Speed Reading: How to Double (or Triple) Your Reading Speed in Just 1 Hour!

by Justin Hammond

This means that your mind sees the written letters, thinks about the sounds those letters represent, and then connects these sounds to the meanings. This process is called subvocalization.

Reading silently is easily five to ten times faster than reading out loud.

The aim is to decrease subvocalization. Since words are directly related to meaning, controlling what you “hear” in your mind means that you can decrease the amount of time it takes to construct meaning.

regression negatively affects your reading speed because your eyes are not moving forward all the time.

Remember that sentences, not individual words, have meaning. When your eyes stop, pause or wander, it means that you’re probably trying to derive more meaning out of an individual word rather than out of the sentence’s complete meaning.

following bad habits when you read: • Suboptimal physical and mental conditions • Distracting physical environment • Reading out loud • Subvocalization • Regression • Erratic eye movement

#3 “Read Phrases Instead of Words” (stopping subvocalization and reading blocks of words)

#5 “Meta-Guiding.” Be sure to give these techniques special attention, as they will be responsible for 80% of your reading improvement.

You don’t need to think about sounds of words! • You don’t need to read every word! These

Your mind is fast enough that it can easily take familiar written words and immediately connect them to meaning.

The key is to practice reading at a pace where you simply cannot pronounce words or think about their sounds.

Here are the prime locations for your eyes and your attention: • Titles • Headings • The first sentence(s) in a paragraph • The last sentence(s) in a paragraph • The first paragraph(s) in a passage • The last paragraph(s) in a passage • Sentences with bolded, underlined, or italicized words • Picture captions

Many websites also provide sample passages for you to practice with. One great resource is Cengage Learning, which will time your reading speed while you read a passage, and will then ask you a number of comprehension questions. Visit http://college.cengage.com/collegesurvival/watkins/learning_companion/1e/students/timed_reading.html. 2: