SPEED READING AND COMPREHENSION

Change the way you read, and you can speed through any type of book at least 2 times faster, with better comprehension and sharper focus than you ever dreamed possible!

PRE-TEST: Are you capable of reading a text without re-reading words and sentences?

If you are a slow reader, the answer is probably "no".

Reading experts call this back-skipping phenomenon "regression", and most agree it is the most wasteful step in the average person’s reading activities. Some readers spend up to 50% of their reading time actually going backward over what they’ve already seen or read.

Two out of three people, when you ask them, think regressions are good because they help reinforce the material. But, in fact, the opposite is true. As soon as someone gets rid of their regressions, they not only immediately gain back the time they lose by doing them, but also improve their comprehension – sometimes significantly. Many readers DOUBLE their reading speed from just eliminating this wasteful activity!

There are two types of regression: conscious and unconscious. Conscious regressions are done "on purpose" to clarify a previously read idea, sentence or word. It is sometimes needed, but for the reading to be most effective, it should be used sparingly.

Unconscious regressions are the BIG problem, however, because they kill both speed and comprehension. You're not really aware you are doing them. All you know is that you can't seem to concentrate on the text, and you’re going at a snail’s pace.

So how do regressions make it hard to understand what you’re reading? Glad you asked. Here’s how it works:

Say you're reading the following sentence: "The chicken laid an egg."

A fast reader reads the sentence just like it is. No hesitations, no backward eye movements, and no re-reading of words. But for the slow reader guilty of regressing, it is an entirely different experience, because he continuously re-inserts words into the sentence structure. For example, let's say he re-reads the word "chicken" in the above sentence. It could then look something like this:

"The chicken laid chicken an egg."

Confusing, right? You bet. Just imagine when this is happening dozens and dozens of times on every page (which it does). That comprehension goes straight out the window and takes the speed right along with it.

This means if you get rid of regression, you not only significantly boost your reading speed, but you automatically understand more of what you are reading!

Question is – how do you get rid of regression?

One of the best things you can do is to learn speed reading, because it allows you to go faster through the text. Most methods offer a more stable reading and you will stop many of those ugly unconscious regressions where the eyes jump back to re-read a word or a group of words.

By being conscious of the material itself – how difficult it is, how familiar it is, etc. – you can, with the help of your speed reading technique, speed up and slow down as you go. Most readers go at one speed no matter what they read. This is an inefficient way to read. You want to vary your speed according to the "reading terrain," just like when you're driving your car through different road conditions.

Speed reading gives you a structured way to not only break regressions but also several other negative reading habits. Learning to read 2, 3, even 5 times faster while maintaining comprehension is something most people can do with a little bit of practice.

The programs we recommend in our reviews are high-quality speed reading courses that allow a marriage between speed and comprehension. They give you high speed but also better reading comprehension, just like they should.