Speed Reading and Good Comprehension Go Hand in Hand | Personal Development

By KimAllarie
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There is a lot of talk about how speed reading can improve a person's life and even some claims that speed reading can improve a person's ability to soak up information at an amazing rate, making them more valuable to employers.

While the ability to read faster may be beneficial for some, for others it is more a matter of improving comprehension of what they have read as well as being able to retain the information they have received that will make a difference in their work and personal lives.

The average reading speed is about two words per second with normal comprehension. For normal reading needs this may well be enough, however a basic speed reading course can help increase the average reading speed to four (possibly six) words per second with the same comprehension level.

But there are those who have very particular reading requirements and wish to improve their reading speed to ten-plus words per second with better than normal understanding. A comprehensive speed reading program with lots of practice and testing can help them reach their objective.

Many speed reading programs train students to rapidly search through the text to ignore irrelevant information and pick out the pertinent parts. The idea is to be able to gather the essence of the material through reading entire sentences or phrases as a block, instead of just individual words.

Improve Speed, But Don't Lose Comprehension

Many people who first begin to learn to speed read often face the challenge of sub-vocalization. This refers to the habit of sounding out every word they read in their minds as they are reading. Speed reading teaches the skill of not sub-vocalizing while you read, instead teaching you to only focus on the words that have meaning to the overall context. You will learn to read for a purpose and in so doing will maximize your comprehension as well as your speed.

There are various ways of teaching speed reading, as well as different ways that each individual learns. One method might work better for some students than another. Basically, speed reading endeavors to guide the brain to distinguish only important words without sounding them out mentally. If you have difficulty with one approach, find another speed reading course that teaches these skills in a way that will assist you to progress more efficiently.

However, similar to physical tasks, practice in speed reading will increase your reading speed as time goes on.

About the Author

Kim Allarie would love to find a course in speed writing, but is content to learn speed reading for now. Learn more about this useful skill at The Speed Reading Site.

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