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.

This process of subvocalization can actually slow down your reading speed, because you’re trying to pronounce each word in your mind.

As you read, try to “listen” to what’s going on in your mind. If you’re hearing the individual sound of every word, that means that you’re making your mind work much too hard; doubling your reading speed will be difficult.

Of particular importance here are techniques #3 “Read Phrases Instead of Words” (stopping subvocalization and reading blocks of words) and #5 “Meta-Guiding.” Be sure to give these techniques special attention, as they will be responsible for 80% of your reading improvement.

This is a fancy sounding word for a simple concept: All you need to do is use your finger, a pointer (like a pencil) or an index card to trace in front of your line of vision as you read. This serves as a motion guide, and will help your eyes maintain their speed and fluency, and reduce the erratic or regressive eye patterns that slow you down.

After determining your current average WPM (see tip #1, above), double it and set that doubled speed as your goal. So, if you’re reading at about 220 words per minute, set your goal at 440 words per minute. With each exercise you do that reveals your speed, compare it to where you started and where you want to end up. By setting a goal and consistently documenting your progress, you will see what your efforts bring and you’ll continue to have the motivation to keep improving.

The real trick to understanding how to use speed reading is to recognize that every reader has different reading rates, not just one reading rate. Typically, excellent speed readers adjust their speed depending on the type of text and the portion of that text they are focusing on.

If you’re trying to study material the first time round – especially for a class or test – you might want to really focus on each detail. Studying is a learning process that requires that you take it slow, write down notes as you go, and go backwards when you want to tie different ideas together. You may wish to speed read in future, but you should probably take the first-time read a little slower.