What Is Reading Speed Used For? (For Beginners)

Reading speed is the rate at which a person reads printed or electronic text within a given amount of time, and it is typically measured by the number of words read per minute.

The average reading speed of an adult is about 250 words per minute, but being average at reading won’t help your chances of academic or career success. Hence, improving your reading speed above the average is essential if you want to stand out. 

Improving your reading speed can literally transform your life. No wonder many of the greats were quick to learn this essential skill, including President John F. Kennedy, who, together with his brother Bobby Kennedy, enrolled in a speed reading course and is reported to read 1200 words per minute after he took the course.

Learning speed reading techniques is vital if you want to compete and not lag in your profession. Thankfully, speed reading is a skill that anyone can learn. 

Besides going through text at a faster pace, speed reading can also improve your productivity, enhance your learning process, help boost your career, get more things done, and more. 

Today’s post will enlighten beginners on what reading speed is used for and point them to helpful resources to help them get started.

Let’s begin!

Improve your productivity

Increasing your reading speed by applying speed reading techniques can improve your short-term memory and ability to assimilate information quickly. You spend less time and effort reading through texts. Hence, you become more productive with your hours.

When you speed read, your productivity and ability to function efficiently at work and home increases because your brain works faster than usual. However, it requires a greater level of concentration.

There are various reading techniques that you can apply to increase your reading speed. However, one of the best ways for beginners to familiarize themselves with speed reading techniques and improve their reading speed with ease is to use speed reading tools like Irisreading AccelaReader.

AccelaReader will help you improve the number of words you read per minute effortlessly. You can set the speed rate to practice and then increase it as you improve.

Enhance your learning process

As jogging or weightlifting are exercises for the body, so is reading for the brain!

When you read, you exercise your mind, improving your brain’s comprehension capacity and ability to retain information. 

However, when most people read, they do so in the same way they were taught in elementary school. Hence it takes them time and effort to go through a document. 

But the good news is, your brain can do much more than what you are subjecting it to do. You can improve your reading speed which enhances your learning process. 

Amazing things happen when you train your brain to read fast. For instance, your ability to organize information and establish connections between different previously-stored pieces of knowledge improves.

Once you increase your reading speed, you can go through tons of materials quickly, impacting your academic or professional life, whichever your situation.

An excellent place to start training your brain to read faster is to enroll in Iris Reading’s speed reading foundation class. As you train your brain to read fast, your thinking will sharpen, and your ability to comprehend information will quickly improve. 

You will naturally notice gains in logical reasoning as you can respond swiftly to situations that would have taken you longer to understand. 

Enhances your ability to engage socially

Improving your reading speed can enhance your capacity for social interaction!

People naturally gravitate towards the person who has something to say and engages them and towards others with interesting tidbits of information. They instantly become socially attractive, which begs the question of how come they never seem to run out of ideas or words to say.

Chances are they are avid readers. The more you read, the more information you can acquire. 

But it’s not just about reading; it’s more about reading fast to acquire information quickly and become more versatile on many topics of interest. 

As a result, you will be able to confidently engage in thought-provoking, in-depth conversations, enhancing your ability to engage socially. 

Achieve higher levels of self-confidence

The ability to speed read means that you can learn new ideas and skills quickly and attract more opportunities. 

When you improve your reading speed, you learn information fast, which helps to build your confidence level to the point where you realize that you have the ability to learn about anything quickly!

With such a boost in self-confidence, you achieve more out of life.

Boost your career

You probably have a pile of documents such as memos, reports, or files on your desk daily that you may have to read through to perform your duties. 

However, the amount of time you spend reading can significantly impact your productivity at work. And promotions and recognitions usually go to the most productive person in the workplace.

The ability to read fast can help you in your career. You can quickly learn essential information about your company and its competitors that you can use to give your company a competitive edge. 

Speed reading can improve your problem-solving skills. It encourages innovation and helps you develop leadership qualities that are essential for career advancement.

Check our speed reading tool to see how fast you presently read. Once you try it out, you will see your ability to read through a large volume of materials quickly improve.

Get more things done

When you don’t focus, you achieve fewer things within a given time frame. However, when you improve your reading speed, it enhances your comprehension, helps you stay focused, and allows you to learn things more quickly, saving you time for other essential tasks.

Relieve stress

The ability to read fast can help to relieve the stress that could come with meeting project deadlines. In addition, studies have shown that engaging in reading typically reduces stress. 

Hence, reading is good for your emotional well-being because it distracts your brain from anxious and stressful things. 

Speed reading is even more effective because you have to focus solely on your reading material. This deep focus increases your reading speed and keeps you engaged with the content rather than any unhealthy thought bothering you. 

Wrapping up

With so much to read, improving your reading speed can positively impact your academics or career. As aforementioned, the average reading speed, according to Stanley D. Frank, is 250 words per minute. 

However, you can improve your reading speed by using speed reading techniques and software like Iris Reading’s speed reading tool.

 Mastering speed reading will help you improve your productivity, boost your confidence level, enhance your learning process, and enhance your ability to engage socially, among other uses, as discussed in this piece.

Whether you are a student, business person, or professional, speed reading is a useful skill to master. 

No matter what your current reading rate is, we have a course that suits you. We have the Speed Reading Foundation Course which is best for beginners. 

We have the Speed Reading Mastery Course for those already familiar with speed reading techniques, which will teach you techniques to boost your reading speed even further. 

If you are a busy professional, we have you covered, too. We have designed a streamlined course to help you learn how to read faster and more effectively. Once you are done with our Speed Reading for Business Professionals, you will be able to go through tons of information faster.

Visit Iris Reading to view all of our courses.