Speed Reading

 

"So many books, so little time."
Every reader knows this expression all too well.

But what if you could increase your reading speed and discover much more books than you expected?

 

 

 

A few months ago I started to read Spead Reading for Dummies.

But it wasn't able to hold my attention throughout the entire book and thus I continued to read like I was used to.

 

 

 

Until following title came along on NetGalley: Speed Reading - Learn to Read a 200+ Page Book in 1 Hour by Kam Knight.

The book didn't seem too thick and the ratings were pretty good.

So I figured I'd nothing to lose.

 

 

 

 

 

My choice was a bull's eye.

Here's my review:

Do you want to learn speed reading?

Then - speaking from personal experience - this book is the perfect introduction!

 

Did you know that …

 

… everyone can learn speed reading?

 

Some people assume that speed reading is hard to master and thus not within their reach.

With just a few interesting examples Kam Knight shows us that our eyes and mind process information at a high level on a daily basis and thus already have the ability to read fast.

Becoming aware of this, helped me to gain confidence in the many tips given throughout the book.

And it's true when he states that:

 

… speed reading is about making slight shifts in your reading habits?

 

The key to speed reading is adopting new habits that speed you up, while reducing habits that slow you down.

 

There's only one catch: old habits can be hard to break.

Even when a behavior isn’t working and a better way exists, habits will make it difficult to apply.

That's why this book contains practice drills, which involve repeating a routine over and over again, until the body develops a rhythm and habit for it.

 

Learning new habits is much easier.

Some of the discussed strategies are applicable without much effort and their effect is immediately noticeable.

 

… people falsely assume that slower reading means better comprehension?

 

That may be true in some cases, but in most cases, the factors causing slower reading also cause lower comprehension.

As a child we learned to read word by word.

But by making simple shifts in the way you look at words – such as looking at spaces, chunking and reducing the habit of subvocalization - you can speed up your rate significantly. And even when you're reading faster than is comfortable, you can still grasp the meaning. To see this for yourself, you can take a look at my blog article.

 

… we forget up to 80 percent of what we hear, see, or learn within a few hours of hearing, seeing, or learning it?

 

This applies to reading as well.
Kam Knight gives several interestings tips to avoid this phenomenon.

 

In fact, he gives lots of advice about several topics.

This book contains 5 sections (pre-reading, speed reading techniques, enhancing the techniques, improving comprehension and additional tips) and every section contains 3 chapters that delve deeper into specific subjects.
The presentation is very to-the-point which is why this book is pretty concise in comparison to similar books. But that's also the reason why it resonates with me: no superfluous blablabla, only interesting and hands-on information.

 

… you can enhance your current reading speed within minutes of reading some of the chapters?

 

This proved to be true in my case. And apparently lots of other reviewers had the same experience.

 

At a certain point Kam Knight says: "With commitment, there is no doubt that you will develop the ability to read a 200+ page book in one hour!"

The key words in this phrase are "with commitment".

Some people expect to be able to read at an incredible speed just by reading this book. As mentioned earlier, you'll have to break old habits and this takes time and perseverance. So don't expect to immediately read a 200+ page book in one hour.

 

But if you're prepared to practice a lot, I'm convinced that there's plenty of room for continuous improvement.

And what nicer way to do so than reading lots of books of your 'to be read'-list?

At least, that's my plan for the coming winter months 😉

 

Following little Youtube-video illustrates how, even when reading faster, you can still grasp the meaning of the written text:

 

 

Did you know that even the BBC conducted an experiment in this area to present the news in another way?

 

 

There exist a lot of controversies about speed reading.

It's not easy to provide objective scientifical proof. More about this subject in following movie:

 

 

If you'd like to hear Kam Knight, the author of abovementioned book, you can listen to following interview.

From 10'50" he's talking about speed reading in particular.

Personally I prefer his book which is way more informative and inspiring.

 

 

Anyway, if you'll excuse me now.

With all these new techniques that I have to practice, I'm going to try to tackle my 'to be read'-mountain 😄