Emails, reports, newspapers, online material and magazines: It’s easy to get overwhelmed by the amount of reading required in an average day. If you find yourself wishing you could process more reading material in less time, there are a few simple techniques that can come in handy to quickly glean the information you need without reading every word.

Reading Comprehension vs. Speed

Most people probably already use some form of skimming or scanning when looking through reading material, but before you start reading, it’s important to identify what information you wish to gather from the article or book in front of you. If it is a textbook, you may require a high level of comprehension on various fine points. If it is an article, you may only wish to know the key points, or the gist of the event. You may also be facing a report or book in which you are looking for specific information buried somewhere in the text. Identifying the level of information comprehension and detail you need from the material can help you create a strategy for reading through.

Skimming and Scanning

Skimming is the process by which readers identify the key points within a body of information without reading every word. You can get through a lot of material faster by first skimming the chapter headings and sub-headings, then going through the text by reading the first and last sentences of each paragraph (which often includes the most important ideas) and then lightly skimming through the rest. This technique can even be used for material requiring a high level of comprehension: Skim first, then mark areas that need to be reread for complete understanding and go back to them.

If you know exactly what information you are looking for, you can scan the table of contents or index to find the areas most relevant to you without having to read through other chapters. (You can also do this with the subheadings of articles to hone in on sections of interest.) When scanning, it is important to look for any bolded or italicised words, as well as captions under possibly relevant graphs or tables.

Chunking and Subvocalisation

When you read text, you most likely do not read and sound out every single word, but look at the entire word, or even several words, as a chunk of information. Chunking is recognising entire blocks of words as a single piece of information and it is possible to train ourselves to read in bigger chunks to improve our reading speed. Using a newspaper is helpful for this, as the words are in columns and each line contains only a limited amount. Try to train yourself to take in the words in entire lines and use your hand or finger to move down the page in a sweeping motion. This encourages the eye to take in bigger blocks of words, instead of separating them.

Perhaps one of the biggest setbacks to faster reading is subvocalisation or sounding out the words as we read (either in our mind, or by moving our lips). While many people subvocalise to a certain extent even when reading in chunks, you can discourage this practice by using your finger or a pencil to smoothly move down the page or, in more extreme cases, putting a finger against your mouth to stop yourself from making the shape of the words.

A Few More Tips

There are a few more things to keep in mind that may help improve your reading speed and comprehension. One is to make sure your eyes are regularly checked. Many people read slower than they could because they believe their eyes to be better than they actually are and the strain of not having proper corrective lenses slows down reading.

While it may not always be possible, try to read without distractions. Even if you are under the impression that having the TV or music on in the background helps you concentrate more, reading speeds are highest when people read in a distraction-free environment.

Finally, train yourself to read things only once. Many people have a bad habit of re-reading every couple of sentences, because they are not confident of their reading comprehension and want to make sure they didn’t miss anything. If you find yourself reading twice, try to train yourself to get the information down the first time.

These sites might be helpful for readers who wish to read further on this topic:
www.wikihow.com/Learn-Speed-Reading
www.school-for-champions.com/grades/reading.htm
www.mindtools.com/speedrd.html

Readers who wish to gauge their reading speed or test their comprehension may be interested in this online test:
www.readingsoft.com

If you enjoyed the article "Read Better, Read Less " - why don't you read more about the Whakate Way.