Is Speed Reading Helpful? (Explained for Beginners)

Speed reading is an effective way to improve one’s ability to read quickly. To speed read, a silent reader must master eliminating subvocalization (silent speech). Furthermore, individuals can use their peripheral vision to link words together seamlessly.

Speed reading comes in handy for doctors, lawyers, Ph.D. candidates, and anyone who wishes to read and comprehend large amounts of text quickly. But regardless of one’s profession, the ability to read fast is helpful in many aspects of life. 

Speed reading is ideal for readers with short attention spans who find it challenging to focus for long periods. Speed reading, it is said, improves the user’s intellect because it requires quick eye movements and boosts the brain’s cognitive powers.

Individuals who use speed reading exercise a cognitive approach to skim blocks of material. Speed readers have a higher understanding and retention of the information they have read. 

Interested in knowing more about speed reading? This article will teach you the benefits of speed reading and how to perfect it.

What is speed reading and how does it work?

Speed reading involves recognizing and absorbing sentences or phrases on a page as a whole rather than individually identifying each one. Speed readers process information faster than they read it by quickly processing written stuff, primarily text or visuals, to immediately get the gist.

Speed reading is a must-have quality for students who read many documents or publications to fulfill specified requirements but who have limited study time.

Furthermore, people like stenographers and court clerks, who type rapidly and don’t want to spend time reviewing their work, can also make good use of speed writing. 

Your reading speed is restricted by the speed of your eyes and brain. When you scan a sentence, your eyes take in information one small piece at a time, about 2 or 3 characters each. Fast readers often read ate of 6 to 7 characters per fixation. 

Slow readers can significantly improve their reading speeds by employing speed reading techniques. Speed reading is an acquired habit rather than an inherent aptitude or gift. It takes time to practice and develop high-speed reading ability.

Speed reading only works when readers employ specific tactics, such as the ones listed below.

Examine the text as a whole

Instead of looking at words individually, speed readers look at them in groups. Examining the text as a whole is essential to speed reading since it enables you to digest extensive phrases or blocks of text at once rather than reading one word at a time.

Linking words to form phrases, clauses, or even more significant portions of text is how you can implement speed reading. Looking at the information holistically allows speed readers to absorb a lot more information with each page and makes skimming through the content more accessible. 

Speed readers who use their peripheral vision capture more words at a time. The eyes do not linger on any one word long enough for it to register in the brain when speed reading. Their eye movement scans material in a diverging rather than linear fashion. 

Read the top line

When reviewing a page, use your peripheral vision to focus on the first word of each line. In speed reading, glance at each succeeding line as you’re reading the first line. This allows you to comprehend more information than reading a line at a time.

Skimming through the first line of text will enable you to establish the theme and title of a passage instantly. Following that, you can browse the full page and search for keywords. This method will assist you in getting through material more quickly.

You can also use our speed reading tool to increase your reading speed. It allows you to practice reading faster by flashing out different words at you. 

Speed read quietly 

With the quiet speed reading approach, you can increase your reading speed without altering your reading style. When speed reading silently, you tend to leave out periods and commas, which are natural speed bumps that slow down reading. 

By removing these, the reading process is noticeably sped up. Silent reading helps you to go on to the next word or phrase without having to go back and review the previous one.

Furthermore, quiet reading relieves the mental and physical strain of decoding words into sounds. By eliminating the vocalization process, your brain is free to focus exclusively on comprehension.

Main benefits of speed reading

Speed reading is now widely accepted due to its numerous benefits. Let’s go over some of these below.

1. Enhanced memory 

The most significant advantage of speed reading is improved memory. When you train your brain to take in information quickly, other areas of your brain, such as memory, will improve. Speed reading allows your memory to function as a stabilizer muscle. 

The brain is similar to a muscle. When we exercise our brains, they become more robust and can perform better. Our brains are challenged to work at a higher level when we read faster. This all adds up to enhanced cognitive abilities. 

Learning how to maximize memory is also a skill that can be easily mastered. You can begin your memory enhancement journey right now by enrolling in our memory maximization course.

2. Improved focus

Improved focus is a significant advantage of speed reading, as your brain’s ability to focus plays a significant role in reading quickly. Most people can only focus enough to read at least 200 words per minute (wpm), which is the average reading speed. 

Some people, however, can read at speeds of up to 300 words per minute. Why is there such a disparity? There are two leading causes behind this.

First and foremost, the standard reading manner that we are taught is inefficient. The second factor is a lack of concentration. 

Our brains will wander and become preoccupied with other thoughts if we are not focused on what we are reading. Focus is improved by speed reading.

3. Boosted self-confidence

Boosted self-confidence is a perk of speed reading, mainly due to the realization that you can learn almost any element of life faster if you can read faster and absorb more. 

As your focus sharpens, other areas of your life also flourish, boosting your confidence. When you enhance your reading and learning speed, you will notice that more and more doors open up for you, and you will have more possibilities in life. 

This is because every book or article, whether fiction or nonfiction, assists us in shifting our awareness and beginning to notice more depth in our lives. This greater depth gives us more confidence.

4. Better logic

Speed reading allows you to go through several books in a short period. This will lead to a diverse knowledge base covering a variety of topics. As a result, you will be able to extract superior logic from situations.

The faster you improve your reading speed, the faster this process occurs. In no time, you will notice improvements in reasoning as you get used to responding swiftly to what used to take longer to understand. Your brain’s ability to recall information increases. 

5. Improved problem solving 

We all face difficulties. However, through speed reading, you give your subconscious mind a chance to solve them. More knowledge will be delivered to your subconscious mind, resulting in an improved ability to solve problems.  

Through speed reading, your mind gains the capability of resolving your obstacles or problems. Unlike the conscious, a person’s subconscious is bigger and more profound. In terms of information processing speed, the subconscious is also faster. 

The conscious mind is known to solve issues at speeds ranging from 100 to 150 miles per hour. To achieve the same, the subconscious travels at approximately 100,000 miles per hour.

How can speed reading help your career?

Along with benefits like improved memory and focus, speed reading can help in your career as well. For professions that require fast typing or interpreting, speed reading can be a useful skill. 

For instance, people who work as stenographers and court clerks have to type rapidly and don’t have time to stop and review their work. In this scenario, speed reading can be helpful for their career. 

Another advantage of speed reading is that it improves the appearance of your resume. Speed reading improves your resume and makes you more employable since it makes you stand out to potential employers.

Most staff these days must conduct extensive studies and write-ups or reports on the problem at hand. When this is required quickly, having fast reading skills comes in handy. 

Productivity is a big issue with employees. But, it is a skill and can be easily mastered with proper guidance. Our productivity course can help you boost your productivity and perform better at the office. 

Conclusion

With speed reading, you can read a wide range of information at a faster rate than usual. There are numerous methods for speed reading. Reading the text as a group and reading silently are two important tips for speed reading.

Speed reading has multiple benefits including enhanced memory and improved focus. This system of reading also helps in boosting self-confidence as well as improves the brain’s problem-solving abilities. 

If you’re trying to make a career in a fast-paced environment, speed reading is a useful quality to have there too. 

At Iris, you can enroll in a variety of other courses to master a wide range of additional reading strategies. 

So what are you waiting for? Visit our website at https://irisreading.com/ and explore for yourself!