Speed reading – part 1

Background

Speed reading enables you to read information more quickly. For some, it leads to a better understanding than with traditional reading styles as it helps to store more information in the short term memory. Speed reading is not about the eyes but about the brain and in this section, we will learn why this is.

The normal range of reading ability for an adult is between 200 and 400 words per minute, although you may be interested to know that the current world record holder for speed reading can read – and crucially, show their understanding of – almost 4,000 words per minute!

We can characterise a poor reader as someone who:

  • Probably dislikes reading
  • Spends a lot of time reading small blocks of words
  • Frequently back-skips
  • Has a poor grasp of the flow and structure of the text
  • Has a poor overall understanding of the material
  • Has irregular eye movements when reading

Fixation

Reading is a process that involves the eyes making jumps between fixation points with pauses in between. Speed reading begins by focusing on these pauses, which are typically between a quarter and one and a half seconds. It suggests that to reduce these pauses in length will increase reading speed.

Why not attempt this? Make a note of the time. Read through some relevant text – say a document of some 300 hundred words – at your usual speed and make a mental note of the way your eyes hop between the words. Write down how long it took you to read.

Put the text down. Pick it up and make a note of the clock. Begin again and this time put your effort into reducing the time you spend on the fixation points. Aim for increased smoothness in your eye movement between words and have a go at building up some speed. Write down how long it took you to read.

Did you improve on your original time?

Incidentally, you can work out your words per minute rate if you divide the number of words read by the number of minutes it took you to read them.

What we can say here is that by pushing yourself to reduce the time you take pausing you will get quicker at reading. This is a matter of practice and confidence.

Back skip

This describes what happens to us when we, usually unconsciously, back skip to words already read. Knowing what we do about pauses and fixation points, it is possible to see how back-skipping increases reading time; in fact, back skip increases the number of fixation points.

There are some useful techniques for reducing back-skip. Awareness is key because usually we do not even realise we are doing it. Just focusing on increasing your reading speed will reduce back-skip.

It is necessary to force yourself to stop skipping back to words already read and to have confidence in your reading ability. Also, you could use a pointer, such as a finger, or a pen or pencil. We will look at how to guide your eyes in more detail later.

Activity

Using a piece of text of approximately 500 or so words in length, time yourself reading at your normal pace in your normal style.

Back-skipping increases reading time by increasing the number of fixation points. Focusing on increasing your reading speed will reduce back-skip.

Time yourself reading through the same piece of text again, this time forcing yourself to stop skipping back to words already read.

Did your time reduce?

Carry out the activity again, using the method outlined above and also, using a pointer, such as a finger, or a pen or pencil. 

What effect does this have on your reading speed?

Speed reading enables you to read information more quickly. For some, it leads to a better understanding than with traditional reading styles as it helps to store more information in the short term memory. Speed reading is not about the eyes but about the brain and in this section, we will learn why this is.

The normal range of reading ability for an adult is between 200 and 400 words per minute, although you may be interested to know that the current world record holder for speed reading can read – and crucially, show their understanding of – almost 4,000 words per minute!

We can characterise a poor reader as someone who:

  • Probably dislikes reading
  • Spends a lot of time reading small blocks of words
  • Frequently back-skips
  • Has a poor grasp of the flow and structure of the text
  • Has a poor overall understanding of the material
  • Has irregular eye movements when reading

Fixation

Reading is a process that involves the eyes making jumps between fixation points with pauses in between. Speed reading begins by focusing on these pauses, which are typically between a quarter and one and a half seconds. It suggests that to reduce these pauses in length will increase reading speed.

Why not attempt this? Make a note of the time. Read through some relevant text – say a document of some 300 hundred words – at your usual speed and make a mental note of the way your eyes hop between the words. Write down how long it took you to read.

Put the text down. Pick it up and make a note of the clock. Begin again and this time put your effort into reducing the time you spend on the fixation points. Aim for increased smoothness in your eye movement between words and have a go at building up some speed. Write down how long it took you to read.

Did you improve on your original time?

Incidentally, you can work out your words per minute rate if you divide the number of words read by the number of minutes it took you to read them.

What we can say here is that by pushing yourself to reduce the time you take pausing you will get quicker at reading. This is a matter of practice and confidence.

Back skip

This describes what happens to us when we, usually unconsciously, back skip to words already read. Knowing what we do about pauses and fixation points, it is possible to see how back-skipping increases reading time; in fact, back skip increases the number of fixation points.

There are some useful techniques for reducing back-skip. Awareness is key because usually we do not even realise we are doing it. Just focusing on increasing your reading speed will reduce back-skip.

It is necessary to force yourself to stop skipping back to words already read and to have confidence in your reading ability. Also, you could use a pointer, such as a finger, or a pen or pencil. We will look at how to guide your eyes in more detail later.

Activity

Using a piece of text of approximately 500 or so words in length, time yourself reading at your normal pace in your normal style.

Back-skipping increases reading time by increasing the number of fixation points. Focusing on increasing your reading speed will reduce back-skip.

Time yourself reading through the same piece of text again, this time forcing yourself to stop skipping back to words already read.

Did your time reduce?

Carry out the activity again, using the method outlined above and also, using a pointer, such as a finger, or a pen or pencil. 

What effect does this have on your reading speed?