Just reading faster would be really helpful. But do you still understand the content of the text at all?
Yes, because we have the perfect solution for you: Speed Reading! With our speed reading tips you not only read quickly, but also efficiently. After all, reading quickly is also the cornerstone for learning quickly.
Speed reading for your studies: Typical reading mistakes
- get lost in details
- jump back in the text
- read along
Most people read word for word and absorb the sentence to the end, even if this is not necessary for understanding the passage. Speed reading is therefore about eliminating those factors that slow down our reading speed. Depending on the type of reading, these can be of different nature: Maybe you get stuck on individual lines of text for a long time, maybe you keep jumping back (especially when reading academically) because you haven’t understood something yet.
The biggest enemy in this case is often the voice in your head that reads everything. Have you ever noticed this? Our reading voice has about our speaking speed, which means that your reading speed is usually more like a VW Beetle than a Ferrari – metaphorically speaking. So the solution lies in not speaking the information read in your head, but only taking it in and understanding it with your eyes. When used correctly, you can read up to 400 or even 600 words per minute with the optimal speed-reading technique. That sounds pretty good, doesn’t it?
Speed Reading Method: Benefits
- more efficient information gathering
- increased concentration
- better exam results
Speed reading is not only about reading faster, but also about being able to process what you read faster and remember it. A real win-win situation for all students! The good news is that speed reading can train your brain like a muscle: you generally learn to perform better, internalize information faster and remember it more efficiently.
You will also learn to concentrate really well by reading faster. Because if you want to absorb the learning content quickly, you can’t afford to think laterally like «Why is the fridge actually empty again?». The high concentration, on the other hand, ensures better learning and exam results, so that ideally you can go into the exam with more self-confidence.
Speed reading method: disadvantages
- high level of stress
- limited information gathering capacity
Being able to read faster has many advantages. However, the downside to speed reading can be that people who tend to read more slowly may experience greater pressure while absorbing information. This is because they now have to work against their natural reading pace. This can make them feel stressed easily, which can make it difficult to assimilate information.
There are also critical voices on the subject of speed reading among some researchers: a study published in the renowned psychology magazine “Psychological Science in the Public Interest” was published assumes that we have an intake limit for new information. It is not possible to read at an unlimited speed and at the same time gain a sufficient understanding of the text.
Speed reading for college
Speed reading is worthwhile, for example, if you want to prepare texts for your bachelor’s, master’s or term paper and generally whenever you first need to get an overview. Speed reading is also a good idea if you want to warm up your brain with new information. However, if it is more about literary than factual texts, you have to decide for yourself whether the speed reading gives you enough information about the author’s style and the atmosphere of the book.
The reading technique can definitely be useful if you have to read a lot at once. Because here you can simply filter out the relevant sources by reading the abstracts/introduction/conclusion of the books or shorter scientific papers as a whole, in a fast-track process. That way, you can then make a much easier decision as to whether the source of the text is relevant to your work and whether you should revisit it later. This selection saves valuable time!
Learn speed reading techniques
With these tips you can do it:
- Don’t have a say
As already mentioned, the reading voice in our head is the biggest enemy of fast reading. Try not to join in by holding your breath while reading, for example, while focusing on an important passage.
- Don’t read from A to Z when speed reading
Not every word in the book is relevant to your goals. So have the courage to leave gaps, take a close look at the table of contents and then decide which aspects and chapters are relevant to you and which are not.
- Don’t get bogged down in individual words
Instead of sticking to individual words, you should try to grasp entire sections of meaning. You will definitely save a lot of time this way! This also applies to foreign-language texts. You don’t have to know every vocabulary to understand a text. For example, only read every other word of a sentence or focus on the beginning and end of the line. Learn to stick more to the gist of a line.
- be patient with yourself
Did you know that skimming through a text twice brings more than a one-time, intensive examination of the reading material? That’s because as you skimm (lightly skim) the text, you’re subconsciously noticing many aspects. The next time you read, your brain already has docking points and can process the information faster.
- Learn to focus
Speed reading is about saving time. So don’t get distracted and imagine that you need to pay extra attention because you want to tell someone else what the text says.
- Use reading aids for speed reading
You may feel a little like elementary school right now, but reading aids – like your finger or a pencil – can definitely make reading easier. They can ensure that you don’t miss any relevant information and still don’t slow down. This way you absorb the material even though you are reading it very quickly.
- Do not look back!
Surely you know this situation: You are reading a book and do not understand a passage straight away. Of course you go back to the part you didn’t understand, right? This is not possible with fast reading. You just keep reading because you will definitely find the thread again later. Just imagine that rewinding is not possible, like in the cinema!
Speed reading exercises to learn the technique
Learning to speed read is a long process, but you will see progress quickly. The following exercises can help you with this.
Speed Reading Exercises: Expanding the range of vision
To increase your reading speed, you should increase your gaze span. This is the area you take in as you read. For example, imagine using a flashlight to read. It goes without saying that in this case you only notice a little and always have to jump back and forth.
This would of course be different with a larger light source, because your field of vision would be larger here.
A practical exercise to broaden your field of vision is as follows: Write about ten terms that differ slightly in length below each other on a piece of paper. For example: you, deed, joke etc. At the bottom should be the longest word in the pyramid. Now you take an index card and quickly uncover the first line and then close it again. Then you check whether you have memorized the word correctly. You go so far down that you can no longer grasp a word. The result represents your current gaze span.
Speed reading exercises: Stop the text with your eyes
Here you divide a text into three columns of the same size using two vertical lines. Now you start to read, but only fixate on the middle of each of the three columns and stop only three times per line. If you can easily do this, make a goal of only locking your eyes twice per line. That way, you learn to take in a lot more information per stop.
In this way, the substance can also be permanently stored in your brain.
Speed reading apps
There are various apps that can help you learn the new method. One example is the “Quick Reading” app. You can track your progress with various exercises. The “Read Faster” app is also a great help. Here you can practice how to recognize numbers and words faster and thus further increase your reading speed.
Summary: speed reading
- advantages
- more efficient information gathering
- increased concentration
- better exam results
- Disadvantages
- high level of stress
- limited information gathering capacity
- tips
- not have a say
- read gaps
- review the text more often
- dont get distracted
- use reading aids
- do not jump back in the text
- Expand your field of vision
- Reduce eye fixations while reading