About Speed Reading

Is it really possible for someone to double or even triple their reading speed? Will your comprehension suffer if you become a speed reader?  Will you remember the things you read?

What is speed reading?  Speed reading is reading something quickly while still gaining the full benefit of the information.   Speed reading is not magic, it's not a mystical skill, or something that's difficult to master.  A good speed reading course focuses on training your eyes to move faster and more efficiently across the page, and giving you practice so you can break though some of the barriers that have been slowing you down.  A properly trained speed reader does not skim the words, and has comprehension that's as good or better than before they started speed reading. 

There are three factors that determine whether someone can become a speed reader.  They're pretty simple. 

• You must want to improve.

• You must be willing to try new techniques.

• You must be motivated to practice.
   

You also have to get rid of your limiting beliefs about reading, and your skills.

Can you read faster without loosing comprehension?  Sure!  It's a bit like driving.   I learned to drive in the country.   Two lane roads, no traffic, and I stuck to the speed limit (my parents would have killed me if I had gotten a ticket).   I remember the first time I had to drive in a city and it was frightening.  All of those cars, all of those lanes, and they were all going so fast!  I had to put the peddle to the metal  just to survive!   After a while you get used to the new speed and it gets easier.  Where I was once unsure, and scared I'm now confident and brave.  It's even fun!   You find that your brain can process the information it receives very quickly and your body can react as quickly as it needs to.  You owe it to yourself to take-in information as quickly as you can process it!

"The people who get on in this world are the people who get up and look for the circumstances they want and if they can't find them, make them" George Bernard Shaw

What's limiting your reading speed?

Undeveloped Eye Muscles- Far and away the most limiting factor for speed reading is your eye movements.   People with untrained eye muscles tend to move around the page in unsteady motions, and they stare at words too long.   In a study conducted by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine showed that reducing these faulty eye movements can dramatically improve someone's reading speed.  Almost half of the participants in their study were able to read over 1600 words a minute with 75% comprehension!

Limited Perception Span-  Poor readers tend to focus on one word at a time, thinking that this will help them comprehend the material, but when does just one word carry across the whole point or sentiment of something.  It's the linking of words into phrases, sentences and paragraphs that makes literature.   You rarely think in single word phrases...why read in single word phrases?  You need to be able take-in chunks of information in order to increase your speed and comprehension.

Subvocalization- Reading the words to yourself in your head.  Experts go back and forth on this topic.  Some people say it's possible to increase your reading speed by eliminating the habit of vocalization, and some say that it's impossible to eliminate this habit. 

 Unfortunately there are a lot of snake oil salesmen in the speed reading business, and they'll promise that they have a super secret trick to easily eliminate subvocalization.  I'll save you the $20.00.  Chew gum, suck on a mint, hum a tune, or count in your head.  Will any of that make you read faster or understand more?  I don't think so.  I chewed gum all the time, and I didn't read faster.

I don't think it's possible for an average person to completely stop subvocalizing because it would require an absolutely immense vocabulary.  The second you see a word that you don't recognize you'll slow-down to make sense of it.  Most people read to learn new things...and this should be seen as a good thing!  If you're not subvocalizing at least some of the time it's time to find some new reading material and expand your horizons.  

I don't think it's a wise goal to stop subvocalizing completely.  There are certain pieces of literature that need to be savored, and read word by word in order to get the full effect of the author's wording and cleaver turns of phrase.  I couldn't imagine reading poetry without subvocalizing.  It would take all of the fun out of reading it. 

Reducing vocalization is possible and something that can provide you with a pretty good increase in your reading speed.  The best way to reduce it (other than resorting to gimmicks like humming, or sucking on mints) is to read.  The more you read the more comfortable you become with words and the less you'll need to subvocalize.  If you can't stop subvocalizing completely don't panic.  You'll be able to increase your speed dramatically before you ever have to worry about subvocalization.

Limiting Beliefs, and Habits- We've all been to school, and for every great teacher that's uplifted and inspired you there were probably one or two that made you fear or dislike the learning experience.   I had a teacher that wouldn't let me read with a pencil to guide my eyes.   She said it was for babies.  That's a valid speed reading technique!  A lot of people read slowly because they were taught that they have to read every word of something in order for it to make sense.  It's not true.  A lot of books contain fillers.  If you read with a purpose, and define your goals before you start reading you should be able to dramatically decrease the amount of time it takes for you to read something without missing a thing.  Some people read slowly because it's their habit.  They tackle every reading session in the same methodical way, not realizing that there are some things you can read faster than others.  You wouldn't drive 65 mph down a steep mountain road with lots of curves, and you wouldn't drive 15 mph on the freeway.  Why would you read a magazine article at the same speed you would a physics text book?

Poor ability to focus-  You sit down to read, and the phone rings, or your mind wanders, or you suddenly think of something you need to do.  It's important to eliminate distractions, and learn to read with a purpose in mind!

Lack of practice-  A lot of people just plain don't read any more than they have to.  Some of us have to read to survive, but fewer and fewer people read just because they want to.  It's an unfortunate side-effect of living in our culture.  It's a vicious circle.  People don't like to read because they haven't practiced enough to have confidence in your skills, and they don't have those skills because they haven't practiced enough to develop them.

How does Speed Your Read address these issues?

Speed Your Read speed reading software works by training your eyes to move more efficiently across the page, reducing the amount you vocalize words, and helping you to eliminate your limiting beliefs and poor reading habits.

It uses eye exercises, training drills, and games to help you read faster and understand more.  By combining tried and true techniques along with state of the art technology and focusing on practicing your reading skills  it produces surprising results. 

Speed Your Read uses rapid serial visual presentation along with time-honored push drills to boost your speed.  Push drills are simple and used to build skills of any type.   In speed reading you read something at your normal speed, and then you try to read something faster and faster.  When you try to read at your regular reading speed again it seems sloooow.  By combining the effectiveness of push drills to train your brain along with our unique text display techniques to train your eyes you'll be reading faster in no time. 

It seems simple and it is.  We've produced a simple to use, easy to follow piece of software that will train your eyes and your brain to read faster.  Speed Your Read focuses on solid techniques that work.   Speed reading is not a magic technique.  It involves a little practice, but it's fun and interesting! 

You'll see results after the first session.  One by one your limiting beliefs will start falling away.  You'll feel more confident, and at ease with your new skills.  You'll find yourself being able to keep-up or even get ahead!  It's amazing the difference this skill will make in your life!

Along with these tried and true techniques we've made it completely customizable.  You can change the background color, add the text you want, and do the drills or games you want.  You can learn at your pace as your schedule permits. 

I've sold thousands of pieces of software to people in all walks of life.  From people returning to school, to busy executives, professionals, sales people, entrepreneurs, home schoolers, parents and grandparents.  It works!

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