How to learn fast reading (speed reading)

On average, a person reads about 200-300 English words per minute.

There are many methods that allow to raise this figure even up to 300%. Of course, the higher the reading speed, the lower the percentage of learning information. But speed reading helps in the shortest possible time to get a close look at the text, which is often required in certain industries.

It all began with the research of the ophthalmologist Emil Zhaval. He noticed that when reading, the eyes do not focus on every word. Reading a line, a person basically looks only a few times, and does not stop on each letter. Various studies have confirmed that the maximum speed of reading is not the limit.

Later, speed reading became popular, especially among students, and techniques appeared that helped to quickly absorb visual images. Basically their essence is to learn to read differently than with regular, standard reading.

For example, there is such a thing as “subvocalization”. This is the unconscious pronunciation of the read text within yourself. One of the techniques is aimed at suppressing this action, because it slows down the reading. To achieve the result, various noise interference and other “distracting maneuvers” are used.

But not only does subvocalization not allow reading faster. Speed ​​reading also implies that a person does not return back to the read. This, of course, is associated with memory. There are training sessions to eliminate these “regressions”.

Professionals in speed reading use peripheral vision. The fewer transitions between eye stops at a certain point, the less fatigue and faster the reading process.

It often happens that there are a lot of “water” in the text, words that do not carry an important semantic load. One of the techniques trains the ability to find key phrases in the text, without wasting time on reading unnecessary words.