Canny Minds Blog

Canny Tip #4: Speed Reading Skills

Posted on 07. Oct, 2009 by Jenny in Articles, Canny Tips

Why?

• Speed reading allows you to read a large amount of text very quickly.
• Most adults read text in blocks rather than word by word, skipping back to the beginning of the block when they are unsure.

How?

• To give yourself an idea of a paragraph’s main topic, read the first and last sentence.
• Use a finger, pen or pencil to point to words as you read them. Your eyes will follow, helping to reduce the skip back.
• Time yourself reading an article and then calculate words per minute read. Aim to increase your speed.

Tips?

• Don’t skip the difficult bits!
• Don’t say the words out loud; this decreases reading speed.
• You will need to spend more time reading complex text, so vary what you read.
• Most people find it difficult to read text on a computer screen, so print the material out.
• Increase your vocabulary to improveyuor reading speed and level of understanding.

Keep going!

• Be sure to practice. Speed read something everyday to build on the skills you have developed.

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Tags: 19-29, Canny Tips, languages, Learn Something New, male and female, speed reading