Basic methods of fast reading techniques and the benefits of increasing speed. How to increase reading speed without losing the quality of information perception to save your time How to learn speed reading yourself

Speed ​​reading existed even before the world was "sick" with increased personal efficiency. And against the background of the "X Books a Year" goals set by many entrepreneurs and managers, it is relevant again. But is it really helpful? Will you stop enjoying reading or reading comprehension? How to learn to read quickly and how many books can you read per year? We interviewed several of our readers who took speed reading courses, and asked the trainer for advice on several techniques that you can master on your own. And the opinions turned out to be very different.

Speed ​​reading is a skill that allows you to read quickly. At the same time, the quality of assimilation of information is not lost - it is believed that a person still understands what he has read and remembers. At a standard speed of 120-180 words per minute, speed reading can accelerate to about 600 words. It is popular among those who work with a large flow of information and who want to learn more in less time.

"Some books need the speed of a snail."

- Last year I took a video course on speed reading in a month and a half. I wanted to do more, and I also noticed that sometimes I seem to read, but my head is in a different place. I wanted to work out concentration.

First, there was an introductory block about the components of reading - speed, attention, understanding, and so on. Then we switched to technicians (Zorro, Tornado, for example). This was the most difficult block, because each technique is recommended to be completed on 300 pages. And this requires perseverance and time, but nevertheless I worked it out, although, to be honest, in a smaller volume. There were three measurements of reading speed on the course. This helped measure progress.

I definitely didn’t regret it. It helps a lot in professional development and filtering information, you learn to quickly assess whether it is worth reading a new book or article. After completing the course, I tried to apply the skill everywhere and always. The reading speed has increased by about 2 times. As for articles and any professional literature, it is more likely even in 3.

But I think it's not always worth using speed reading. For example, I am currently reading Nassim Taleb's Antifragility. It’s not that speed reading is not needed - it’s the speed of a snail that is needed to be aware of every word. Also, I do not use the skill to its fullest when reading fiction, when I am resting, and not reading for some purpose. But at the same time, I can read a new book by Igor Mann, for example, in an hour or two, having understood all the most important things, using chips.

Sometimes it seems to me that the skill is not needed. I thought I would read very quickly. But then I realized that it was not for me. I'm not interested in telling everyone on Instagram how I read 300 books in a year. I'd rather read 50, but get the most out of them. On the other hand, besides books, I absorb a lot of other content.

"I read a book a day"

- The thirst for knowledge is a terrible thing. I decided to master speed reading when I realized that there are so many interesting books in the world that I won't have time to read them in my life. Studied independently. It was based on Tony Buzan's book "Quick Reading Tutorial" and articles from the Internet.

I started 4 years ago when I was studying at the university. The result appeared after 3-4 months. At first I read paper books, then I bought a Kindle, and the speed increased by another 30% due to the fact that the e-book has a well thought out reading field. In 2014, I read 45 books, and in 2016 - already 302, almost one a day. Like any skill, speed reading is acquired through constant training. The basic rules that I learned:

1. Do not pronounce the text. You need concentration on the book and the absence of external stimuli. Therefore, I tried not to read on public transport, but to do it in a calm atmosphere. So do not plant your eyesight.

2. Do not return to what you read. It is difficult, there is always a desire to re-read, to think it over, however, it significantly reduces the speed due to the fact that the eyes make "return movements". They fight this by tracing the text with a pen, finger or pencil. Over time, you will get used to and read without a pointer.

3. Increase the field of view in order to capture more words per line at one stop of the gaze. The fewer glances along the line, the higher the speed and less fatigue.

There are many other rules, but the essence of them is that you optimize the reading process and eliminate time losses. I only used these three, trying to read faster each time.

But with fast reading, as well as with foreign languages, the skill disappears without using it. Now I read less and more slowly good books little appears on new topics. Nevertheless, I see only advantages in the ability to read quickly. You will learn more in less time, literally you start thinking faster. Each paragraph you read builds new connections in the brain, and you absorb information faster. You learn to judge the quality of a book or article on the Internet at a glance. Up to a quarter of the books that I started, I threw away already on page 50 due to the poor quality of the material and "water".

"I didn't understand how it should work"

- I studied speed reading at the educational center, 1 hour 2 times a week for 3-4 weeks. It was a small group of about 10 people, the teacher explained the methodology, we read the texts and passed the tests for speed and comprehension.

I thought this skill works like speed typing - the same effect, but instead of two fingers, you use ten and blindly. It turned out that the result is different. I snatched individual words from the sentence and more or less understood what the text was about.

I increased the reading speed by 2-3 times. But I don’t use the technique, I read the old fashioned way. I didn't fully understand how this skill should actually work. They showed me the technique, but they didn't explain what should happen in my head. I regret that I never learned how to use it.

"Dispelled the myth that school is taught to read correctly"

- I studied speed reading for a long time - in 2008. It was interesting for me to try something new. The cost of the question was not high, and I always had a problem remembering what I read. And I read a lot.

There were about 10 face-to-face classes twice a week on weekends. We were also given methodological literature, homework, and a disc for practicing the “rhythm-knock” technique. After the courses, I trained myself for about 3 months.

As a result, I increased the speed of reading regular (non-technical) literature from 60 to 150 pages per hour with a qualitative improvement in memorization. And this is not the limit. I dispelled the myth that we are taught to read and memorize correctly in school.

Then I also took a course of memory training and I will say one thing - teaching methods are outdated to the point of impossibility. Cramming and reading line by line with the pronunciation of words is not even the Stone Age, but a much earlier era. Without training, the old techniques that we are "hammered" with at school are starting to come back. Now there is no need for such a speed of reading, but the skill has transformed into a similar work with numbers - it helps a lot to look for errors in the data. But this is not the main point. The course shows that, in fact, the limits of our capabilities are far from being revealed.

It was this course that helped to better understand the mechanism of intuition - one reading method was taught, which involves transferring complete trust to the brain to independently search for the most important information on the page. In real life, it works the same way. The brain works much faster than we imagine, but we ourselves have set artificial barriers to it, and while it overcomes them, the speed drops catastrophically.

Before speed reading courses, it is worth taking memory training courses - it will be very useful to use the techniques of one course in another in exactly this sequence. And yes, my journey into the world of statistics began with these courses.

"After a while, the speed returned to normal"

- I took the course more than 10 years ago. The duration of the course was 3 months, 168 academic hours of study in the classroom, as well as daily self-study at home for 1-2 hours.

The hardest part was the evening exercise - looking at a dot in the center of the page and then immediately falling asleep. And the lights out no later than 23:00, which for me, an owl, was doubly difficult.

I went through the training in a disciplined manner, but unfortunately, there is no magic pill, after which you start reading and assimilating information many times faster. All group members had different results. After a while, everything returned to normal, the reading speed dropped, and only a wider angle of peripheral vision remained from the profit.

- The main requests they come to me with are the development of personal efficiency, good memory, quick mind and concentration. These are schoolchildren and students, entrepreneurs and teachers, lawyers and IT specialists. In general, everyone who is constantly developing and working with large flows of information.

You can also learn speed reading online, the main thing is to make the process comfortable, to introduce the skill into your lifestyle. During the first month, there is the largest jump - an increase in speed by 2−3 times, then the acceleration is smoother. The hardest part is maintaining regularity. The first month you need to train every day.

With a responsible approach, everyone increases their reading speed. For example, a few months later, one of my students reads a couple of books a week and has no plans to stop there. With regular reading, the speed does not drop. I like to compare this skill with sports - a systematic approach is important for the result.

A common stereotype is that this skill is not appropriate for fiction. In fact, there are also universal techniques. Complex books with many unfamiliar terms are not suitable for speed reading. Poor assimilation of information is also a myth, because understanding meaning is an important building block of learning. In addition, the skill is not "iron" - we ourselves choose what techniques and speeds to read.

Each has "brakes" that prevent you from reading quickly:

• Speaking text by ear or with an inner voice
• Regression - backtracking to what has already been read
• Poorly developed peripheral vision
• Poor vocabulary
• Poor concentration and attention

Having worked these brakes, we are already increasing the reading speed. Here are some techniques:

"Sample". This is a regression exercise. We fold the A4 sheet in half and cover the already read part of the text. So we block the ability to reread, it leaves bad habit... Read at least 20 pages like this.

Reading by commits. For each beat of the metronome rhythm that sounds, glance at the beginning, middle, and end of each line. Try to cover as many words as possible for each gaze fixation. A metronome will not be needed in the future. In this technique, I recommend reading a couple of books so that the algorithm has time to be mastered.

Backwards. We read the text in a "gibberish" way, that is, from right to left. This contributes to the development of thinking, attention and the ability to concentrate, we get used to reading the meaning at a quick glance.

Speed ​​reading has many benefits. This is why many people spend a lot of money taking speed reading courses in the hope of learning the skill. Speed ​​reading requires a lot of practice and the technique mainly consists of skimming, which works at a speed of 700 words per minute, while the average reading speed is around 200-250 words per minute.

Fast reading is not just fast reading. The information read must be correctly understood and retained in memory. Needless to say, today we live in an age of information overload. Technologies change every day and for many it is necessary to be aware of latest news and trends, and the question of how to learn to read quickly is relevant. Everywhere we look, there is a lot of information - on TV, on the Internet, on magazine racks, bookshelves, in product brochures, on airplanes and trains, and so on. In schools, the amount of information that students need to learn and retain in memory increases every year. In college, the student is forced to spend up to 4 hours or more each day reading only.

Speed ​​reading allows us to stay knowledgeable in competitive areas, and the bonus is additional benefits that affect various aspects of our life:

1. Memory Training: The brain is like a muscle and if we train it constantly, it gets stronger and works more efficiently. Speed ​​reading, in a sense, challenges our brains to function at a higher level. By training it to quickly perceive and understand information, other areas are also improved, namely our memory, which acts as a stabilizing muscle and is triggered during speed reading.
2. Accentuation: Most people are able to read about 200-250 words per minute, which is an average reading speed, but it is not fast enough to master all the information offered at school, at work and in general in life. Some people can read up to 300-400 words per minute, although this is not enough in today's highly competitive and information-rich world. There are two main reasons why there is a gap: traditional reading style may not be very effective and lack of attention. If we are not focused on what we are reading, our mind is occupied with other thoughts, while speed reading helps to focus attention.
3. Improving Logic: Reading is an exercise for the brain. By training him to read quickly, he becomes more efficient at sorting information and linking it to other parts stored in memory. The more the reading speed improves, the faster this process occurs and the logic automatically improves, since we get used to react more quickly to something that would have taken longer.
4. Active Meditation: Reading is generally relaxing, helps reduce stress, and relieves our minds of worries and other thoughts. Having learned to read faster, we are more absorbed in the material: this forces us to focus only on the read text, what is called active meditation. A meditative state achieved through activity relieves stress and enhances emotional well-being.

Every book or article, be it fiction, or scientific literature, helps to change our awareness, and we begin to see greater depths in our lives, which in turn enhances self-confidence.

Learning to read quickly can teach us to stop pronouncing words in our mind while reading (what is called subvocalization, when we hear our own voice in our minds), improve comprehension and focus on what we are reading.

Speed ​​reading - what is it?

Speed ​​Reading - the ability to increase your reading speed using certain techniques and tools. Speed ​​reading techniques include fragmentation and minimization of subvocalization. Many speed reading programs available - books, videos, software, workshops.

Speed ​​reading includes two main techniques:

• skimming;
• scanning.

Skimming, a tool that works best with factual material (non-fiction), refers to finding common ideas. It presents a visual search for sentences on the page to find clues to the main idea, this can mean reading the beginning and end of the text for a summary, and then, if necessary, the first sentence of each paragraph to quickly determine if it is worth looking for even more details, like it is determined by the questions or the purpose of the reading.

Many people think that skimming is a random process, where the eyes are directed somewhere, without certainty. But for effective viewing, there must be a structure, what you read is more important than what you skip.

Scanning is a process aimed at finding information using a mind map formed from skimming (arranging information in a visual hierarchical manner that demonstrates the relationship of information for better search capabilities). The scan includes a main point, headlines, facts, or important pieces of information.

For a scan to be successful, we need to understand how the material is structured and what we read in order to be able to find the specific information we need.

Speed ​​reading is a skill honed by practice. In the practice of speed reading, this is done through several reading processes: preview, review, read, preview, and repeat; through reading and recall exercises (writing a short summary or mental outline).

The secret of great people

The correct approach helps to increase the reading speed with which a person fully understands what he has read. School teacher and researcher Evelyn Wood was the first to teach the reading speed method, first at the University of Utah. In 1959, a methodology on how to quickly learn to read was presented in Washington. "Dynamic reading" includes learning to read several words at once and understand them at a glance, as well as developing the ability to read words not only horizontally, but also vertically.

Wood took a minute to read 2,700 words, dividing character traits read on the page; not left to right, not individual words, but by reading groups of words or full of thoughts, avoiding involuntary re-reading of the material. While developing the programs, she eventually established a methodology for using a finger or pointer to help keep track of lines of text while eliminating vocalizations. Among those who studied Wood's speed reading skills was American President John F. Kennedy, an avid reader. Subsequently, many White House employees in the administrations of Kennedy, Ford, Carter embarked on the Evelyn Wood speed reading program.

The speed reading technique discovered by Evelyn Wood is known as meta-orientation (meta-guide). The technique involves using a visual guide or pointer to enhance focus and aid eye movement. It effectively directs our eyes to where we are in the text and helps increase our reading speed. The simplest pointer is the finger, which can be used to trace the words that we are reading. It is argued that meta-orientation reduces subvocalization, thereby speeding up reading. Forms of meta-guides can be a pen, pencil, or sheet of paper that guides vision, encompasses words that have already been read to reduce distraction and eliminate re-reading.

Howard Stephen Berg has been named the fastest reader in the world for his advanced accelerated learning how to read quickly and correctly, which he developed, transforming information overload into information assets. He was listed in the Guinness Book of Records for 1990 due to the fact that he reads at a speed of 25,000 words per minute and writes over 100 words per minute.

Those who are able to read 10,000 words per minute while retaining comprehension and memorization are believed to be autistic, like Kim Peek, the autistic scientist who inspired Dustin Hoffman's character in Rain Man.

The method for reading comprehension is the SQRRR or SQ3R process, introduced by the American educational scientist Francis P. Robinson in his 1946 book Effective Research. Five stages: survey, question, read, recite and review. It offers an effective and proactive approach to reading teaching material. Was created for students and is used around the world by students to better understand and remember what they are reading.

What is slowing down reading?

Reading types greatly affect reading speed. Most people, having learned to read word by word as a child, never thought about improving this method. But for some of us, reading is an inevitable part of life, and learning to read speed means helping in many ways, the main thing is to easily cope with tasks. It's important to do it right, of course.

While reading, most people look at a word or group of words and speak it out in their minds before moving on to the next word until they come to the end of a sentence or paragraph.

It is important to talk about fixation, which is not a habit in itself, but something that our eyes do naturally. But when done incorrectly, committing results in an ineffective read. It sounds a little strange, but first you need to understand what a fixation is.

Before any images appear in the mind, the eyes stop moving. Fixation - basically means this ability of the eyes. The size of what we are looking at does not matter, nor does it matter how close or far away it is. If it weren't for this opportunity, everything we looked at would seem to be one big spot.

The same principle applies to the words we read. For our eyes to see the words we are trying to read, they must often stop at words in every sentence. Fixations, also called eye stops, occur countless times a day. And most of the time we don't even realize this is happening. Along with the commitments, other things work, which are known as saccades. These are rapid intermittent eye movements as they stop and then change focus as they "jump" from one point to another. When the eyes stop or fixate on a word, a short pause gives the brain a chance to understand the words.

In phonetic reading, our eyes stop or focus on almost every word read, after which it takes time to decipher each before moving on to the next.

Mental pronunciation

Mental reading or quiet speech (subvocalization) is the pronunciation of each word in the mind. Slowest form of reading. But subvocalization is a natural process in reading that helps the mind access meanings in order to understand and remember what it read, potentially reducing cognitive load. Mental articulation is characterized by minor movements of the larynx and other muscles involved in the articulation of speech.

Those who move their lips while reading do what is called “speaking” the words as they read them. There are also more sophisticated readers with subvocalizations, they "hear" the words in their minds while reading. What they hear is like a whisper that continues as the eyes continue to read.

The reason why people mentally pronounce what they read returns to childhood, to those days when they just learned to read in primary school, phonetically, dividing a word into a syllable.

The process of pronouncing or listening to words while reading - good way convince ourselves that we are vocalizing correctly. But subvocalization works well for a toddler who is learning to read, not for an adult, he does not need to use the brain, eyes, ears and mouth to read. The eyes and brain are perfectly capable of reading and understanding everything on their own.

Regression, rereading, returning to what has already been read - they all mean the same thing. Regression is a backward process, although sometimes difficult to avoid when reading is academic or technical. But more often than not, people regress out of habit when they read. This type of regressive reading is called unconscious regression and usually happens because our brain misinterpreted the information the first time for some reason.

Conscious regression means we know we missed what we were reading or missed something really important about what we read. Therefore, we are forced to return to what we have read in search of the missed meaning.

Sometimes the regression is caused by subvocalization. When we mentally pronounce words, our eyes and organs of articulation do not always progress at the same speed, that is, our eyes "run" in front of the larynx.

For some people, the need to re-read is no different from the need to check several times to see if they have turned off the oven. In this situation, regression is a form of compulsive behavior.

Peripheral vision is an ability that involves the perception of what is happening on either side of us, above or below, outside of your macular vision. To improve this aspect of our vision, we can look at a lively scene (perhaps on a TV or computer screen) with our head turned to one side (practicing turning left and right).

In the context of speed reading, accepting more than one word at a time, reading at one glance a group of 4-16 adjacent words. Peripheral vision allows us to read with fewer eye fixations, because our horizons expand, we can see, read and process more words at the same time. Instead of reading word for word, we can jump forward a few words and read in groups. In an example, it looks like this: we have to focus on the word or words in the center of the sentence and rely on peripheral vision to perceive words located on both sides of the page.

Can you learn to read quickly at home?

The key to learning any skill is practice. To excel at speed reading requires constant practice. How to learn speed reading at home? Start with plain text or familiar information. Texts that help you practice a skill include legal reports, white papers, and emails.

How to learn speed reading on your own?

To learn to read quickly, it is important to apply structured skills and familiar techniques. Before you start speed reading, it is a good idea to measure your current reading speed so that you can then note your progress.

Speed ​​Reading Exercises

When speed reading, readers use methods that include searching for keywords that contain the essence of what is being written.

The simple method that every kid uses to learn to read is great for adults as well to improve reading speed. However, the trick is not only to point out, but to do it quickly. The finger acts as a "bloodhound" for the eyes, it not only helps to stay focused, but also sets the pace for reading. Try to increase your reading speed each time.

Eliminate articulation

Every kid, when he learns to read at the age of five, whispers words or says them softly. On the next level, when he is probably already seven, despite the fact that he reads to himself, he still moves his lips (as if speaking out loud every word). As adults, we speak words in our minds, but subvocalization does not allow us to read faster. But in order to master fast reading, how do you learn to drown out that voice inside? Helps listening to music while reading. This affects understanding and soon you will notice that concentration increases. Paradoxically, music that used to get in the way will help you focus and learn to read faster faster.

Green dot method

The practice of contemplating the "green point" offers many positive effects: stability of attention, enhances the viewer's perception, expands the field of vision, improves concentration of attention, helping to focus on the main thing. The exercise that trains attention and peripheral vision is based on autogenous immersion and requires a special attitude, as well as time to master it.

Learning to guess

Keywords can be scattered throughout a paragraph, so they create a scatter pattern that conveys meaning to the text to the reader. The scope of the eyes covers an average of 3-5 words, both horizontally and vertically. As soon as the eye sees a word, the brain begins the process of understanding. Our brains have the ability to fill in details, and this is what speed reading can teach - highlight important parts, let the mind fill in the blanks for a complete understanding.

Train gibberish

Gibberish is based on reading palindromic phrases and phrases; according to the degree of difficulty - from alphabetic to verbal. Then you can start reading from right to left using special books that can be found in electronic libraries.

Reading upside down

A feature of the experience of reading an inverted text is that factors related to perception are changed or acquired. Pre-workout reversed reading is characterized by long reading times and low rpm, with eye movements showing greater fixation and regressive saccades. But learning partially or completely reverses these effects, with the best results generally being achieved by reading aloud.

Tick-tock method

First scan the text and find important points... Catch headlines and subheadings; read the first and last paragraphs of several chapters; get used to the writing style. Learn to identify the main ideas after speed reading, skipping irrelevant information.

It is impossible to remember everything, even if you can perfectly learn speed reading, so learn to extract what suits your needs.

Reading diagonally

The zigzag technique of speed reading represents scanning the text, that is, not seeing every word, but skimming through the text and choosing the main ideas. With your finger or pen, slide along the text diagonally, from left to right, crossing two or three sentences, then "slide" to the next two or three sentences, from right to left. This method is not recommended for materials that require very careful reading.

Word as picture

PhotoReading is an advanced level in the evolution of speed reading, representing the whole system. The idea is to put ourselves in an altered state using principles similar to meditation (calm the mind, concentrate, change visual focus), when we can perceive information only by looking at the page for 1-2 seconds, not minutes.

Interesting exercises for developing technique

Not knowing the meaning of a word slows down reading. The wider our vocabulary, the less time we need to stop and look at the meanings of unknown words. Therefore, in free time, it is good to learn new and unfamiliar words, which will increase not only speed reading skills, but also general intelligence.

When you read each page or several paragraphs, take a short pause during which you remember everything you read. Write a few keywords in the margins to help you understand the material.

From what age can you teach children to read speed?

How to quickly learn to read to a child? Perhaps a cautious parent will decide that reading speed is secondary to learning the basics of reading. But the problem is that most children never go beyond the basic reading skills that school, not home, teaches, and they get used to such factors as subvocalization and regression early, evolving with them into adulthood. This is why it is important to teach the correct reading skills from the beginning, to offer children the tools and know-how to read quickly without compromising understanding.

At what age to start teaching a child to read speed? The answer depends on what mental age child (not chronological), but generally recommend the following. Once children acquire basic reading skills (i.e., they have learned to read age-appropriate materials), it will be useful for them to learn various reading / thinking skills: causation, inference, correct message or morality of the text, vocabulary building, working with a stranger. vocabulary and how to learn to read aloud quickly, and different approaches to reading. It is good if a child has learned to read for pleasure, even alone, because it helps to collect information about how the language works, and to gain independent experience for speed reading skills.

How to learn to speed reading on your own and succeed:

With normal reading at an average pace, the comprehension of the text is almost 100%. Although reading speed is two or even three times the average speed, it is sometimes argued that text comprehension is compromised. But this may be true to some extent, usually with people who are just learning speed reading techniques. It takes time and practice! For simple text, good understanding is possible, but when it comes to complex text or unfamiliar ideas and concepts ... the brain's computational power is limited and it may not be able to handle all the information that is thrown at it.

In contact with

In the age of information technologies, higher education alone is not enough, and in order to keep up with the times, the current generation is forced to constantly replenish their knowledge base, drawing new information from all available sources. Therefore, sometimes more and more often, success and career depend on how quickly you acquire new information.

It doesn't matter if you are reading a cake recipe, a message from a colleague, world classics or the latest research on selenography - the skill to quickly read and assimilate information greatly simplifies life. The average person who has never set themselves the goal of increasing their reading speed can read about 250 words per minute. Almost anyone who decides to learn to read faster can double that speed at least while maintaining a high level of reading comprehension!

How to develop speed reading?

There are many techniques, programs and exercises to increase your reading speed. You can take distance learning, find a teacher in your city or study at home on your own. Before starting classes, you should study the essence of the problem. Why do we read so slowly? There are several main reasons:

1. We say the text to ourselves, some people even have a habit of quietly reading aloud or moving their lips;
2. We spend a lot of time committing. Research has shown that the brain only "reads" when our eyes are not moving. If you put your finger to the eye while reading, you will feel how the pupil jerks along the line;
3. We go back and reread the text several times.

Of course, there are much more circumstances that slow down reading, but even after working on these three problems, you will already be able to read much faster.

How to learn speed reading on your own?

1. Refuse articulation and pronunciation of the text. To do this, place your finger on your lips and try to hum, hum, or even hum as you read. Soon your reading speed will increase, articulation simply will not keep up with it, and you can refuse this technique;
2. Reduce fixation time. To do this, you can use special applications or a regular book, pen, ruler, stick, finger. Move the object under the line that you are reading, without stopping and trying to constantly follow it with your gaze;
3. Increase in the area of ​​fixation. You've probably heard of diagonal reading. The bottom line is that the greatest reading speed can be developed when the gaze moves only from top to bottom, in the center of the line, without being distracted by horizontal movements. It is most convenient to train on the text, broken down into columns, or verses;
4. Use a piece of paper to cover the text you read. If you need to reread, you can move the sheet aside and adjust the reading speed, but there will be no more time and efficiency losses associated with unconscious rereading. Over time, the habit of rereading will fade away and you will be able to read faster.

So, in our age, when people suffer not from a lack of information, but rather from its overabundance, the ability to quickly and efficiently select the necessary information, to extract it from all available sources can be the key to success.

More and more business people are coming to understand the importance of mastering the skill of speed reading. The training centers offer group or individual training courses. However, you can learn to read speed on your own at home. How to do it correctly?

Do not say words out loud or scroll them in your head

It turns out that you also need to be able to read about yourself correctly. Subvocalization is reading in which the words being read are as if heard in the head. This method slows down reading speed and reduces the perception of the text. How to get rid of this habit? It is enough to interrupt yourself with some other action, for example, chewing gum while reading.

Unlearn Returns

The reading process for many people involves the obligatory return to the read. For example, after a paragraph has been read, instead of moving further along the page with the text, a stupor occurs. The brain deliberately tries to analyze words and sentences. This habit is ineffective. It slows down the reading speed. You can only get rid of it through practice.

Advice

Tracking text

Remember school literature lessons, when you had to use a pencil to lead along the lines, while reading what was written. This method is considered one of the most effective for developing speed reading skills. Remember to focus on the important words so that your brain can capture the information.

Skimming - skipping unnecessary

Important!!!

A great way to get a quick glance at books is skimming.

It is suitable when the purpose of detailed reading is not worth it. We will not replace it during the search for the necessary information, when it is necessary to isolate something definite from a large volume. One of the techniques:

• Study the introduction or preface. Then review the table of contents. The goal is to understand if the book contains the information you need. If so, in what part is it enclosed.
• Review the conclusion or the last chapter.
• Read two paragraphs: the first and the last.

With the help of scrimming, in a few minutes you can find out whether the book will be useful for you, or whether it is worth continuing your search further.

Speed ​​reading method. How to read a book in 15 minutes

Conclusion:

There is a huge amount of interesting information in the world - the experience of the wisest people, life stories and a flight of imagination. To read most of the whole life is not enough. With the help of speed reading, the number of books studied will increase significantly.

Reading is the most important process of processing and perception of graphic information, the learning of which begins at an early age.

The quality of mastering this skill largely determines the further success of a person in studies, in creativity, and even in everyday matters. We will consider not only how to learn to read quickly, but also how to capture the most important information in the text. The quality and speed of future intellectual work directly depends on the latter.

Why is it so important to be able to read quickly?

Before mastering the art of quick and thoughtful reading, it makes sense to think about whether you need it?

If not, check out the general development article and ... read it anyway! Just choose those authors who are really interesting to you and cheer you up. Enriching the brain with new information is also an important task that keeps the intellect in good shape.

Maybe after a couple of years, you want to achieve something. Then you will have all the initial data at your disposal. Namely, a more or less trained brain. Even reading fiction has been proven to make him tense.

If you are a purposeful person and want to become the best (s) in a field that requires serious intellectual work, this article is for you (it will tell you in detail how to read quickly and memorize).

What is the reader like?

We live in the information age, in which the speed of mastering new knowledge plays a decisive role. A person who can quickly perceive a large amount of information:

• Self-assured.
• Has adequate self-esteem.
• Achieves a lot in life.

How to learn to read quickly?

Let's go straight to the rules that are applicable in practice. Learning to read a specific text quickly? Then let's go:

• Read only useful books. For example, if you want to be a successful businessman, study the autobiographies of talented entrepreneurs. You will find useful the story of Steve Jobs, which tells about the difficult fate of a man who made a breakthrough in the field of information technology (by the way, he was not distinguished by discipline and was a rebel in his youth. However, this did not interfere with the implementation of his ideas). It also makes sense to read Adam Smith, namely his work "A Study on the Nature and Causes of the Wealth of Nations." It describes in detail how the capitalist system functions, what its main problem is, and crises of overproduction have already been predicted.
• Choose books written in an interesting and lively language.
• Before reading a paper volume, flip through it and read the table of contents. This will guide you through the main sections of the book.
• Read the piece quickly twice. Even if you do not understand some detail, do not focus on it: your task is to catch the main idea.
• Study the book in a comfortable environment. This refers to a quiet place where no one can distract you.
• Don't read unnecessary books: they clog your memory with unnecessary information.

High-quality perception of information is the key to success

In this section, we will show you how to read quickly and memorize useful information... That is, how to understand the essence of the studied material. This is the purpose of reading - to learn how to extract the most important information from the text. Well, then apply it in practice, if possible ...

Scientists have proven that a text read is well remembered when a person follows five simple rules:

1. Shares read material with friends. When a person retells the plot of a book in his own words, the probability of depositing new information in memory approaches 100%.
2. Makes notes as you read. They should reflect the key points of the book.
3. Knows exactly the best time for his brain to work. It has been proven that most people perceive information well in the morning and afternoon. For other people (their minority), the opposite is true: they assimilate information only in the evening or at night.
4. He does not say what he has read aloud - this reduces concentration of attention.
5. Focused only on reading a book: no external event can divert his attention from this most important matter.

By following these simple rules, the individual begins to read faster and learns to memorize important information. It's just great if these five points become a habit of a purposeful person.

In the next chapter, we'll show you how to learn to read aloud quickly.

Do you need public speaking today?

Even the ancient Greeks knew about the importance of beautiful and quick speech aloud. Philosophers and thinkers for which she was famous Ancient Greece, had excellent oratory skills. That is why their valuable thoughts and ideas were easily perceived by ordinary people.

Is it important for a modern person to be able to read aloud quickly and without hesitation? The answer will definitely be yes.

And this applies not only to actors, philologists and scientists. Even an ordinary economist will find this skill useful in life. If only because after graduation, each student defends his diploma in front of a large audience. And in future work, the ability to speak quickly and beautifully can become a decisive skill: often the advancement of an individual up the career ladder depends on a well-pronounced speech.

Now you know why this skill is so important. Here's how you can read aloud quickly.

The best way to learn this is from a competent teacher. However, no one canceled independent education either. If you have chosen the second path, your assistants will be:

• audio courses;
• orthoepic dictionary (in it you can find the correct stress for any dubious word);
• interesting audiobooks and TV shows (it is advisable to choose those in which people with philological or acting education participate);
• dictaphone - it is very funny to listen to your speech in the recording and find mistakes;
• constant practice - it is she who determines the further success in this direction.

Speed ​​reading - what is it?

So what does this interesting two-root word mean? Speed ​​reading is a person's ability to quickly read a text and navigate it 100%. It sounds, of course, strong ... and not too believable for an ordinary person who remembers how long it took in school to study a difficult paragraph on history. Of course, if an individual turned out to be inquisitive, he certainly knew the material well. But the qualitative study of 10-15 pages of text sometimes took more than one hour ...

Historical personalities showing phenomenal results in speed reading

We will try to convince the reader that it is quite possible to read a book thoughtfully in one day. In any case, history knows individuals who can do this. Who are these amazing people?

• Lenin - read at a speed of 2500 words per minute! He was unique in every way; and such individuals are characterized by outstanding intellectual abilities.
• Napoleon.
• Pushkin.
• Kennedy.

The list can be continued for quite a long time ... What contributes to such phenomenal results in speed reading? There are two aspects - a person's devotion to an idea (this applies to politicians. Lenin is the most vivid example) and a natural desire to create something new (this applies to creative people).

Specific speed reading techniques

We are still writing an article not about outstanding people, but about how to learn to read quickly common man... Further scientific methods will be presented.

• First, the book is read from start to finish; then - from end to beginning. The essence of the method is to gradually increase the reading speed.
• Reading diagonally. This method is to study the information obliquely, quickly scrolling through the pages. Effective when working with works of art. Lenin was especially fond of this method.
• Driving your finger from the bottom of the row. This method, known to every person since childhood, is effective. Research has proven this.
• Appropriation technique. Means identifying and memorizing keywords.
• Empathy technique. It consists in the visualization of the main character or the events taking place in the book from the side of the reader. This technique is effective when reading fiction.
• "Method of assault". Used and is used by intelligence officers of various countries. It consists in the rapid assimilation of a certain amount of information by a specially trained person.

Fast reading for kids

Intelligence should be developed from a young age, that is, during the active growth of a person. During this period, the child's brain is 100% ready to assimilate new information. And in later life, all skills acquired at school (including the ability to read quickly) will play into the hands of an already formed person.

In the previous sections, we looked at how to learn to read quickly for adults. Next, we will talk about speed reading techniques for children. Namely, how to read very quickly.

First, let's talk about a not very pleasant (but quite common aspect in our time) - about the reasons for slow reading in childhood... Then - about how to teach a student to read quickly.

Reasons for slow reading

• Low vocabulary. Replenished in the course of reading new books, learning new things and communicating with people.
• Poor concentration of attention on the text.
• Weak articulation apparatus. This problem is fixed special exercises presented in children's manuals.
• Untrained memory. It develops by constantly reading interesting texts and performing semantic exercises for them.
• The content of the book is too complex. Not every student is able to perceive the intricate plot of a literary work. An important aspect here is the parent's knowledge of the characteristics of his child. Then there will be no problem with the selection of a book for a child.
• Returning to the same word or phrase (usually difficult). The child does not understand its meaning and therefore rereads it again. Of course, this slows down the reading speed. It's great if the child does not hesitate to ask the meaning of an incomprehensible word. And the parent, in turn, is able to play the role of an explanatory dictionary - that is, to explain on the fingers what a particular word or phraseological unit means.

How to increase the reading speed of a child (or how to teach to read quickly) will be described below.

To do this, the parent will need:

• Interesting and small text. It is desirable that it is suitable for the age of the child.
• Timer.

Time to start reading (for example, 1 minute). After the specified time has elapsed, stop your enthusiastic child and recount all the words you read.

Then repeat this operation in the second circle and so on. If everything goes right, then with each new time the passage of the text read will become larger. This suggests that the child's reading speed is increasing.

This section answers the question of how to learn to read very quickly.

How to teach a child to comprehend information?

As mentioned earlier, not only speed is important in reading, but also the quality of perception of new information. It's great if a person acquires the habit of meaningful reading from childhood.

Meaningful reading techniques for children

• Highlighting basic information. After reading a specific passage of text, ask your child to tell in a nutshell what the meaning of the reading is. If difficulties arise, repeat the exercise again.

• Role reading. Texts in which there are dialogues between two characters are suitable. Invite your child to read the direct speech of the character he liked the most. You voice the lines of his opponent.
• Reading funny tongue twisters. You can remember those that you read as a child. The most important thing is that they are interesting for the child. For example: "Sasha walked along the highway and sucked drying." This technique also answers the question of how to learn to read aloud quickly.
• "Schulte table". It is a lined square, designed for 25-30 cells. A number from 1 to 30 is written in each cell. The child is asked to silently find numbers in the process of increasing. This exercise improves the volume of the operative vision.
• Regularity of classes. One of the most important points. No matter how simple or complex fast reading techniques a child learns, only regular classes will be of use.
• Remember to praise the child. At the end of the lesson, you need to tell the kid that he is making progress, and all the acquired skills will greatly help him in later life.

One of the most important schooling skills is fast reading. How to quickly read and understand the essence of the studied material, we have discussed above.