Speed reader Annie Jones read the book “Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows” that has around 784 pages in just 47 minutes.
Amazing isn’t it. Some people are so passionate about reading that they read books one
after the other. Bill Gates reads around 50 books in a year.
So, let’s see some tips you can implement to improve your reading skills
Tips to improve your reading skills
1. Read bundle of words not word to word
Did you read it word to word? Yes, this is very we went wrong. To improve your speed don’t pick word to word. Instead select bundle of words together. So your way just glances through it and quickly move on.
2. Keep ideal distance and position while reading book
Another important thing is the distance. How far or near are you holding the book? Don’t hold it too close that it strains your eyes or so far that the words are not clear. Position it in front of your eyes the way you would position the TV or computer screen. Why this is essential is because we have to enhance our peripheral vision, not focus on one word for the whole line.
3. Use pointer white reading, Improves concentration
Does this happen with you, that you were reading something and you went back and read it the same thing again which you have already read or you missed the next line and read the same line again. This happens because you fail to concentrate or you are not confident about what you read. To avoid the wastage of time in this process one can use a pencil, a pen or just move the finger as a pointer. Plus as you read, increase the motion of your pointer and train yourself to read with that speed.
4. Read thoroughly
Just the speed is not important. While reading at speed, we can’t ignore important things. So you may just read the unimportant part quickly but slow down when you are reading something important. Especially during our exam, carefully observe the various tricks in the question.
5. Highlight the important points
Understanding what you read and remembering them is also important. At times people read something and within seconds they can’t recollect what they just read.
What can be done in that case?.
You may highlight the important points or underline them. Another thing that can be done is to connect whatever you’ve read with any visuals or imagine those things.
6. Improve the quality of reading
While reading something, always read the title and the introduction, as this will tell you what
exactly you will find in the book. While reading, ask questions about the material like who, what, why, how, where, etc and at the end, if you could answer all that, you have thoroughly read it.
7. Balance speed reading with comprehension
For quality, reading speed is not just the prime factor but balancing the speed, your attention and remembering what you read is equally important. If we can enhance all the three things or say if you can increase the speed without affecting the other two then we can call ourselves a good reader. Also, remember this cannot be achieved in a day or two. Practice reading daily and that too quality reading. Train your eyes and brain simultaneously and improve your reading skills.
An important thing to be kept in mind is that we cannot finish all the books at the same speed or time. Different genre of books might take different time as the level of understanding required is different.