Breakthrough Reading Speed: Is It Really Possible?

by Josh Atree

Have you ever seen a commercial or watched a demonstration of speed reading and wondered if it could actually help you? For students, class reading speed is extremely important to keep up with your teachers. It is no surprise that an increased reading speed can help you get through homework assignments more quickly

Breakthrough reading speed is a skill that many people would like to possess. The newspaper can be read more quickly as well as magazines. If you can read really fast, you can get more of your books read in a shorter period of time.

Speed reading is defined as the ability to read faster than the “normal” reading speed, but is not defined in terms of how many words per minute or second. Most adults read two words per second or 120 words per minute. There have been a few speed readers who say their breakthrough reading speed is over 10,000 words per minute and even higher, but this is not documented.

At some time, we all use some of the techniques from speed reading courses, most commonly, skimming. When you are quickly “looking over” text, you are actually scanning it for words or phrases which catch your eye. You can absorb the meaning of the page without gaining much comprehension of the content. Some methods of speed reading work primarily by attempting to increase the level of understanding from the page, while still keeping a high skimming speed.

Some techniques in speed reading teach the reader to look at large segments of text as opposed to individual words, to train your eyes to take bigger “bites” of text at a time. This helps the person to see a wider line of typing at a single glance. This is based on old military studies which employed a tachistoscope. This device using a window, would flash text at the reader in a sequence. Research found that one could speed up the machines flash rate, without the subject losing much comprehension.

Additionally, breaking bad reading habits can greatly improve your reading speed. A common habit is “subvocalization”, where people silently say each word being read. This slows down reading speed greatly. When first learning to read as a child, this approach typically helps the reader by sounding out new words letter by letter, and then syllable by syllable. Later however, this approach can become a hindrance to speed reading. By training you can eliminate subvocalization and improve your reading speed.

Internal dialogue is another bad habit that slows reading. Instead of subvocalizing, the reader actually reads aloud in their head, slowing down the reading. Participants in this course are trained to turn off this internal commentary and concentrate on the whole section, then going over it. Another important thing to avoid is regression, which is the re-reading of a passage. Following these methods can be a means of speeding up reading, either in a course setting, or in a book about reading, or in software applications for the purpose.

Being able to read at speed is important for students as well as for every day life. Students must be able to read at the Class Reading Speed to keep up with the teacher. You may need to practice some speed reading techniques to develop your Course Reading Speed. Techniques such as skim reading for words or phrases that attract attention can help. Reading whole segments rather than words can help your speed, as can breaking any bad habits you’ve developed. There are techniques that help you achieve a Breakthrough Reading Speed of many hundreds of words per minute.

About the Author:

Josh Atree, a recognized public speaker on time management, has written several articles and essays on this subject. Look for more info on time management. You’ll find here resources and products to help you with marketing and knowledge. Click here to get your own unique version of this article with free reprint rights.