Speed Reading: New Strategies

For anyone involved in formal learning or continuous development its time to learn how to speed read. Here Clive Lewis, Managing Director of Illumine Training, highlights why this technique is so valuable to managers.

Why do we need to speed read?

Dont we have enough information to absorb at work already? If this is your mindset, then think again. Speed reading is not about forcing you to work harder. On the contrary, by enabling you to triple your reading speed, it is much more about helping you to handle your time and your workload efficiently. In this article Im going to address some of the key questions that surround this approach.

How can speed reading help you?

One main driver for speed reading is information overload. Todays executives are having to take in, absorb and recall more information than ever and most of this data arrives in written form - through minutes, reports, proposals, brochures, texts and emails. Those who recognise that knowledge is the fuel of career success understand that speed reading improves efficiency and provides them with a real edge in a competitive world.

Equally, for those people involved in formal learning or CPD, speed reading provides them with an effective strategy and a set of powerful techniques. Speed reading doesnt only help students to get through larger quantities of text; it helps with comprehension and recall too.

How does speed reading work?

The essential mechanics of speed reading are these. When asked, most people assume that they read in a smooth left to right motion across the page. However, when we read our eye movements are not smooth at all. Our eyes have to stop at regular intervals in order for us to take in new data and this means that we actually take a series of small jumps as we read across the page. These jumps are known as fixations.

Fixations are the key determinant of our speed reading. If you take a long fixation, reading each line word by word, you will be a slow reader. If you skip back over words or re-read whole paragraphs, as most people do, this will handicap you further. The skills, therefore, are these - to spend less time on each fixation and to learn to take in more words with each fixation.

Two key distinctions

There are two quite separate aspects of speed reading that are helpful to distinguish:

1.Reading better

Speed reading is not only about reading faster, it also helps readers to assess clearly what they are reading. For example, if you are given a report then you might not need to read it all. Speed reading can help you to overview it, to skim it and to scan it. Each of these techniques provides practical ways for you to get at the data you need.

2.Reading faster

The second aspect of this approach is faster reading speed. One extremely useful technique here is to use a guide; such as a pencil, a cursor or even your finger to underline the words as you read. Your guide in this context is your pacesetter and keeps your eyes moving along the line smoothly. People find that this one technique can sometimes double their reading speed.

Beliefs and attitudes

Reading speed is all to do with the way eyes take in information - is that right? When it comes to speed reading, your challenges stem as much from your beliefs as from your physiology. For example, do you believe that you can read more than one word at a time, maintain comprehension when you are reading faster and recall more of what you have read?

These benefits are all within our reach, but they require practise. Changing your behaviour is not just a question of willpower; you need to create a positive attitude towards your subject. If you are in a negative frame of mind, you will find that you absorb very little. If you can engage with interest, enthusiasm and creativity then you can learn fast and recall more.

So should you be learning how to speed read? Is it worth your time? If you are among the 90% of people who feel that they suffering from information overload, the real question to ask is can you afford not to?

Ref: IT270106

Clive Lewis is Manager Director of Illumine Training and is a leading thinker on accelerated learning techniques. For more information on training in speed reading and other specialist personal and management development training call +44 (0)1753 866633 or visit http://www.illumine.co.uk