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How to Read Better and Enjoy It More
How to Read Better and Enjoy It More
228 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1980
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February 28, 2018
How to Read Better and Enjoy it More
I’ve owned this book for years. I was gifted this book from a retired minister when he was liquidating his ministry library. It was written 5 years before I was born. I have become much more intentional about personal growth and time spent reading. I enjoyed this book and will be applying much of what I learned. Below are some of my favor takeaways from the book.
There are three kinds of readers. We all fit into one of the following categories.
1. The Motor Reader: Reads around 150 words per minute (wpm) Also called a vocalizer because they read at the same pace that they speak. They use there lips and tongue to form words as they are silently reading. They are restricted to this level of reading because it is as fast as they can mouth the words.
2. The Auditory Reader: reads around 300 wpm. Usually imagines each word of print in detail. They are word thinkers and word hearers, often concentrating so intently on each word that he can hear it pronounced as it is silently read.
3. The visual reader: reads 800+ words per minute. The visual reader passes the words directly to the comprehension without any stops in between. They read rapidly but efficiently and allows no wasted effort. This should be the goal of every reader. Nothing should be said, nothing heard, everything seen.
What Hinders Rapid Reading?
* Regression: the reversion of the eye to words read previously. This is normally a subconscious desire on the part of the reader to check up on himself - to reassure himself that what he saw was really there. Most common with long or unfamiliar words. Because it is unconscious is difficult to correct unless the eye are forced to move forward constantly.
* Fixation: the stoping of the eye on a word is natural and necessary. The problem is when we stop too long on a word or group of words, or in stopping too often on a line. The average reader usually fixates 4x’s more than they have too.
If you will train your eyes to stop in briefer fixations, you will find an amazing increase in your reading speed. Improving fixation alone could double your reading speed.
How to overcome Regression and Fixation.
The first step to overcoming regression and fixation is to begin “pacing” when you read. Pacing is the act of forcing your eyes to move in a directed pattern across the lines and down the page. Try a pacing experiment. Read for five minutes and pace yourself by sliding your index finger under each line as you read. Let your finger move slightly ahead of your eyes as you read, creating the effect of pulling your eyes along each line. Avoid stopping on any words and work to keep your finger slightly ahead of your eyes. This method is the basic Z pattern of pacing.
Warning: Don’t go so fast that you can’t comprehend what you are reading. The goal is to
1. Keep moving
2. Only slightly ahed of your eyes
3. Read for normal comprehension
The act of pacing will almost always immediately increase reading speed. The reason is simple: the eyes have a tendency to follow motion. As the pacing finger moves across the line, the eye follow it, thereby cutting down the habitual regression pattern the reading and establishing a rhythmic movement of the eye so that fixations are not of unnecessarily long duration.
It’s important at this point that we don’t sacrifice comprehension for speed. When pacing becomes a habit you will find that your comprehension of what you read will increase just as your speed of reading.
4 Acceleration Techniques
For the average person these techniques will often give an immediate 10% increase in speed.
Indentation: Create an imaginary line half an inch on each edge of the page. The purpose of this imaginary line is to provide limits for your eyes and your pacing finger. Only look at the words within the imaginary lines. As you apply this technique you will notice you see the words outside the lines, although you are not looking directly at the words.
Rapid Return: Rapid return is the act of swinging your eyes back to the left margin of the page in an even and rhythmical manner. The goal is an efficient return sweep without allowing your eyes to hesitate.
Hold the book properly: For rapid reading there is a correct way to hold a book. The proper way for the reading method outlined in this book is to place the book on a flat surface. Hold the boo from the top and rest the thumb and index finger of the left hand on the middle of the book margins and top of the right hand page while the remaining three fingers are under the book. This keeps the book inclined slightly at a comfortable angle of vision. A good distance to hold the book from the yes is approximately fourteen inches or about the distance from your shoulder to your elbow.
Page Turning: You early use your left index finger to turn the pages while you are holding on to the top of the book with the same hand. Turning pages this way will avoid the usual fumbling to turn the pages as you finish reading, and will enable you to maintain the pacing rhythm.
By applying these 4 techniques at the same time both your speed and comprehension will increase. Most readers find that their comprehension goes up as they increase speed because they are concentrating much more on their reading than they ever did before. Many also find that the coordination of eye and hand keeps them much more alert physically and mentally. It is difficult to fall asleep while you are actively engaged in reading by pacing.
http://amzn.to/2BTusXk
I’ve owned this book for years. I was gifted this book from a retired minister when he was liquidating his ministry library. It was written 5 years before I was born. I have become much more intentional about personal growth and time spent reading. I enjoyed this book and will be applying much of what I learned. Below are some of my favor takeaways from the book.
There are three kinds of readers. We all fit into one of the following categories.
1. The Motor Reader: Reads around 150 words per minute (wpm) Also called a vocalizer because they read at the same pace that they speak. They use there lips and tongue to form words as they are silently reading. They are restricted to this level of reading because it is as fast as they can mouth the words.
2. The Auditory Reader: reads around 300 wpm. Usually imagines each word of print in detail. They are word thinkers and word hearers, often concentrating so intently on each word that he can hear it pronounced as it is silently read.
3. The visual reader: reads 800+ words per minute. The visual reader passes the words directly to the comprehension without any stops in between. They read rapidly but efficiently and allows no wasted effort. This should be the goal of every reader. Nothing should be said, nothing heard, everything seen.
What Hinders Rapid Reading?
* Regression: the reversion of the eye to words read previously. This is normally a subconscious desire on the part of the reader to check up on himself - to reassure himself that what he saw was really there. Most common with long or unfamiliar words. Because it is unconscious is difficult to correct unless the eye are forced to move forward constantly.
* Fixation: the stoping of the eye on a word is natural and necessary. The problem is when we stop too long on a word or group of words, or in stopping too often on a line. The average reader usually fixates 4x’s more than they have too.
If you will train your eyes to stop in briefer fixations, you will find an amazing increase in your reading speed. Improving fixation alone could double your reading speed.
How to overcome Regression and Fixation.
The first step to overcoming regression and fixation is to begin “pacing” when you read. Pacing is the act of forcing your eyes to move in a directed pattern across the lines and down the page. Try a pacing experiment. Read for five minutes and pace yourself by sliding your index finger under each line as you read. Let your finger move slightly ahead of your eyes as you read, creating the effect of pulling your eyes along each line. Avoid stopping on any words and work to keep your finger slightly ahead of your eyes. This method is the basic Z pattern of pacing.
Warning: Don’t go so fast that you can’t comprehend what you are reading. The goal is to
1. Keep moving
2. Only slightly ahed of your eyes
3. Read for normal comprehension
The act of pacing will almost always immediately increase reading speed. The reason is simple: the eyes have a tendency to follow motion. As the pacing finger moves across the line, the eye follow it, thereby cutting down the habitual regression pattern the reading and establishing a rhythmic movement of the eye so that fixations are not of unnecessarily long duration.
It’s important at this point that we don’t sacrifice comprehension for speed. When pacing becomes a habit you will find that your comprehension of what you read will increase just as your speed of reading.
4 Acceleration Techniques
For the average person these techniques will often give an immediate 10% increase in speed.
Indentation: Create an imaginary line half an inch on each edge of the page. The purpose of this imaginary line is to provide limits for your eyes and your pacing finger. Only look at the words within the imaginary lines. As you apply this technique you will notice you see the words outside the lines, although you are not looking directly at the words.
Rapid Return: Rapid return is the act of swinging your eyes back to the left margin of the page in an even and rhythmical manner. The goal is an efficient return sweep without allowing your eyes to hesitate.
Hold the book properly: For rapid reading there is a correct way to hold a book. The proper way for the reading method outlined in this book is to place the book on a flat surface. Hold the boo from the top and rest the thumb and index finger of the left hand on the middle of the book margins and top of the right hand page while the remaining three fingers are under the book. This keeps the book inclined slightly at a comfortable angle of vision. A good distance to hold the book from the yes is approximately fourteen inches or about the distance from your shoulder to your elbow.
Page Turning: You early use your left index finger to turn the pages while you are holding on to the top of the book with the same hand. Turning pages this way will avoid the usual fumbling to turn the pages as you finish reading, and will enable you to maintain the pacing rhythm.
By applying these 4 techniques at the same time both your speed and comprehension will increase. Most readers find that their comprehension goes up as they increase speed because they are concentrating much more on their reading than they ever did before. Many also find that the coordination of eye and hand keeps them much more alert physically and mentally. It is difficult to fall asleep while you are actively engaged in reading by pacing.
http://amzn.to/2BTusXk
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