8 Powerful Speed Reading Techniques: How To Read Fast?

We all spend hours reading each week. However, sometimes, it is hard to keep up with this activity because of other responsibilities and activities. What if you could cut down your reading time without compromising the quality or quantity of your reading? This is quite achievable with speed reading.

An elaborate series of skills and techniques, such as speed reading, can help you become a much more skilled reader. According to research, the average reading speed for the general population is around 120 words per minute (wpm), and that is while taking into account their ability to comprehend the text.

The top readers, who form merely 1% of the populace, can read up to 400 wpm and not more than that.

Speed reading helps you read seven or eight times quicker. Certain fast reading techniques courses enable participants to improve their reading speed by 400% in a three-hour session!

However, despite being effective, speed reading techniques aren’t very familiar to most, so they miss out on something great.

Speed Reading Techniques – How To Read 1000 Words Per Minute

So, if you’re sold on reading super-fast, it’s time we get to the techniques. Numerous techniques can increase your reading speed to 1,000wpm.

However, before you start reading, you should undertake some preparatory steps. These help you create the perfect environment for speed reading.

• The first step is deciding why you want to read the book, newspaper, magazine or whatever you read. Unless you have a clearly defined purpose, it’s hard to find the motivation to read it.
• Get rid of everything that could distract you from your reading endeavour. This includes your phone (if you can live without it for a few hours), the TV and the computer. Tell the people around you that you intend to finish some reading and would appreciate not being disturbed.
• Before opening the first page, read the back cover and anything about the book or author printed on the inside of the cover. This enables you to prepare mentally for the task ahead.

Once you have created the right environment and are ready to start reading, start using the following speed reading techniques. Here are 8 techniques for reading 1000 words per minute.

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Speed Reading Technique 1: Use a Pointer

Staying fixed on a particular spot on the page, you read becomes difficult without something to guide your eyes. All it takes is a blink of the eyes, a sneeze, or any other minor distraction, and your eyes will wander off the page.

The situation worsens when you don’t return to where you were before going off. Therefore, you need something to locate the position. The best option is to use a pointer.

The easiest option is to use your finger as a pointer, but you can also use a pencil or pen. Following this simple tip can help increase your reading speed considerably.

Speed Reading Technique 2: Eliminate Sub-Vocalization

If you are unfamiliar with sub-vocalizing, it is merely hearing yourself read. This habit is formed because most people learn to read by speaking the words out loud when they are young.

As a result, their minds start subconsciously vocalizing any piece of text they read. So, you hear that little voice in your head narrating the text as you read it.

Vocalizing does help with comprehension, but it is not a must. Eliminating sub-vocalization can quickly make you a speed reader.

One way to do this is to move the pointer quicker than the pace at which you hear the words in your head.

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Speed Reading Technique 3: Control Your Speed

Speed reading does not mean hitting full throttle and skimming through pages and pages of text. You need to monitor the speed at which you are reading, which is made possible by using a pointer.

Over time, you will notice that the speed at which you move the pointer corresponds to your reading speed. Therefore, if you move the pointer faster, you will read more rapidly.

However, when you feel exhausted, you need to slow down. When reading textbooks, you will encounter many paragraphs where a point is repeated to drive it home.

Rather than reading through it every single time, it is better to skim over it using your pointer.

Speed Reading Technique 4: Focus on Retention

Speed reading is not just about flying through a book without remembering little of it when you reach the end. Some people boast about their speed reading skills. It turns out to be quite unimpressive when you ask them what they retained from the book they just read.

To retain the material, you need to know when to slow down your speed. This is hinted at in the previous technique as well. You need to have control over your reading speed so that when you encounter a challenging topic or subject, you can better retain it.

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Speed Reading Technique 5: Use Active Reading

The world’s speed reading champion can read 4,700 wpm. This means that that person can easily get through long novels in books in less than an hour.

However, there is precious little to learn and retain at that speed. If you are reading Inferno or The Casual Vacancy, it is fine to read quickly since their purpose is entertainment.

However, when studying for an exam, you need to prepare your mind to be curious and open to learning so that you can grasp the information in the text before you.

It isn’t like if you read it, you will learn. It’s not just about how to read fast but also about retaining the information you read.

Speed Reading Technique 6: Practice Makes Perfect

Speed reading, like any other skill, has to be exercised from time to time. You cannot become a speed reader overnight and start reading 1,000wpm from day one.

You need to invest the time and effort required. The end result will be worth your while, as you will develop the ability to read faster than 99.5% of the population.

Not many people know and practise speed reading, so it is a unique skill you can acquire to open up new opportunities for you. To master it, you need to keep practising.

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Speed Reading Technique 7: Read What You Love

There is more published written material than there is time to read. So, you have to be selective. Of course, there are some books that you have to read, most of them about your academic or professional life.

However, regardless of the reason for which you have picked out reading the material, it is crucial that you love it. Otherwise, you won’t find it interesting. Of course, with fast reading, you can get through boring books in no time.

But that doesn’t mean you cannot find them interesting. It is all a matter of applying yourself and defining the purpose for which you are reading.

So, if you want to learn how to read fast and also remember it, a great way is to choose a topic or a book that really speaks to you.

Speed Reading Technique 8: Use Your Eye Span

One major drawback of reading word-to-word is that your eye only focuses on a single word at a time. The average eye span is 1.5 inches, which means you can read up to four words on either side of a word.

For instance, if a sentence has ten words, focusing on the fifth word can help you see the sentence in a single glance. This will help you view the text as a block of words rather than in individual units.

This is one of the major hindrances to speed reading. People’s perceptual gaze isn’t conducive to reading fast, making it difficult for them to enhance their reading speed.

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Speed Reading Myths

Some general myths and misconceptions regarding reading cause people to refrain from practising speed reading.

1. Reading Quickly Hampers Retention: The reality is quite the opposite of this perception. Fast reading techniques enhance your retention and understanding of the text.
2. Reading Has to be Linear: Non-linear storytelling has gained popularity in books, television, and movies. Writers often pen the ending before working on the rest of the book.
3. You Have to Read Word-for-Word: This myth is propagated in early school when teachers insist students read word-for-word. The habit that forms at a young age is hard to let go of.

Since most people’s reading habits are the polar opposite of what speed reading is about, they find it hard to make the switch. However, reading about the benefits of speed reading may cause them to change their mind.

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Save Time on Reading: Read Twice As Fast As You Do Now

First of all, you will learn to read faster without missing anything. This alone means that you will spend less time reading. For people who have to read daily for work or study, reading faster can help save a lot of time.

College students especially have to read many cursory materials besides their course textbooks. With speed reading, they can research quickly and hand in their assignments on time.

As you learn to read quickly, you can do more reading while riding the subway or on a plane. Let’s say you spend an hour reading every day.

You can easily reduce that to 30 minutes, saving half an hour daily. Over the years, this equates to around one week (182 hours) saved!

These aside, there are many jobs where reading is a daily job. Paralegals, script consultants, movie studio executives, professors and similar professionals have a lot of reading to do, hundreds of pages every day.

They can reduce the time taken for speed reading. This will enhance their productivity and allow them to do more work.

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The Benefits Of Speed Reading

Apart from saving time, here are some other benefits of fast reading:

Improved Memory and Focus

The brain is a muscle and needs to work out. Speed reading provides the ideal exercise for your brain, enabling you to improve your memory. Also, when reading dense bodies of text quickly, your focus will improve considerably.

Release Your Stress

Reading is a relaxing activity. If you read even a few pages of a good book after a long day’s work, you will feel relaxed and release your stress. Also, your emotional well-being will improve.

Enhanced Logic

Your logic is enhanced when your brain starts retaining and storing more information. You can now link the information you acquire to what you have learned.

Better at Problem Solving

Your problem-solving skills will get better as you employ speed reading. Problem-solving is all about concentration and logic, two things you will acquire through speed reading tips.

These are just some of the benefits of speed reading. Overall, you will start feeling better, and your self-confidence will improve greatly.

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Wrapping Up

These are eight of the most effective speed reading tips. On the surface, they might appear to be complicated, but practice makes perfect. As you follow them, it will become easier for you.

So, learning fast reading techniques is the perfect solution if you desire to read 1,000wpm (or even more) without breaking a sweat.

Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in August 2013 and has been completely revamped and updated for accuracy and comprehensiveness.

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