Speed Reading Programs

By Trevor John

Speed reading claims that it is possible for you to increase your reading speed from the sedate speed that it's probably at now, up to scarcely believable speeds of 1,000 words a minute and upwards.

Academic research doesn't confirm the results claimed by some of the speed reading programs that are on the market. But then academic tests don't always reflect real world conditions. There are certainly plenty of people in the world who claim that speed reading works for them.

Part of the trouble with our normal reading pattern is that we will actually "read out loud" inside our head. Reading out loud slows us down dramatically. If the speed reading course that you choose stops the amount of reading out loud that you do inside your head, then your reading speed will increase. Whether it gets as high as 1,000 words a minute will depend on how much you practice, but even if you only increase your reading speed by 50% then you'll be able to take in a lot more information than you do at the moment. Which, with today's information rich society, can only be a good thing.

The various speed reading courses on the market vary from a simple, cheap book right the way through to a full seminar. There are also self-teach courses that form a kind of half way house between these two extremes.

If you're considering speed reading for the first time, it may be best to start with a simple book and then, when you experience the results for yourself, progress to a full course to take your reading speed even higher.

Take your reading speed to it's highest possible level with photoreading. You can read at the speed you can turn the pages of a book and comprehend the majority of what you photoread.

Preparing for Success by Learning Speed Reading

By Adam Sullivan

There are a lot of things to learn about and do in life. Way too much to possibly learn about in the amount of time we're given. In fact, in many cases time is the constraining factor that fairly decides what we are going to do and how successful we will be.

In general, the more time you spend on something the better prepared you will be for success. This varies, however, in that different people take in information at different rates and can be more or less effective at retaining that information.

That would be where something like speed reading would come in. By a practiced increase of reading speed and reading comprehension it is possible to make less time count for more where anything reading is concerned. Added benefits may be an increased memory capacity and more mental discipline.

Speed reading is simply an accelerated rate of reading. Usually speed reading involves employing specific techniques to your reading that, with practice, can double or sometimes even more than double your reading speed.

If a person is aimed for success, things like reading speed and a sharp memory would seem to give them an extra edge. College students many times benifit from speed reading techniques. Studying becomes faster and more profitable. Speed reading can also be an easy way to impress someone.

Speed Reading Technique Course
Speed Reading

Speed Reading, Is It For Me? by Steven Quinn

Everyone has probably observed others who seem to skim over a page quickly as they read. People naturally read at different rates, but there are some people who have learned to speed reading. These people also read at different rates but those people with speed reading skills all read faster than most people. Speed reading can be done by learning specific strategies for reading through material quickly and comprehending the material. Turning and skimming pages quickly is not much use if the reader does not remember or comprehend what they have read.

People who would like to read and comprehend more quickly should enroll in a speed reading class in order to acquire skills that will help them read faster and better. Speed reading courses usually provide the students with several strategies and techniques to read and comprehend more quickly. Students who enroll in a speed reading course should learn these strategies to improve their reading rate. Once students learn these strategies in a course, they will find many benefits. All of their reading assignments or duties will take far less time.

Students will be able to finish all of their reading requirements and have lots of extra time for the fun activities of college life. Business people will be able to study reports and other papers and have more time for family and fun. Students, business people and others who use speed reading strategies save time but they also comprehend the material that they cover. Courses often teach people to use techniques that are different from the techniques that they used to learn to read in elementary school. Most people initially learn to read in a linear fashion.

Speed reading courses often teach people to read the words in other patterns than the ones first learned in school. The courses usually train students to avoid reading each individual word. A good course in speed reading will change some of the habits that people have acquired in their traditional education. The course will also provide students with advice that will help them become better readers.

Distractions can interfere with reading comprehension and many instructors in a course will advise students to eliminate the distractions in order to achieve better reading comprehension.
The speed reading instructors often suggest ways that students should prepare for reading tasks before they read the first word. There are many strategies that people can use to become better readers and many are most pleased when they learn the strategies that help them.



Double YOUR Reading Speed In Just 16 Minutes - 100% Guaranteed..." www.bestspeedreadingcourse.com

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How You Can Find An Extra 2-6 Hours Of Working Time Per Week by Craig A. Garcia

Do you ever feel like there is just not enough time in the day? Many days you might leave your office wondering why you didn't get much more accomplished. Between dealing with different people and receiving phone calls, and trying to juggle all of the different little tasks you need to, the day can be gone before you know it. A huge challenge for many people is dealing with all of the information that they get get thrown at them through the mail, internet, fax, etc. It's quite a lot of reading!

How many hours a week do you think you actually spend reading - between emails, faxes, newspaper, reports, etc? I sure if you did an inventory of the time you spent on this every week, you would be surprised at the amount of your time that is gobbled up by reading. Now what if you could cut that in half? For some people that would free up a tremendous amount of their days, and allow them to accomplish a tremendous amount more. What many people don't realize is that it is possible to quicky and easily start the habit of reading faster - much faster.

Simply by being aware of the need and the ability that one has to ready faster, this typically helps in and of itself. Many people after a short tutorial can find that their reading speed can be doubled. And really the sky is the limit with the right instruction. There are highly successful people that have really taken this to an art form. Marshall Thurber, a well reknown expert in the field of wealth empowerment, is said to read 3 books before lunch every day. Even if you don't have that kind of reading ambition, it's pretty clear that even if you doubled your reading speed you could save yourself tons of time.

A simple tip you can start using to read faster is to be simply conscious of your reading speed and your need to improve it. For a free test of your reading speed and some free tips on reading faster, check out:

http://www.VelocityReadingSecrets.com



Craig Garcia is recognized as one of the Nation's leading experts on Mortgage and Equity Management. He is a Licensed Mortgage Lender who has been helping consumers with financing solutions for over the past ten years. More lending info can be found at http://www.GreenBrowardCounty.com
Always looking to for ways to improve his efficiency, he established Ballast Publications, which publishes subject matter in a variety of interesting subjects. The most recent publication shows readers how they can quickly and easily read faster. More information can be found at http://VelocityReadingSecrets.com

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6 Speed Reading Myths Debunked by Ed Caldwell

Speed Reading Myths Debunked

There is so much misinformation about speed reading that as a user for over 30 years, and as an instructor of tens of thousands of learners from all walks of life and all levels of education, I feel compelled to debunk some of the most prevalent and popular myths. However, before we begin, it is essential to define what is reading.

Reading Defined

Although definitions may vary somewhat, reading can be defined as the act of interpreting visual symbols and deriving meaning from those symbols (letters, words, etc.). If you accept this definition, then it follows that reading is a cognitive thinking skill. Therefore, one can read, as fast as one can think (or interpret) the visual symbols.

So when someone wants to learn to “speed read,” there is a two-fold problem. One is seeing the symbols more quickly (that’s the easy part), and secondly is getting the mind to respond more quickly. Said simply, there are 2 components to speed reading – developing the mechanical skills of getting the eyes to move more efficiently, and learning to push the mind to think and respond more quickly (comprehension).

Myth # 1 – “It doesn’t really work.”

This is both true and false. One of my biggest challenges with learners is the notion that if they enroll in a program, then magic will happen. Because of the nature of learning a new system of skills and habits is difficult, the learner must immerse themselves completely in the experience and let go of preconceived notions of what they believe about themselves as learners and loosen their attachment to the “see-say-hear-understand” habit they grew up with. What I tell learners is, “it doesn’t work, you work it.” In other words, Dynamic Speed Reading is a system, a methodology to be applied to the act of reading, but the reader has to bring themselves and their mind to the process. One technique outside of the process will not work for all reading situations.

Myth #2 – “Speed Reading Is Merely About Moving Your Eyes Fast”

False. Although historically this is true, and most programs today focus almost exclusively on the speed of eye movements, this statement contradicts the definition of reading as stated earlier. In fact, this is the primary cause of cynicism and skepticism towards the concept of speed reading. It is not reading if you merely move your eyes and see all the print. Learning the mechanics without learning the comprehension process is only part of the solution. If someone is serious about wanting to develop their efficient reading skills, a strong emphasis on how to build comprehension is critical for success. I do not recommend software programs, or any other type of mechanical devices because of this. By definition, you can only read as fast as you can think or respond to the symbols on the page. Comprehension, or the cognitive skills, must be developed as well.

Myth # 3 – “When Speed Reading You Lose Comprehension”

Again, false. Although the answer to this is included in myth 2, this needs additional explanation. As I explain this, keep in mind the premise that you are not reading if you are not comprehending. Comprehension means understanding. This myth has developed not only because most programs focus on merely speed, but also because of the nature of the adult learner trying to change a lifetime of habits around.

Typically the adult learner has formed the belief/habit that in order to comprehend well, you need to start at the beginning and read word by word to the end in a linear fashion. This belief/habit was formed as a result of early reading training from school days. However, research has proven that comprehension is a process. In other words, we need to build comprehension like we build our learning of any other skill. A useful analogy would be to take a trip to a new state, province, or country. You would start by looking at a map to get a general sense of direction of where you are to where you want to be. Next, you might look at the major highways that lead you there. Finally, you would focus on the specific streets that would get you to the point of your destination. Reading comprehension experts agree, comprehension must be built. Stated differently, you need to “prepare the mind to read.”

Another part of this myth’s development is due to the fact of the nature of the learning process in developing speed reading skills. As the learner works on breaking the habit of focusing on individual words both visually and cognitively, a dynamic flow of eyes over stimuli (words) needs to be achieved in order to create meaning faster. Here we are talking about the mechanical skills. As the speed reading student first enters this phase of development, comprehension will decrease initially as he/she struggles to learn fluency of the mechanics. This can be compared to first learning to drive a car. Remember? You had to focus on managing all various pedals, buttons, and mirrors while simultaneously navigating this ton of steel down the road safely. If you’ve been driving for years, you might not even be able to remember how clumsy you felt. Another good comparison would be learning how to do a new dance. The learner needs ample time to build fluency.

Myth #4 – “Speed Reading is Merely About Skimming, Scanning, Key-wording”

False. Skimming is sample reading portions of text – a sentence or two here and there, or some other approach. Skimming is a good “pre-reading” technique, but is not “dynamic speed reading” in itself.

Scanning, by definition, is to glance from point to point often hastily, casually, or in search of a particular item. We may scan the telephone book for a particular person’s number, scan the newspaper ads for a job, but we do not scan a new book, report, manual, etc. if we want to master it. Scanning may be used as an after reading technique, but is not speed reading.

Key-wording is an old speed reading technique where the learner was told “don’t focus on the unimportant words,” such as, “a,” “the,” “of.” This cannot be done. Try this yourself: sit opposite someone who is about your height and look at their face. While you do this try to not see their nose. Sight, the mechanical part of reading, is impartial. Or in other words, you cannot not see something within your field of vision. Your mind may not register or respond to something your eyes see, but that is another issue. In fact, that again is the issue of comprehension which we have discussed.

Myth # 5 – “You May Get Some Results At The End Of The Program, But They Don’t Last.”

This is both true and false. Reading is a skill like other skills, when you don’t do it for awhile, you will slow down. If you spent 5-10 years learning to play piano and then hadn’t touched the piano for 10-20 years, you would get rusty. All it takes once you have mastered it is occasional practice. When buying a program, look for long term support and follow-up.

Myth # 6– “If You Look At the Naturally Fast Readers, Only Really Smart People Can Speed Read”

The truth is one of the things that made these folks smart was the fact that they were voracious readers. They loved to read. When you develop more ease with reading, you’ll read more and enjoy it more, and learn more. When you read more, you’ll naturally get smart!

Now that these 6 major falsehoods of speed reading have been explained, what will you commit to do to deal with your information overload? In today's knowledge economy there is no other option but to learn a new approach in getting through the piles.



Ed Caldwell, speaker, developer, trainer, and author, is president of Productive Learning Systems, Inc., and ProductivElearn.com and its sub-site speedreadingtactics.com. As a user and teacher of Dynamic Speed Reading skills for over thirty years, he has helped tens of thousands of learners from all walks of life to master their information overload.


Article Source: http://www.articlerich.com

Speed Reading Sweeping College Campuses by Elija Warren

Speed Reading Sweeping College Campuses
Colleges are seeking new ways to help students stay afloat in today's sea of information.

The easy and cheap availability of printers and photocopiers has resulted in more information being distributed to students on top of their text book reading requirements. Students also spend more time reading using handheld devices, wireless laptops, and researching or passing messages with friends from their own computer. Professors commonly make assignments using the web which means still more supplemental information to be read. Students can easily spend 50% or more of their waking hours reading. They have more to read today than ever before and less time.

How can students ever hope to deal with the growing flood of information? This pinch between time and the volume of information dumped on the heads of students has resulted in revived interest in Speed Reading on college campuses.

Most people read around 200 to 300 words per minute, which is close to the rate we speak. Speed Reading teaches methods that allow a person to read at 600 to 2500 words per minute.

According to Michael Ford, the developer of the Speed Reader-X speed reading system,"In the past six months we have seen a noticeable increase in the number of schools requesting information on setting up speed reading classes. Most of the requests come from Nevada, California, and for some reason Speed Reading is very popular in Florida and Utah."

The speed reading method was discovered in the 1950's by Evelyn Wood when she turned in an 80 page college paper and her professor flipped through it, reading it cover to cover in seconds. He was a natural speed reader who developed the skills on his own without realizing he read differently from anyone else. Evelyn Wood went on to study this phenomena and eventually founded a speed reading institute in Australia. Since then, speed reading has become popular in many countries. However, the technique was almost unknown in the USA until recently when software training systems were developed which made learning the technique much easier.

Critics have questioned the usefulness of speed reading due to lower comprehension rates experienced by some people. According to Mr. Ford, "Speed must be learned before comprehension can be developed. It is exactly the same when a child first learns to read. The child must learn the mechanics of reading and then they develop comprehension with practice. Once a person learns the speed reading techniques, comprehension will follow."

The avalanche of printed and digital reading material that is overwhelming college students will only grow as demands on students increase and their free time decreases. Speed Reading could help future students manage this information overload but, Mr. Ford warns, "Learning speed reading is like learning a foreign language. Anyone can do it but, it is much easier when you are younger and the more you use the techniques, the easier speed reading becomes. I suggest starting before college. Many people start in college but, you can gain the most benefits if you are proficient before beginning college rather than trying to learn speed reading while facing a full class load too. Start early, that is my advice."

If you would like more information, Mr. Ford has created a free report that explains how speed reading works and it is available at http://www.free-speedreading-report.com



http://www.free-speedreading-report.com

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Speed Reading Myths by Michael Ford(The Auction Inquisitor)

There has been a revived interest in speed reading recently. Many colleges and local schools are even starting speed reading programs, but does it even work?

Let's take a look at some speed reading myths and see how they stand up to scrutiny.

Hand Motions

Some books, mainly older references, go on-and-on about fancy hand motions, moving in Z or S shapes, and the amazing things you can accomplish just by waving your hands over the words. When these methods are put to the test they fall far short of the claims. There is no magic hand motion that will make you read faster. Some people simply find it easier to use their hand as a pointer and some find it distracting. It simply depends on how your brain is wired. The only fact about hand motions is, if it works for you, use it, if it distracts you, don't use it.

What speeds can people read? What speed qualifies as Speed Reading?

A quick Amazon search reveals some older book systems spouting ludicrous claims of 10,000 words per minute or more. These kinds of numbers have been repeatedly debunked because they are simply made up. No one can read 10,000 words per minute and remember more than a few words. That is not how speed reading actually works and such outrageous numbers as 5,000 or 10,000 words per minute are nothing but marketing gimmicks.

There are documented, real speed readers who have taken no classes. These people picked up the techniques used in speed reading on their own, at an early age. They have had a lifetime to use them and many do not even know they are speed readers. They assume that everyone reads the way they do. The average person reads 200 to 300 words per minute. True speed readers can read 500 to 2500 words per minute but more commonly average around 600 to 1000 maybe 1500 words per minute. That is still a lot faster than 200 words per minute.

Didn't the Air Force Prove Speed Reading works?

The Air Force conducted some research to see how fast someone could recognize a word. This was related to identifying enemy aircraft then later displays and labeling and not actual speed reading. They used a device called a Tachioscope which was a dark screen and flashed a light colored word very fast, then disappeared. The person in front of the screen then had to identify the word. It turns out that a person can identify the word even if it is only shown for hundredths of a second. This does not in itself prove speed reading. It does prove that a person can recognize a word on-sight without using the normal sub-vocalization reading process. The technique used by the Air Force was not meant to test speed reading, but it does prove that the human brain can take in information much faster than many people thought. This technique itself will not teach speed reading either. It only proves a concept. It does not teach speed reading.

Speed Reading is fake. What good is speed reading if you dont have any comprehension?

This is one of the most annoying posts I see on message boards and it is always posted by someone who has never actually tried a real speed reading system or tried it for ten minutes and quit.

The act of asking the question proves that the person asking has no experience with speed reading because this is simply not how the process works. Many nay-sayer's like to claim that there is no comprehension or understanding of what is read when speed reading. That is simply false. They fail to say that 'they' cannot comprehend, and instead claim that no one can comprehend. The real comprehension problem is with the individual who has either not followed a legitimate speed reading training system, or has not developed the skills needed to understand what they are reading.

In speed reading, you must first learn the mechanics of the new reading method. Once your brain can process those mechanics, then you build comprehension. Remember back when you were first learning to read. You would sound out each word in a sentence, read several sentences about the adverntures of Dick and Jane running, then the teacher would ask you what you read. Your cute little 5 year old face would look up blankly as you said "I dunno" because you had no idea what you read. Your mind was still learning the mechanics of reading. Does this mean that no one can read anything because it is impossible for them to comprehend or remember what they have read? Obviously not. A child must learn the mechanics of reading, then they develop their skills and build comprehension through the 2nd, 3rd, grades. When someone learns speed reading, it is unrealistic to expect to have the same comprehension level when first learning a new way of visually taking in information. Mechanics first, then comprehension. If you see anyone posting on a message board about how 'they' cant comprehend anything they read when speed reading(assuming they ever tried) you can now correct them.
How fast do you read?

Speed Reading is just Skimming isn't it?

Absolutely not. Skimming is just that, skimming for some keywords. Speed reading is the act of reading every word. It is not picking out the hilights and it is not 'getting the general idea'. Speed reading is NOT skimming. If any system tells you they are the same, toss it in the trash because they are trying to sell a Skimming system re-labeled as a speed reading system.



Find out for yourself.

Modern speed reading systems have gained a new popularity with the development of software which makes the training and speed measuring much easier.

You can take a free reading speed test at www.SpeedReaderX.com and see if you read at a normal rate, slow rate, or if maybe you are already a natural speed reader. There you can also sign up for a free online mini-course which teaches you how speed reading works. Give it a try and see how much it can improve your school or work performance. If you have children, imagine how much it could benefit them throughout school.



Take a free reading speed test or sign up for the free mini-course at www.SpeedReaderX.com

Article Source: http://www.articlerich.com

Speed Reading: How To Get Faster by Matt Chang

You probably fall into 2 categories, you hate to read, so the faster you can get through it the better, or you love to read, so the faster you can read, the quicker you can get to more reading! Either way, improved reading skills can help you get through the words quicker, so you can either move on to something else, or move on to another book.

In a previous article we discusses the idea that to improve your reading retention, you should read in a non linear fashion, and take the time to get a framework of the reading, so you have a good map of where you are going. In this article, we are going to discuss how to start to improve your reading rate.

Most people read a book as if it were given to them as a speech. They listen to the author and follow along with what he is saying in a purely sequential manner. In order to reach faster rates of comprehension you have to learn to abandon this tactic. You can start this by not subvocalizing.

Think back to when you were younger. As a child or in your elementary school classes, you probably had to do alot of reading out loud. After you mastered this skill, you were told to simply say the words inside your head and read quietly. This is where most reading education and skill levels end. And, that is what subvocalizing is. It is the act of reading inside your head quietly. The reason it slows you down is that it takes time to form the words to say, even if you don't say them.

To move to a new level you need to stop sounding the words inside your head or subvocalizing. Again, subvocalizing takes time, more time than is necessary to comprehend the words you are reading. It is almost impossible to go much beyond 400 or 500 words while subvocalizing. Instead you need to train yourself to read without hearing the words in your head.

You are probably thinking that it going to be tough, and yes it can be challening at the beginning. What you need to do is remove the formulation of words with your mouth. If I read at around a thousand words per minute, there is no way I could hear the words in my head while trying to process them. Train yourself to see the word, reconstruct it in your brain, and bypass the word construction. You need to have your brain get the understaning. When you get this down, you will take one second to gain understanding than the 5 seconds it would have taken to subvocalize.

Since most people currently can't separate the subvocalization from comprehension, they are locked in at a rate of about 400-500 words. Moving beyond that rate requires that you practice reading faster than you can actually read aloud.

This may sound a little confusing, but what you need to practice is seeing the words and gaining the meaning in your head. Start with small words and phrases, and grow into sentences. Eventually you will get the hang of seeing and understanding, instead of seeing, forming the words in your head, and then understanding.



Buy cheap books online at http://thebookwhiz.com, we offer cheap audio book titles, and cheap childs book selections.

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Speed Reading Helps ADD/ADHD Students Improve Behavior and Overall Performance by Bernie Marasco

Speed reading software helps ADD/ADHD students improve behavior and overall performance by engaging students in interactive exercises and helping them learn to focus on one task at a time.

According to the American Psychiatric Association 5-8% of children and approximately 4% of adults suffer from ADHD. ADD/ADHD is defined as a physiological/behavioral disorder characterized by inattentiveness or short attention spans, hyperactivity, impulsiveness, and disorganization.

How Does ADD/ADHD Affect Reading?

It affects students that have difficulty focusing on study and general reading materials.

How Speed Reading Software can help: Speed reading software helps ADD/ADHD students by engaging them in interactive exercises (i.e. Drills and Games), by focusing on one task at a time, and by allowing the students to view reading material at a faster rate. Because they are engaged, and because they can adjust the text's parameters to meet their needs, they may feel a sense of accomplishment at being able to do the work. Some instructors have found that using a speed reading program for a short period in the morning led to improved behavior and performance overall throughout the school day.

The Educational Research Institute of America (ERIA) reviewed (www.acereader.com/papers/ERIA_Review_of_ACEREADER_Research.pdf) four independent studies of a leading speed reading software program to determine if the results provided valid evidence of its instructional effectiveness. While using different age groups and training levels, each of the studies provided evidence that:
1. The program increased both users' reading rate and their comprehension.
2. The program elicited a positive response in all test groups.
3. The program proved both easy to implement and effective to use among reading instructors.

The studies documented improvements with students at the elementary through the adult levels, as well as at a variety of ability levels. Perhaps most impressive was that the students' scores exceeded expected gains in both the experimental groups and the general school populations.

Students and adults can establish a baseline to measure their improvement by taking a free online reading test at www.freereadingtest.com.



About the Author:
Bernie Marasco is President of Stepware, Inc. developer of the award winning AceReader Speed Reading Software program. Keep up to date with the most recent literacy news by reading his blog at www.speedreadingsoftware.com and measure your reading speed and comprehension at www.freereadingtest.com

Article Source: http://www.articlerich.com

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