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.