Tips for Training Yourself to Speed Read

Do you have a lot of material to read? By improving your reading speed, you can cover a lot of material within a short amount of time. Speed reading is a skill that anyone can learn. Follow the tips below to increase your reading speed.

Stop the Inner Monologue

The inner monologue refers to speaking words in your head as you read. Also known as sub-vocalization, this trait is common among many readers. If you hear voices in your head while reading, apart from your own, you are having an inner monologue.

An easy way to get rid of this habit is by creating a distraction when you are reading. For example, try reading while chewing gum or listening to instrumental music.

Practice Word-Chunking

Word-chunking refers to reading multiple words at once. While we are trained to read each word at a time, it’s possible to take in several words at a go.

You can make this step easy by using your peripheral vision. Start small by trying to read three words at a glance. As you get used to word chunking, your reading speed will significantly improve.

Do Not Reread

Break the habit of rereading words on a page. Backtracking over words you have already read slows you down. This habit can be difficult to break since you most likely do it unconsciously. Try breaking the habit by using a bookmark or your finger to guide you along as you read.

Improve Your Vocabulary

Not knowing what a word means can slow down your reading speed. When you read a line and come across a word you don’t know, you will most likely try to think about it in context of the sentence. This may mean having to read the line more than once to get its meaning. To avoid this, improve your vocabulary.

Set a Reading Goal

Set a goal to read a certain number of pages per week and reward yourself when you reach the goal. As you read, stick to your timer and find out whether you are improving. The more you read, the faster you will become.