Speed Reading Instructions: Simple And Easy-to-Follow
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Whether youre a student, a teacher, or a businessman, dont you just wish that you could read faster? Speed reading has been so in demand lately that there are now hundreds of tutorial schools, CD software programs, thousands of books published and audio CD's recorded containing secret instructions for speed reading. It has become a big business on its own. But speed reading and comprehension need not be a big secret. Everybody can learn to read faster just by following a few simple speed reading instructions. The first step in this speed reading instruction is to find an area with no distractions. Even your favorite music could be a distraction for you so it would be advisable to turn off your MP3 player as you go through your practice. Go to your room or visit a library and then find a good book, an article or any reading material that interests you. It can be a printed material or an online article, it doesnt matter. If you are a student, then get your textbook because it has a question and answer portion at the end. This is better because you can also test your comprehension while trying to improve your speed reading. Remember, this speed reading instruction means nothing if you lose your reading comprehension in the process.
Read the article that you have chosen and time your current reading speed. Do this every time you read an article. This way, youll be able to monitor whether youve been improving or not. Do not rush yourself. Just read as you normally would. If the book or article does not have a question and answer part at the end, just try to recall as many topics as you can and summarize it. Once you are done with the material, do not read it again the next time you test your speed. Learn to first skim through the whole page before you start reading. Skimming a page will help you find the general idea of the topic. Dont worry if you find yourself getting more confused with the process. With time, youll be able to truly identify the important parts of the article from the fillers and you will be able to adjust your reading speed by reading a little slower on the important sentences and a faster on the not-so-important ones. Train yourself to avoid rereading a sentence or a paragraph just because you are doubtful that you understood it completely. Follow this simple speed reading instruction to avoid rereading: Get an index card, a small ruler or your bookmark and cover the areas of the paragraphs that youve already read.
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While this may be frowned upon by most speed reading instruction books and programs, your hand can actually help you in speed reading. Some people read to themselves either by their mind or by silently vocalizing the words by moving their lips as they read. To stop yourself from doing this, use your finger and zip through the paragraph lines. Your eyes will instinctively follow your hand and you will be able to read faster. However, you need to be aware that you would not want to be too dependent on your fingers because the goal is to read blocks of words instead of individual words. Not all words need to be read when it comes to speed reading. So start practicing simultaneously reading three words, then four and so on until you read your paragraph line by line. It sounds so easy after reading this speed reading instructions. Remember that it takes time and effort to improve your speed. Read, time yourself, summarize what you have read and keep on doing it until you see a significant improvement. Pretty soon, you will be surprised with your progress in speed reading.
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