Essential Speed Reading Tips For Bloggers
Speed reading is an indispensable skill for bloggers and you should have it. The reason is that a major portion of your activity on the web is dedicated to two things – reading and writing. If you take blogging seriously, then you probably do research for your articles, read other people’s blogs, visit news sources and meme trackers, answer or send emails, leave comments on other people’s websites, and so on. All these activities allow us to improve our skills on observation, interpretation, communication, and argumentation, but a common problem for all is the lack of time and the inability to read fast to absorb more information and accomplish more tasks.
To solve the dilemma, I assembled numerous ways on how you can develop your ability to read more quickly while making sure that ideas stay inside your mind for a longer period of time. The degree of improvement may depend on your personality and interests, but if you follow these techniques whole heartedly, you will notice a drastic improvement on your reading comprehension and retention rate.
How To Prepare Yourself For Reading
1. Maintain a positive attitude. You’re more likely to remember what you read if you have less worries.
2. Find a suitable environment where you can read with less distraction.
3. Understand your current ability. Find out if you are capable of recognizing the concepts inside the material.
4. Clarify your purpose. It helps in organizing thoughts inside your head during the actual process of reading.
5. Find the main idea. The title of articles, essays, and books should have it. If you encounter vague titles, then look for the main idea on the first paragraph.
6. Finding the supporting ideas. In books, the chapters ordinarily contain the supporting ideas. In articles, you can see them on subheaders just like what I did on this post.
7. Determine the word choice and point of view of the author. It helps you understand more easily where he or she is coming from.
8. Determine the tone of what you’re reading. It will help you realize how you should align your own mood in the course of reading the text.
9. Do some skimming and scanning first. Your mind will capture snapshots of the material. As you read further, the ideas will appear more familiar to you.
10. Have a pen or a marker to highlight important words or ideas.
What Makes Reading Slow
1. Difficulty of the text - Each subject, topic, or niche has its own set of technical terms and jargon. The more you know the terms being used, the easier it is for you to understand the material.
2. Faulty eye movements - To avoid inaccuracy in placement of the eye while reading, use a guide.
3. Regression (re-reading of items already read) – Highlight points you do not understand then return to it when you’re done with the whole material. You’ll notice it will make more sense once you’ve digested the rest of the contents.
4. Word-by-word reading – You should either read fluidly or read words in big chunks. Only kids in kindergarten read sentences word-by-word.
5. Subvocalization (the process of putting sounds to words you read) – Avoid pronouncing words in your mind as you read. Don’t treat words as words when you read. Treat them as symbols that represent different concepts.
6. Outside anxiety or stressors (job, home, family, etc.) – Yeah, this sucks. Before you read, make sure you address any pressing issue at home or at work so that your mind will be free to concentrate on what you’re reading.
7. The false belief that slow reading leads to better comprehension – Your brain and mind are capable of many unbelievable tasks. It’s just your belief that is getting on their way.
8. Poor evaluation regarding the relevant parts of the reading material – Follow the first ten steps in this article and you will be able to avoid this mistake.
9. Lack of sufficient vocabulary – In reality, words are many but objects are few. We invent words all the time although we may just be referring to the same thing. Nonetheless, you should keep up with the trend as much as you can if you want to improve your reading skills.
10. Concern about technique – You may be conscious about the techniques at first, but once they are embedded into your subconscious mind, you’ll be able to execute them automatically.
Factors Contributing to Speed
1. Urgency and stress levels – Be your own boss and give yourself a deadline. Depending on what kind of material you’re reading, setting a time frame for reading it will give you a sense of urgency.
2. Concentration – Your concentration can be affected by both environmental and cognitive factors. Find a place where there are less distractions and eliminate unwanted thoughts in your head.
3. A good attitude towards reading – If you don’t like reading, then there’s really no need to ask why you’re so slow at it. It’s a no-brainer. People who love to read get to practice often.
4. Familiarity with language rules – Speed may also depend on how familiar you are with language use and structure. Understanding basic rules in grammar and writing extremely helps in being able to read fast.
5. Good background knowledge of the subject – Expand your field of interest. Read articles and books on many subjects as hard as you can. Sticking to one is no longer practical in our time. As Kurt Vonnegut once said, “Specialization is for insects.”
6. Build the context first – The material you read may be presented through various forms of expression and social context. It will be easy to identify the context by learning about the author’s background first.
7. The faster you go the less you will vocalize – Your mental image projector works faster than your mental boom box. Like I said earlier, you should avoid using self-talk while reading. Just visualize.
8. Read actively – Ask yourself questions, highlight words, and observe your emotions. These are just some of the things you can do to read actively.
9. Use ear plugs - Oh yeah! Can’t leave home without them. This is probably the best thing that works for me. Noise is my greatest enemy. I just love it when I don’t hear anything.
10. Push yourself and practice often – It is also useful to keep a daily/weekly record of your reading speed. To do this, you should know how to calculate your reading speed first.
How To Improve Your Reading IQ
1. Recognize organizational strategies – People use traditional structures for conveying information. Understanding the patterns of organization can help improve not just your speed but the way you absorb ideas as well.
2. Prediction – To keep yourself hooked to what you’re reading, anticipate what the author will say by predicting his or her conclusions.
3. Distinguish fact from opinion – When an author provides citation of other people’s work, he or she may be presenting a fact. Majority of the time, however, he or she is giving an opinion about the subject.
4. Record your questions and reactions – Write them down so you can do some research after you finish what you are reading.
5. Visualize to remember – If you associate new ideas with your own experience by using your imagination, then there is a higher chance that it will stay in your memory.
6. Practical application – Good ideas are useful ideas. Make sure that what you’re reading is actually something that you can apply at some point in your life.
7. Interact - Give your own ideas and contribute to the discussion. If it’s a blog you’re reading, use the comment section. If you’re reading a book, send the author an email.
8. Identify the solution – Ordinarily, solutions involve action statements. In articles like this one, it’s not hard to see that. In other forms of writing, solutions may be hard to spot.
9. Evaluate what you read – State what you generally feel about what you’ve just read. Is it good or is it bad? State the reasons on why you perceive it the way you do.
10. Examine your thoughts and feelings about what you've just read – Did it make you cry? Did it make you pee in your pants? Did it make you want to stand up and shout, “This is SPARTAAA!”
I’m certain some of you are already using some of the techniques here. Would you mind sharing what works for you best?
To solve the dilemma, I assembled numerous ways on how you can develop your ability to read more quickly while making sure that ideas stay inside your mind for a longer period of time. The degree of improvement may depend on your personality and interests, but if you follow these techniques whole heartedly, you will notice a drastic improvement on your reading comprehension and retention rate.
How To Prepare Yourself For Reading
1. Maintain a positive attitude. You’re more likely to remember what you read if you have less worries.
2. Find a suitable environment where you can read with less distraction.
3. Understand your current ability. Find out if you are capable of recognizing the concepts inside the material.
4. Clarify your purpose. It helps in organizing thoughts inside your head during the actual process of reading.
5. Find the main idea. The title of articles, essays, and books should have it. If you encounter vague titles, then look for the main idea on the first paragraph.
6. Finding the supporting ideas. In books, the chapters ordinarily contain the supporting ideas. In articles, you can see them on subheaders just like what I did on this post.
7. Determine the word choice and point of view of the author. It helps you understand more easily where he or she is coming from.
8. Determine the tone of what you’re reading. It will help you realize how you should align your own mood in the course of reading the text.
9. Do some skimming and scanning first. Your mind will capture snapshots of the material. As you read further, the ideas will appear more familiar to you.
10. Have a pen or a marker to highlight important words or ideas.
What Makes Reading Slow
1. Difficulty of the text - Each subject, topic, or niche has its own set of technical terms and jargon. The more you know the terms being used, the easier it is for you to understand the material.
2. Faulty eye movements - To avoid inaccuracy in placement of the eye while reading, use a guide.
3. Regression (re-reading of items already read) – Highlight points you do not understand then return to it when you’re done with the whole material. You’ll notice it will make more sense once you’ve digested the rest of the contents.
4. Word-by-word reading – You should either read fluidly or read words in big chunks. Only kids in kindergarten read sentences word-by-word.
5. Subvocalization (the process of putting sounds to words you read) – Avoid pronouncing words in your mind as you read. Don’t treat words as words when you read. Treat them as symbols that represent different concepts.
6. Outside anxiety or stressors (job, home, family, etc.) – Yeah, this sucks. Before you read, make sure you address any pressing issue at home or at work so that your mind will be free to concentrate on what you’re reading.
7. The false belief that slow reading leads to better comprehension – Your brain and mind are capable of many unbelievable tasks. It’s just your belief that is getting on their way.
8. Poor evaluation regarding the relevant parts of the reading material – Follow the first ten steps in this article and you will be able to avoid this mistake.
9. Lack of sufficient vocabulary – In reality, words are many but objects are few. We invent words all the time although we may just be referring to the same thing. Nonetheless, you should keep up with the trend as much as you can if you want to improve your reading skills.
10. Concern about technique – You may be conscious about the techniques at first, but once they are embedded into your subconscious mind, you’ll be able to execute them automatically.
Factors Contributing to Speed
1. Urgency and stress levels – Be your own boss and give yourself a deadline. Depending on what kind of material you’re reading, setting a time frame for reading it will give you a sense of urgency.
2. Concentration – Your concentration can be affected by both environmental and cognitive factors. Find a place where there are less distractions and eliminate unwanted thoughts in your head.
3. A good attitude towards reading – If you don’t like reading, then there’s really no need to ask why you’re so slow at it. It’s a no-brainer. People who love to read get to practice often.
4. Familiarity with language rules – Speed may also depend on how familiar you are with language use and structure. Understanding basic rules in grammar and writing extremely helps in being able to read fast.
5. Good background knowledge of the subject – Expand your field of interest. Read articles and books on many subjects as hard as you can. Sticking to one is no longer practical in our time. As Kurt Vonnegut once said, “Specialization is for insects.”
6. Build the context first – The material you read may be presented through various forms of expression and social context. It will be easy to identify the context by learning about the author’s background first.
7. The faster you go the less you will vocalize – Your mental image projector works faster than your mental boom box. Like I said earlier, you should avoid using self-talk while reading. Just visualize.
8. Read actively – Ask yourself questions, highlight words, and observe your emotions. These are just some of the things you can do to read actively.
9. Use ear plugs - Oh yeah! Can’t leave home without them. This is probably the best thing that works for me. Noise is my greatest enemy. I just love it when I don’t hear anything.
10. Push yourself and practice often – It is also useful to keep a daily/weekly record of your reading speed. To do this, you should know how to calculate your reading speed first.
How To Improve Your Reading IQ
1. Recognize organizational strategies – People use traditional structures for conveying information. Understanding the patterns of organization can help improve not just your speed but the way you absorb ideas as well.
2. Prediction – To keep yourself hooked to what you’re reading, anticipate what the author will say by predicting his or her conclusions.
3. Distinguish fact from opinion – When an author provides citation of other people’s work, he or she may be presenting a fact. Majority of the time, however, he or she is giving an opinion about the subject.
4. Record your questions and reactions – Write them down so you can do some research after you finish what you are reading.
5. Visualize to remember – If you associate new ideas with your own experience by using your imagination, then there is a higher chance that it will stay in your memory.
6. Practical application – Good ideas are useful ideas. Make sure that what you’re reading is actually something that you can apply at some point in your life.
7. Interact - Give your own ideas and contribute to the discussion. If it’s a blog you’re reading, use the comment section. If you’re reading a book, send the author an email.
8. Identify the solution – Ordinarily, solutions involve action statements. In articles like this one, it’s not hard to see that. In other forms of writing, solutions may be hard to spot.
9. Evaluate what you read – State what you generally feel about what you’ve just read. Is it good or is it bad? State the reasons on why you perceive it the way you do.
10. Examine your thoughts and feelings about what you've just read – Did it make you cry? Did it make you pee in your pants? Did it make you want to stand up and shout, “This is SPARTAAA!”
I’m certain some of you are already using some of the techniques here. Would you mind sharing what works for you best?
14 comments:
Hi there, have I reached Sparta, oh good. lol
I found that reading while intoxicated makes one believe that you have never read what you just read.
It's interesting when it happens, but of course, has absolutely nothing to do with this post. At least, it's the polar opposite of the intent. I digress.
Reading has always come naturally to me...at least, once I was taught. I've always enjoyed it, and perhaps that is why I do tend to read a little faster than my friends and family.
The "Blogging" image is awesome. It almost made me spray my coffee.
I could use a few monkeys...Great stuff!
haha, the last line made me laugh. What's this fetish with sparta-eye-rolling-tongue-quivering shout. LOL
I must tell my mother that word-by-word reading is indeed kindergarten-ish, according to Ryhen. :p
While I read through your lines, I definitely used most of the techniques you mentioned here. Except for the ear plugs. Its freaking 4.30am the noise is at least bearable.
But I might need them when I sleep, do you know any good ear plugs? Been meaning to ask you this..
Stay awesome!
Hi Ryhen,
Read most of this in the email newsletter. I think noise is the biggest distraction during reading. Earplugs is a great idea. Having the Internet on and seeing new emails come in is another big distraction. It's funny. When I write, I will sometimes write aloud by speaking the words, yet in reading I can see how it would slow you down. Great points. Thanks.
Essentially there are two hindrances to being able to read without distraction on some bloggers blogs.
Side bar animations and bloggers who chose white text on a black background.
Animations are okay as long as they move slowly enough as in the case of
the animation in my side bar moves so slowly its almost imperceptible, and I don't imagine anybody much notices that the animation is a clock!
Photo or picture blogs look really cool with a black background with perhaps a small amount of text works best.
Thanks for your post, I fully appreciate it and gives me great pause for thought!
Hi Ryhen, Nice post.. I think. I used your technics to read it. I don't think I know what you are talking about, I don't remember what you said, but I feel like I really liked it. It sucks to get old.
Nice post. Very useful information. I actually used it to read the post and noticed a difference in my level of retention.
Thanks so much Your Awesomeness :)
I'd be heading to the hardware department right about now and shout "This is SPARRRRTAAAAAA!!!" just to test the rubber earplugs on myself, if the thought didn't make me raise my own eyebrow and shake my head.
Keep the Genius in you, alive at all times. Fear is dead.
I could not disagree with you ryhen finding some place comfortable to read is a brilliant way of getting things digested
“Visualize to remember” I heard of this technique a couple of years ago, my 11 year old was in pre-school. When I told Bridget’s teacher that, she cheats by looking at the picture before she says the word. When I suggested covering the pictures, she said to me no, leave them that will do her good than bad.
I thought it only works on kid, but what you are saying here makes sense. After reading your article I now know why my reading is so slow, because I read word by word making sure I pronounce every word.
Thanks for the lesson; to me this is not just an interesting article. It’s a lesson on its own.
I will keep coming back to this article as it has some good points I will use and improve my reading. And expect few questions from me. I’m not doing this for fun, I really need to improve my English reading, written and spoken.
Lol...Sparta..love that 300 movie and the parady too. Gosh, this feels like college all over again! The emphasis for many of my literature classes was speed reading. I never could do it. I always ended up not remembering what I read and always got a bad grade because the professors would make us speed read and then paraphrase what was read. I hated it so much. I do, however, try speed reading now cos like you said, we have too much to read a daily. Sometimes I can zip through it with ease and sometimes I do not remember I thing I read. I think it's depends on my concentration and distractions.
Warm greetings Ryhen,
A most informative post. I can most definitely relate to what you have alluded here.
I am a firm believer in ambient settings to aid in the various techniques that you have mentioned. A bit of music in the background helps me a lot. Indeed, positive interaction is a vital element.
Take very good care and thanks for sharing this most interesting posting.
Kind wishes, your way, Gary.
Great work! Thank you so much for making this essential information available. I will keep cominng back for my lesson plans. I could definitely use speed reading..
Make reading easier by splitting up a text you want to understand well...
Copy and paste it into Word and give it paragraphs.
Often we find those ezine articles
which can be sooo long.
This method works well for them.
Also, best is to write or copy text to read and analyze in a Microsoft Word pad, before publishing it. Here we can also adjust the size of the fond, as some of us need glasses.
Excellent Ryhen, I will keep these in mind.
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