Living in the information age implies that one has to learn a great deal every new day. That is why reading more quickly yet deeply is a skill nowadays. However, speed reading does not involve merely flipping through the pages. You will learn how to read faster to grasp the main points and understand the material fully by using technique and strategy. The following are some of the methods that will guide you to read faster without losing comprehension.
- Define Your Goals Before Reading Establish beforehand what you want to achieve from the book or document you are about to read. By setting clear goals, you will be able to pay more attention to the main facts without getting bogged down with too much information of little importance. You may ask yourself questions like: “What am I supposed to learn from this material?” or “Which portions of the material do I need to know?”
- Techniques of Skimming and Scanning
Skimming is a technique of glancing through the text to get a general idea of a passage without reading every word. When skimming, make your way to the headings, the first sentence of every paragraph, and key terms. You can know the overall idea of what constitutes the content without necessarily wasting too much time.
Scanning, on the other hand, involves perusing the text for certain information such as a number, name, or keyword that interests you. This approach will guide you to quickly move your eyes through those sections, which require keen reading without necessarily having to go through the entire document.
- Improve Concentration
Concentration plays a pivotal role in reading rapidly and efficiently. Clear the distractions that surround you, making yourself a quiet and comfortable spot. You can try the Pomodoro Technique: read for short stretches, let’s say 25 minutes, and then take small breaks of 5 minutes so that you don’t get mentally fatigued. This helps to maintain the same concentration level throughout the reading session. - Learn to Skip Unimportant Words
That means when reading, there are many words, usually connectors or even some describing adjectives which do not really prevent the understanding of the meaning of the content. In that case, you should practice skipping such words and still capture the information; mainly, the key nouns and verbs, and major phrases carrying the core idea behind the sentence. That is definitely the skill that takes time to develop, but surely it will help you read faster and not lose comprehension. - Practice Chunking by Reading Groups of Words
One error most individuals make, that slows them down while reading, is to pay attention to one word at a time. You need to try spending your time reading groups of words or brief phrases. Reading in chunks enables you to take in more information per eye movement. You practice this by expanding your field of vision and then focusing your attention on phrases or brief sentences rather than individual words.