Speed Reading Training Improves Comprehension


Speed reading training is a pursuit that can benefit just about everyone caught up in the frantic pace of the world today. With a combination of crazy schedules and huge amounts of information available, it is increasingly hard for people to grasp the critical information they need, let alone try to relax with a favorite book. From classrooms to boardrooms, people at virtually every stage in life are feeling an increased need to find ways to learn more, and as fast as they can.

When people take training and learn how to read faster, they improve their effectiveness when studying and are more productive at work. In addition, those who learn how to read fast also report that they enjoy the reading materials more, and that they not only get more from them, but that they remember what they have read better.

Training also results in enhanced comprehension levels too. While this flies in the face of logic, which would dictate that reading speed improvement would result in diminished understanding. However, experts say that learning how to read faster actually enables the reader to feed information to the brain at a rate that is better suited for the speed at which the brain functions. This is the basis for understanding why speed reading comprehension levels consistently test higher for speed readers, than when those reading at average to slow speeds are tested for comprehension.

In general, a quality speed reading training program is an investment that pays off in many different ways. Training the brain to be able to absorb, retain and comprehend written information is an valuable skill to master. In the marketplace today, there are many different avenues you can choose to improve reading speed to match your learning style. No matter which type of speed reading program you choose, there are four things you can do to improve the results.

Relaxation – It is very important to be in a relaxed state. High stress and tension levels will create many barriers that interfere with the ability to learn how to read fast. And, not only should the mind be in a relaxed and settled state to assist in reading speed improvement, but the body should also be in a calm state. Restlessness or tension in the body can become a major distraction and can inhibit your speed reading efforts. It is best to be in a quiet, calm and comfortable environment before attempting a reading speed course.

Read Quality Material – There are myriad choices in reading materials from which you can select, when trying to learn how to read fast. But, when you are in the process of training, it is best to choose a work that is well written and avoids “flowery” language. Look for a text with rich content, direct presentation and little redundancy while in the learning stages. Once you have experienced reading speed improvement, you will be able to tackle any type of reading material you desire.

Watch for Keywords – Most written works have about 60% filler just to accommodate sentence structure and grammar. You will learn how to quickly zero in on the keywords or key phrases which provide the meaning. As you improve your ability to focus on these important words, your brain will be able to more quickly process the meaning of what you are reading, further accelerating your reading speed improvement and comprehension.

Persistence and Patience – During your speed reading training, it is essential to set goals and track your progress on a daily basis. Once you reach the level of reading 250 words per minute, the next step is to set a goal to reach 300 words per minute. With consistent practice, and an attitude of persistence, you will be able to learn how to read faster and reach your full potential as a speed reader, with high levels of comprehension as well.

Posted by: TheWriterMan on December 19th, 2007

Article Writing: Tips For Success


Article writing is a useful means to express your ideas on paper so as to become professional writer.

Remember that “Content is King”. The better way you organize your ideas, the more publicity you get. Two basic points to be kept in mind while writing an article are:-

(1)  Use the simplest possible language
Your writing should be able to reach maximum number of readers. This means that it must be written in the simplest language which can be understood by the widest range of people. Most frequently the writers of magazines and newspapers use the “fourth grade level”.

It means that they are using the simplest possible language to express their reporting news and opinions.

This does not mean that they don’t possess the capabilities to write in hi-fi language, they just wish that the news should reach to more and more people. But surely, using simple language is not possible for all types of publications. Many of the magazines related to technical issues, social commentary or politics will use such complex language to put the audience away from the actual facts. But for such kind of writing, appropriate level of complexity is needed. Apart from such magazines, it’s always preferred to use simplest and straightforward writing style.

(2)  Represent your ideas in an interesting manner
Your ideas should be represented in such a way that they are useful to the audience. The better you frame your ideas, more readers will be attracted towards your article. Organize your ideas in such a manner that it entertains the readers. Make sure that don’t write whole descriptive stuff so that the readers feel bored. Most of the articles written for the internet or for magazines are in classic style known as “five paragraph essay”, which is an ideal format for writing articles in brief. If this style is followed then you can express your ideas in a very beautiful way with the good and interesting start and end.

Five paragraph essay – Step by step guide

1) First paragraph: Introduction-to represent the actual topic and related concepts in brief.

2) Second, Third and fourth paragraphs: Which will support or expand points in the introduction in the simple and creative language.

3)  Fifth paragraph: – Conclusion-which fully summarizes the topic and contains the purpose of the topic of article being written.

Thus, you can surely write well for magazines or Internet if you can effectively write five paragraph essays in clear and understandable language. So, by using simplest possible language and organizing your ideas in an effective manner, you can become successful article writer using a conversational style and with the help of “Spellings and Grammar” facility in word software. Go Ahead and Keep Writing with full confidence!!

Posted by: TheWriterMan on December 18th, 2007

Speed Reading Special Techniques


More than at any other stage in history, the world today is flooded with information. There is no question about why this is considered the information age. For many, it has become daunting to attempt to keep up with everything that is competing for our time and attention. One way that people are dealing with these increased demands, is to improve reading speed so that they can be more productive in keeping up with the essential data in their lives.

If you want to speed your read, then you are not alone. People who want to learn how to read faster can be found in every age range, economic situation and life stage. There are many high school students who want to improve their grades and prepare for college by means of reading speed improvement. College students who want to get great grades but who would also like more free time are interested in learning how to read faster, while also improving their comprehension. Leaders in business and government are keen to acquire speed reading techniques because of the massive amounts of information of which they need to stay abreast. Even stay-at-home mothers and senior citizens are motivated to gain reading speed improvement, in order to keep up with their family demands and the world around them.

For those who must do a lot of reading every day, whether it’s for school, work, or just keeping up with news and email, they can enjoy the task more as they improve reading speed which also helps to increase comprehension. In fact, one of the side effects of taking speed reading training is better understanding of the material, as well as improved recall of what was read.

One of the first things that needs to be understood, if you want to speed your read, has to do with how the brain works and how people unknowingly get in the way of their own reading speed improvement. The conscious brain processes information at the speed of approximately 16 bits of information each second. However, the subconscious mind is able to take in over 10 BILLION bits of information per second! Speed reading techniques can help to close this huge gap.

Almost everyone has the habit of vocalizing, either aloud or in their heads, while they are reading. This is due in part to how children are taught to read and the importance of reading out loud in classrooms. The problem is that we vocalize at a speed that is significantly slower than the speed at which the brain processes the information, without any kind of vocalizing. Therefore, one way to improve is to train yourself to stop engaging in this practice. By chunking words, or visualizing a group, it is easier to reduce the amount of internal vocalizing in your head as you read, thereby enabling reading speed improvement.

Another thing that can slow speeds in reading is by having a limited vocabulary. It is a good idea to also work on increasing the size of your vocabulary as you improve your reading speed. If you attempt to learn how to read faster, but are not familiar with the meanings of the words you are reading, then there will be an increased level of frustration which can interfere with your attempts at improvement.

Today, because of the increased interest in learning how to read fast, there are many different approaches that people can employ to improve reading speed. There are even free speed reading courses that one can find on the internet. Many experts in the area suggest that one of the best ways to improve is to utilize a speed reading software program. This is because the software, unlike a manual or a video course, can adapt to the progress of the student and can provide increasingly challenging exercises to help them become more proficient each time it is used.

Posted by: TheWriterMan on December 17th, 2007