| The most often question I get asked is, "How can | | | | To answer the question, Does speed reading |
| I read over 1500 words per minute and still | | | | really work," I say no! You work it! That means |
| understand, or comprehend the material?" Stated | | | | there are ways to train your brain to respond |
| in another form, "Does speed reading really | | | | differently as you accelerate your speeds. What I |
| work?" Without writing an entire course, this | | | | have found to work best is to teach learners the |
| article will try to answer these questions. | | | | mechanics first with some level of comprehension, |
| When people question about reading fast and not | | | | but letting them relax and not worry about |
| comprehending, there is a basic misunderstanding | | | | getting(memorizing) as they go thru this initial skill |
| of terms. Reading is the mind's response to print. | | | | building stage. |
| If your mind is not responding when you are | | | | After the learner is more comfortable with the |
| applying any speed reading technique, then you | | | | physical/mechanical skills, then we build |
| are in fact not reading. The word reading, then, | | | | comprehension in a purposeful manner. When the |
| always assumes some level of comprehension. | | | | learner has broken out of the old habits they |
| If you have been exposed to some program that | | | | have accumulated in the past, then they are |
| teaches you how to move through materials at | | | | taught how to monitor what the mind is doing as |
| very high rates in the thousands of words per | | | | they don't have to think so much about the eye |
| minute range and you are not comprehending, | | | | mechanics. |
| then the program has failed you. Recently I got | | | | One of the keys to comprehension is preparing |
| an email from someone who told me they had | | | | the mind for reading. There are a wide |
| been working with a computerized program and | | | | assortment of tools to help this phase of training. |
| that they had increased their speed to over 2000 | | | | The comprehension approach breaks the learner |
| words per minute but were not comprehending | | | | out from the traditional left brain approach they |
| much and asked if I could help. This was an | | | | learned in early life and engage the whole brain. |
| excellent example of bad, misguided training. | | | | Or, in other words they learn how to activate the |
| There are two primary aspects of "speed | | | | right hemisphere as well. One way of helping to |
| reading." The first is improving the mechanical | | | | do this is looking thru the material in a manner |
| aspect of reading. That happens with some sort | | | | that gives you the "30,000 foot view" instead of |
| of eye movement techniques. In fact, it is | | | | the word-by-word view you were taught when |
| possible to physically move the eyes and see all | | | | first learning to read. |
| the words in the material at rates of 10,000 - | | | | From that "high" view, you then learn to navigate |
| 100,000 words per minute. Naturally a speed | | | | at various levels depending on you needs and |
| reading program will contain this aspect. But | | | | purposes. But remember, comprehension is you. |
| unfortunately, this is about all that is trained, | | | | It's your mind's response to print. As your eyes |
| leaving the user frustrated as I so often hear. | | | | are moving through the material, ask yourself, |
| The second aspect of speed reading is | | | | "what am I thinking about?" If it has nothing to do |
| comprehension. Comprehension is the mind's | | | | with the print, you are not reading. You're doing |
| response to the symbols on the page. In effect, | | | | something else, possibly daydreaming, or criticizing |
| then, reading is thinking. You can read as fast as | | | | yourself. Bring it back to the print. Again, speed |
| your mind can respond to the print. So, to truly | | | | reading does not work. You work it! Learn how to |
| speed read, you need to learn how to move your | | | | build better comprehension. Monitor what your |
| mind faster as well. | | | | mind is thinking about. |