Speed Reading

[deryk]

How can you improve the speed of quality reading?

For example, when I was buried in steep literature classes a couple years ago, I remember being able to blaze through works with a very high rate of comprehension and retention (90+%). I rarely lost words in transit unless they were very minute connective tissue, like articles or short prepositions.

But these days, I admit I have been reading somewhat less and when I attempt to speedread, I find myself stumbling and having to reread more often at losing a key word in the process (comprehension and retention is more like 80+% now). Perhaps I'm simply more careful now, in hindsight, but I feel like a clumsy reader!

Supposedly, Harold Bloom could read something on the order of 4-5 pages a minute, small print. I have no illusions of ever making it into that ballpark. But I would like to improve my own rate of reading and comprehension.

Does anyone have any methods for improving speed reading? Does anyone read simultaneous lines congruently? -I admit I can come close.

I want to read faster and better!!


ps-please don't suggest that I slow down

[Calidore]

Probably, like everything else, it's a skill that comes with practice and stays with constant use. I'm sure it also depends on the accessibility of the work being read--Dickens will probably always be a faster read than Joyce, for example.

[cafolini]

Probably, like everything else, it's a skill that comes with practice and stays with constant use. I'm sure it also depends on the accessibility of the work being read--Dickens will probably always be a faster read than Joyce, for example.

I agree. The best way to ruin a young brain is to try to get the person to overlook the concientious building of vocabulary.

[Caliode]

The art of reading quickly is to absorb paragraphs rather than individual words. When I was younger I could read 1,000 words per minute without any problems whatsoever. Being rather aged, I have slowed down to about 600 or so. And always manage to retain what I had read.

However reading slowly increases the pleasure in the same way that sipping a glass of fine wine is generally considered to be a better experience than simply swigging down glass after glass.

[MorpheusSandman]

Like anything else it just requires consistent practice. The thing to know about speed reading is that different works require different reading speeds. One can't speed read Joyce, and I don't recommend speed reading poetry at all, since rhythm and sound is so much a part of the experience. However, when it comes to, say, many Victorian novels or non-fiction that's not too complicated I can comfortably read at about 800 words-per-minute and can push it to 1200 at times. FWIW, this is the best book I've read on the subject.

[deryk]

No doubt that Joyce will be slower to fully comprehend than other authors such as Dickens. But I suppose my point is: I'm not interested in relativism (some people read faster than others, some authors take longer to read etc.). I'm looking for concrete suggestions for self-improvement. I don't merely want to read faster at the expense of lost comprehension, nor do I want to improve by reading alone. I'm on a quest for methodology.

In that regard, thanks for the link, MS.

This might seem silly, but I've started reading diagonally across individual lines rather than horizontal to the line and it has improved my speed and comprehension noticeably in a very short period of time.

[grechzoo]

if you are reading prose that doesn't demand the respect of a calm and fully engrossed read, then fair enough.

but there's no way someone can pick up Pynchon, or Nabokov for the first time and speed read it without bypassing the main attraction of those authors.

[deryk]

if you are reading prose that doesn't demand the respect of a calm and fully engrossed read, then fair enough.

but there's no way someone can pick up Pynchon, or Nabokov for the first time and speed read it without bypassing the main attraction of those authors.

The goal is to make my "fully engrossed" reading faster, not see how quickly I can scan over the words.

I'm not interested in relativism... some authors take longer to read etc... I don't merely want to read faster at the expense of lost comprehension

[MorpheusSandman]

This might seem silly, but I've started reading diagonally across individual lines rather than horizontal to the line and it has improved my speed and comprehension noticeably in a very short period of time.

Not silly at all since that's one of the techniques recommended in that book I linked too. The author also stresses the importance of using your finger or some other advice because your eyes will naturally follow wherever your finger goes, allowing you to take in more words at a time by not focusing on each word. I've also found that reading distance needs to be optimal. Too close and you can't take as many words in, too far and you can't make out what the words are. Another useful tip is to read the first sentence of any paragraph a bit slower, and the rest faster; in most well-written paragraphs anything that comes after the first sentence will be related to it. So if you understand what the paragraph is about from the first sentence , the other lines should be easier to read. You can actually extend this idea to entire chapters (ie, get an outline of the chapter by skimming paragraphs first, and then go back and read through it with a bit of knowledge of what is going to happen; this is excellent for non-fiction, though can potentially spoil fiction).

The thing is, though, that understanding relativity is crucial when speed reading because, as that book stresses, knowing WHY you're reading is the number one thing to know before you go into a book. I read poetry largely because of the pleasures of the language, so I want to hear/feel that language on my tongue and in my head. On the other hand, I read Dickens for plot, so speed reading while comprehending what's happening isn't that difficult. On the other hand, with non-fiction, you can speed-read even faster and then reread the important parts that you want to remember. The thing about comprehension and retention is that you want to have control over it since you'll never be able to remember every word of any book you read, so just make sure you comprehend and retain the best/most important bits.

[Alexander III]

Personally, I don't speed read, for reasons of both I can't and I won't; but when I have too many books to read for uni, I just choose to read some of them and the others I spark-note or some such and fake having read.

[deryk]

Not silly at all since that's one of the techniques recommended in that book I linked too. The author also stresses the importance of using your finger or some other advice because your eyes will naturally follow wherever your finger goes, allowing you to take in more words at a time by not focusing on each word. I've also found that reading distance needs to be optimal. Too close and you can't take as many words in, too far and you can't make out what the words are. Another useful tip is to read the first sentence of any paragraph a bit slower, and the rest faster; in most well-written paragraphs anything that comes after the first sentence will be related to it. So if you understand what the paragraph is about from the first sentence , the other lines should be easier to read. You can actually extend this idea to entire chapters (ie, get an outline of the chapter by skimming paragraphs first, and then go back and read through it with a bit of knowledge of what is going to happen; this is excellent for non-fiction, though can potentially spoil fiction).

The thing is, though, that understanding relativity is crucial when speed reading because, as that book stresses, knowing WHY you're reading is the number one thing to know before you go into a book. I read poetry largely because of the pleasures of the language, so I want to hear/feel that language on my tongue and in my head. On the other hand, I read Dickens for plot, so speed reading while comprehending what's happening isn't that difficult. On the other hand, with non-fiction, you can speed-read even faster and then reread the important parts that you want to remember. The thing about comprehension and retention is that you want to have control over it since you'll never be able to remember every word of any book you read, so just make sure you comprehend and retain the best/most important bits.

I agree that getting the distance perfect and adjusting the field of vision is very crucial. As for identifying which parts of the text are important - and worth spending more time on- I think I have already adopted that aspect into my habits (but I could always use more improvement). As for the relativity, I agree that it is important, but I don't see it as an excuse against self-improvement, i.e. I would rather breeze through Dickens than read him at a moderate pace, and I would rather read Joyce slowly than terribly slowly.

[deryk]

Personally, I don't speed read, for reasons of both I can't and I won't; but when I have too many books to read for uni, I just choose to read some of them and the others I spark-note or some such and fake having read.

For me it's a matter of idealism versus reality. If I had all the time in the world, I would use it. As I do not, I am trying to adapt in order to read everything I need to read. I used to have the luxury of narrowing down the list as you do at uni., but these days even that is falling short...

[mal4mac]

"In the World Championship Speed Reading Competition the top contestants typically read around 1,000 to 2,000 words per minute, but only manage about 50% comprehension. That's just not good enough for literature."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/book...ead-literature

Assuming Bloom *really is* reading at these speeds, how does he get by with 50% comprehension? My guess is that he re-reads literature he knows well at these speeds. He's on record as saying he reads Pickwick Papers three times a year. My guess is he skips the less amusing bits and achieves 90+% comprehension because he goes in with 90+% comprehension!

I think Bloom probably finds it amusing to claim these speeds, and it isn't a downright lie, he just forgets to tell us he skips! Anyone claiming these speeds should be tested under proper experimental conditions. Just repeating Blooms off the cuff claim that he reads 5 pages a minute (16 according of the Guardian!) isn't useful.

What is "everything you need to read" in terms of literature? I can't see that you 'need to' read any work of literature. It's more a case of wanting to read it because it gives you pleasure. And pleasure is of the moment, not of ticking a list of books.

I've never seen it argued that training to read at "1,000 to 2,000 words per minute, with 50% comprehension" leads to more pleasure than reading a page or two a minute, while enjoying the poetry and reflecting on the philosophy, quite the reverse! Literature should be savoured like a good wine, not downed like an alcoholic tramp gulping buckfast.

You ask how to read '*better* and faster'. I would concentrate on 'better'. Try reading at different times to find the times when reading comes easier. Take a break if it feels anything like a chore. Start slowly and make sure you are comprehending everything you want to comprehend, re-read if necessary. Then, if you fancy the challenge, you can slowly try reading faster, but make sure comprehension & enjoyment isn't hindered. Better to be happy than fast!

I find my concentration slipping sometimes when reading long passages of description, and instead of skipping on at 1000 pages a minute I re-read slowly and concentrate more. This has helped me become a better (and faster!) reader, and, most importantly, has increased the pleasure I get from reading.

[deryk]

"In the World Championship Speed Reading Competition the top contestants typically read around 1,000 to 2,000 words per minute, but only manage about 50% comprehension. That's just not good enough for literature."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/book...ead-literature

Assuming Bloom *really is* reading at these speeds, how does he get by with 50% comprehension? My guess is that he re-reads literature he knows well at these speeds. He's on record as saying he reads Pickwick Papers three times a year. My guess is he skips the less amusing bits and achieves 90+% comprehension because he goes in with 90+% comprehension!

I think Bloom probably finds it amusing to claim these speeds, and it isn't a downright lie, he just forgets to tell us he skips! Anyone claiming these speeds should be tested under proper experimental conditions. Just repeating Blooms off the cuff claim that he reads 5 pages a minute (16 according of the Guardian!) isn't useful.

What is "everything you need to read" in terms of literature? I can't see that you 'need to' read any work of literature. It's more a case of wanting to read it because it gives you pleasure. And pleasure is of the moment, not of ticking a list of books.

I've never seen it argued that training to read at "1,000 to 2,000 words per minute, with 50% comprehension" leads to more pleasure than reading a page or two a minute, while enjoying the poetry and reflecting on the philosophy, quite the reverse! Literature should be savoured like a good wine, not downed like an alcoholic tramp gulping buckfast.

You ask how to read '*better* and faster'. I would concentrate on 'better'. Try reading at different times to find the times when reading comes easier. Take a break if it feels anything like a chore. Start slowly and make sure you are comprehending everything you want to comprehend, re-read if necessary. Then, if you fancy the challenge, you can slowly try reading faster, but make sure comprehension & enjoyment isn't hindered. Better to be happy than fast!

I find my concentration slipping sometimes when reading long passages of description, and instead of skipping on at 1000 pages a minute I re-read slowly and concentrate more. This has helped me become a better (and faster!) reader, and, most importantly, has increased the pleasure I get from reading.

I'm glad that you have so little to read that you can treat it like fine wine. I'd love to partake in such lackadaisical indulgences, but I'm not a wealthy connoisseur. I don't read for entertainment. I read to learn.

My literature course-loads in the past have averaged a minimum of one book per day of required reading. Couple that with the thousands of books that I'd like to wrap my brain around, and I no longer have time to read at 100 words per minute under any circumstances. Admittedly, as you suggested, Bloom's claim of ~2,000 wpm is not only excessive, but ridiculous, and certainly padded by his foreknowledge of the individual texts. Like I said in a previous post, I have no illusions of reaching such lofty heights -especially not at the expense of 50% comprehension- but I would like to improve beyond my current 150-250 wpm speed to make my reading habit more manageable. I'm not trying to be ostentatious with this thread. I'm actually quite slow!

And for what it's worth, my comprehension, as well as appreciation, is up to the task for any work. I'm simply trying not to run out of daylight (moonlight).