Welcome to Speed
Reading Reviews
On this site I hope to include
information, hints, tips and reviews on all aspects of
speed reading.
But, first of all lets look at exactly what speed reading
is, it's history and why it is such a useful skill to
possess:
Obviously reading is an essential skill that everyone needs
to have. Being able to communicate with others is critical to
your success in the world. From this line of thought, speed
reading was developed.
If you can gain so much information reading normally, just
think what you could accomplish if you could do it twice as
fast. This is the basic concept behind speed reading and it has
been learned all over the world.
What exactly does speed reading refer to? In reality, there
is no set way to speed read. There are a number of different
methods that people use including: chunking and
subvocalization. Everyone reads at different rates, but with
speed reading methods you can improve the rate at which you
read.
Some speed readers can read up to 2000 words per minute and
retain 50% of what they read. This might seem astronomical to
those that have never investigated speed reading before, but it
is reality to those that know how to do it.
Where exactly did speed reading come from? It originated
from a method used by psychologists. They used what is called a
tachistoscope to flash images rapidly in front of the subjects.
It amazed the psychologists that some of the images were
recognizeable even though they were only on the screen for one
five-hundredth of a second. This rapid recognition was the
precursor to speed reading.
From that point, the United States Air Force used these
discoveries for speed reading. They added onto the process of
learning until Harvard took it a step further. They created the
first film that was designed to teach people how to speed
read.
Over the years, many people have used speed reading. One of
the most famous speed readers was John F. Kennedy. It was said
that his reading speed was amazing and he was a big proponent
of the skill.
One man named Howard Stephen Berg claims that he is the
world's fastest reader with the ability to read up to 25,000
words in a minute. He demonstrated his ability across the
country on different television programs. For example, he once
read an 1100 page book and scored a 100% on a memory recall
test afterwards. While not everyone will be able to read that
fast, it's generally accepted that you can improve your reading
speed.
How does one go about learning how to acquire this
skill?
Luckily, there are a number of programs that are designed to
do just that. Some programs utilize daily practices with books.
You stick to the exercises and you can double or triple your
current reading speed. With advancements in technology, there
are now many software programs that can aid you in improving
your reading speed.
While there are many different programs out there to help
you learn, there are just as many different theories on how to
learn. Some methods teach you to view words as whole images
instead of sounding them out.
Some methods have you stare at the center of the screen
while more text becomes visible around it. There are many
different theories as to how to learn speed reading. The
important thing is that it can be learned. You can better
yourself in this area of life.
Overall, speed reading is a great tool that can make you
more efficient and knowledgeable. You can digest large sums of
information very quickly and effectively.
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