though, you cannot ask the software specific questions unlike in a speed reading class, and they are more expensive than speed reading books or videos.

Speed Reading Course Benefits

A speed reading course is one of the ways to learn how to conduct speed reading. These courses can teach you the fundamentals and techniques that are used in speed reading. However, not all people believe that speed reading can do much good for yourself. If you are one of those people, here some reasons why anyone would want to enroll in a speed reading course.



The first advantage is that a speed reading course will enable you to understand long texts with just little time. This is very relevant today in the so-called 'information age' where many people can get many types of information over the internet. A speed reading course can help you deal with the information overload that is brought upon by the internet. In this day and age where reading has become more than ever a bigger part of our lives, a speed reading course can help you make the most out of your life by helping you learn more with less time.



A speed reading course can also help you enhance you productivity levels due to having the capacity to understand text without requiring much time. You have to read a lot of text whether you are a student or you are already working.

 Students are required to read tons of readings before every meeting or for papers, while those who work usually have to read reports. A speed reading course allows you to finish you work with little time as it lets you focus on creating output instead of getting stuck on the reading part.



Last but certainly not the least, a speed reading course can provide you more quality time for yourself. If you are able to accomplish your work with less time, then it means that you have more time that you can spend on other activities. You may spend more time on you hobbies, family, or loved ones. What's more is that if you love reading that much, a speed reading course can also offer you more time for leisure reading.

Some Basic Facts About Speed Reading

Other people say that not everyone have the ability to do speed reading but there are a few speed reading tips that you can try first before giving up on this wonderful skill. Having the ability to do speed reading offers numerous great benefits for your life as it allows you to save a lot of your time, so that you can use it for more meaningful activities. This article will talk about several speed reading tips that will allow you to learn the art of speed reading more easily.



The first speed reading tips that you have to understand is to practice speed reading everyday. The quotation 'practice makes perfect' sums it up well for speed reading. You have to carry out speed reading exercises everyday for 15 to 30 minutes so that your eyes and brain will become more familiar with the process. In effect, you are training your brain to process the information when reading at a faster pace. Measure your improvement over time by using a timer and seeing how many words can you read and understand within a minute.



Another speed reading tips that you can utilize is avoiding back-skipping habits. Back-skipping refers to our tendency to view again previously read words in order to understand its meaning. Most of us do it unconsciously whenever we are unsure of the meaning of what we have just read. However, this habit is counter-productive to the purposes of speed reading as it lengthens the time needed for reading. One way to avoid back-skipping habits is by treating the text as a movie reel wherein you cannot rewind to a scene anymore once you have watched it. If you are concerned about not understanding the meaning, remember that there is still a chance for you to figure out the gist of the text as you read on.



the last of the speed reading tips that you can use is identifying the key words within a text. Keep in mind that you do not have to read every word in a text in order to comprehend its meaning. If you can easily recognize the key words within a text, you may just quickly navigate through the filler words and still understand the meaning of the text.

Speed Reading Exercise - How To Do It

While it is more recommended to get training in speed reading from professional services, it is actually quite easy to learn speed reading on your own using speed reading exercises. Speed reading exercises can be done in the comfort of your own home with a reading material. The nice part about speed reading exercises is that they are free, so you can enhance your reading rates without having to pay for speed reading programs. This article will show you how you can do speed reading exercises on your own.



The initial step in speed reading exercises is acquiring a reading material and going to a reading location where you can read comfortably. It is crucial that you conduct this in a location that is suitable for reading and where you cannot be interrupted, so that you can just focus on the exercise. As for the reading material, it is ideal that you pick something that you haven't read before, so that you cannot depend on your memory. Also, avoid technical reading materials and make sure that what you are reading is actually something that you can understand. This will enable you to measure your comprehension in respect to your reading rate.



Once you are prepared for reading, commence your speed reading exercises on your reading material. You can try out the different techniques that are taught at speed reading courses. An example would be skimming, where in you have to look for visual clues for meaning in a sentence. Another technique in speed reading is meta guiding wherein you use your finger or a pointer to guide your eye on the text. And then another technique that is used for speed reading is reducing the subvocalization while reading.



You may have a hard time understanding the words that you are reading on your first few attempts at speed reading exercises. Do not be bothered by it as it is typical for beginners to go through that. Your brain will steadily get used to reading at a faster rate and your understanding will improve in time. The essential thing is that you accomplish these speed reading exercises on a regular basis, for about 15 to 30 minutes per day, to guarantee an effective improvement in your reading rate.

Speed Reading Techniques - Examples

Speed readers utilize different speed reading techniques in order to improve their rate of reading. These techniques allow them to work their way through the text and get its gist without having to resort to traditional, slower methods of comprehension. Here are several speed reading techniques that are used by speed readers nowadays, which greatly decreases the time required for understanding texts.

Skimming is one of the most basic speed reading techniques. Though people usually use skimming to quickly examine the contents of a text, speed readers make use of this method on every occasion that they read. In this technique, the reader ignores the words that are less significant to the meaning of the sentence. This enables the reader to easily comprehend the main point of a sentence by only absorbing the bare essentials of the text.

Another example of speed reading techniques is the elimination of subvocalization. Subvocalization is the process of speaking the word in your head as you read it. Although it is impossible to wholly get rid of subvocalization of words as you read them, the most recommended thing to do is use it sparingly on significant words only. Elimination of subvocalization reduces the cognitive processes involved during reading as you do not have to say the word in your head anymore in order to understand it. A nice way to learn this technique is to conceptualize words as objects so that upon seeing them, the associated meaning will immediately come to mind without the need for vocalizing it.

One more example of speed reading techniques is meta guiding. In this technique, the reader utilizes a pointing object such as a finger or a pen in order to guide the eye as it navigates through the words. Increasing the speed of the pointing tool makes the eye work faster as well.

The last example of speed reading techniques is chunking or reading two or more words at a time. It is a difficult technique that makes use of the peripheral vision. When using the this technique, instead of the usual eye movement which focuses from one word to another, the reader takes in a chunk of words all at once. Advanced speed readers can even absorb an entire line of words, from left to right, in just one looking.

Speed Reading - Enhancing Comprehension

Those who are against speed reading claims that speed reading comprehension is compromised when doing this method of reading. This means that while speed readers can read more words at a time, the tradeoff is that they do not understand most of it which defeats the purpose of reading. However, this is not totally true as you can still have a proper reading comprehension ability even when taking in huge amount of information. Here are several ways on how you can develop your speed reading comprehension.



First, keep in mind that speed reading is still a type of reading. And when reading an extensive text, you have to be relaxed in order to comprehend it well. Thus to enhance speed reading comprehension, you have to read in a location where you can focus better. Avoid doing speed reading in crowded and noisy places. This will enable you to avoid disruptions and direct all of your cognitive processing to what you are reading.



Being aware of the main point of the text is also an effective way to enhance speed reading comprehension. The main idea contextualizes what you are reading. Thus you have to always remember the thesis while you are doing speed reading. This way, you already have an overall idea of what the text is all about. You won't get lost even when you are processing a huge amount of information. The thesis can be commonly found on the title or on the first few sentences so try not to miss it while skimming.



The final tip to enhance speed reading comprehension is by doing speed reading on a regular basis. The quotation 'practice makes perfect' cannot be truer for speed reading. Speed reading becomes more effective when you train your eyes and mind to handle bigger amount of information at a time. You need to practice speed reading continuously s in order to familiarize your mind with this method of reading.



Remember that comprehension ability is not necessarily a tradeoff for speed reading. Doing these speed reading comprehension tips will let you take advantage of this useful method of reading.

Techniques For Speed Reading

In order to understand the fundamentals of speed reading, you must know how to utilize the best speed reading pacing techniques that are employed in speed reading courses. These techniques are very simple reading exercises that train your eyes and brain how to read at a faster and more efficient manner. It also helps the reader keep his or her concentration on what he or she is reading. These best speed reading pacing techniques can only be accomplished on reading materials on paper so do not try them on your computer screens.



Utilizing your hand to help your eyes is one of the best speed reading pacing techniques that is very easy to accomplish. Though it is somewhat basic, it is a useful way to make your eyes acquainted with motion while reading. To do this, simply position your hand on the top of the page and then move it slowly downward as you are reading.



Once you get the hang of it, you can try using your two fingers to guide your eyes. But instead of from up to down, move them left to right on every line, with just two bounces on each line. This will help you practice take in at least four words in just one looking.



Another best speed reading pacing technique that you can try is the card technique. To do this, you utilize a card or a folded piece of paper to block the words from your vision right after reading them. What it does is that it prevents you from going back on the words that you have already read. This will also train you to focus more when reading a text for the first time.



The sweep technique is one more best speed reading pacing technique that you can try. You must first relax your fingers and put it on the left side of the page that you are reading. In a smooth motion, sweep your fingers to the right side of the page, as your tallest finger underlines each line as you read them. This will practice your eyes to read at a faster pace. However, it is a more complicated technique so try it only after mastering the previous pacing techniques.

Test On Speed Reading

A speed reading test is a useful way to find out more about your reading rate. It quantitatively measures the number of words that you can read within a minute. You can usually take them on many speed reading websites, although they are also included in most speed reading software. Additionally, you must also take into account that reading on a computer screen is slower compared to reading on a paper, so you may have a faster reading rate when reading from books and other paper-based reading material.



A speed reading test fundamentally measures the amount of words that you can read under in a minute. Anyone can easily do a speed reading test on their own. What you do is just click the start button and proceed on reading the given set of text. Once you are done reading the whole text, you have to press the stop button. The speed reading text will then determine your reading rate by the number of words on the corresponding text and the amount of time that you have used to read the text.



Furthermore, a good speed reading test incorporates a comprehension test. The comprehension test is an indicator of how much you understood about the given text while reading it at that pace. The comprehension test is an essential value as it says a lot about your reading abilities. You may have high word per minute reading rate but if you fared poorly on the comprehension test, it simply means that you were unable to understand what you have just read.



As for the results of a speed reading test, an average person reads at about 200 words per minute on a computer screen and 240 words per minute on paper, with about 60% comprehension rate. That is the standard statistics for most people. If you are an average or even a slow reader, then you might want to look at a speed reading program to develop your reading and comprehension rate.

An Overview On Speed Reading

Speed reading software reviews are wonderful way to discover which speed reading software is the most appropriate for your requirements. Today there are so many speed reading software that can be bought online but unfortunately not all of them are the same. There are several speed reading software that provides great features that doesn't necessarily break the bank. If you are planning on buying a speed reading software, here are a couple of things that are worth checking for on sped reading software reviews.



One of the things that you should check out on speed reading software reviews is that it must have a user profile management that can monitor the progress separately for each account. A speed reading software that is capable of profile management is useful if you plan to let other people use that program other than you. It is significant since you don't want other people altering your progress results in speed reading. This feature will allow you to track your progress more accurately.



Another feature that must be present in speed reading software reviews is reading levels. This feature makes certain that what the user is reading is at par with his or her intellectual maturity. The reading levels provide a more appropriate reading material to the user. This makes the tracking of the user's progress more accurate.



People who want to buy a speed reading software should also check on speed reading software reviews about feedback on the technical support. This is important when investing in such a unique software because you do not want to be left in the dark on your own while using it. The first feature that you should check out for is the software updates. A software upgrade assures that the program is still going to be useful in the long run.



One more feature that you should look for is the technical support that they can provide. Besides online support, does the application also have telephone support? Speaking with someone over the telephone is way more helpful than interacting through email or IMs. These features ensure that you can utilize the speed reading software to its full potential.

A Guide To Speed Reading

A speed reading software is a convenient way to study the method of speed reading on your own using your computer, without having to sign up in a speed reading program. However, not all speed reading software that are available today are the same and some are better and more effective than others. Here are several considerations when choosing a speed reading software.



First and foremost, the speed reading software must have exercises that will practice the reader avoid reading habits that slow down the process of reading. Some of these habits are subvocalization, eye slaving, and back-skipping. The software must contain features that will guide the user how to stop doing these habits as they are contrary to the goal of speed reading.



A huge amount of content for reading material is also an important feature to look for in any speed reading software. This kind of software is something that is preferably used on a daily basis in order to be effective. Little variety in content will make the software not work as intended. The reason for this is that the user will just remember the words from past experience when doing a speed reading drill that he or she have already done in the past.



Comprehension evaluation is also a feature that is worth looking for in a speed reading software. Having the ability to read at a faster pace is worthless if you are not able to comprehend what you have just read. It is ideal that you should be able to maintain your comprehension abilities even when your are speed reading. A speed reading software that has a comprehension evaluation feature will allow you to keep track of your comprehension abilities while speed reading.



Last but not the least, the speed reading software contain a feature that can monitor your progress in terms of speed reading. The software should be able to keep a profile that will document the results of your speed reading drills and tests that you have done, as well as visual representations like graphs and charts. Through this, you can check if what you have been doing is enough or effective.