A verdict on speed reading

[untiedknot]

I have heard so many mixed opinions on speed reading. Does it work? Do you comprehend anything? Has anyone gone through a program or bought a speed reading product that has worked for them?

[Patricia]

We've been spammed by a lot of speed-reading sites. As a result I am deeply sceptical of their probably inflated claims.

[netseeker]

Originally Posted by untiedknot

I have heard so many mixed opinions on speed reading. Does it work? Do you comprehend anything? Has anyone gone through a program or bought a speed reading product that has worked for them?

Yes it does work but imho most of us "speed readers" are not able to comprehend anything. With speed reading you comprehend the main information of a passage with one view. Most speed readers don't read every character or every word, basically they just "read" some words of a passage with one view and comprehend the information based on similiar "word-patterns" (in case of a continuous text).
Some people seem to be able to comprehend more information with one view than others but i never met a speed-reader who was able to comprehend all details of a text. Usually the average reader is able to read up to 300 words in a minute. A average speed-reader can read between 600 and 1000 words in a minute. Only a few people are able to read faster - and if they do so their eyes are getting tired very soon. Some trainings are indeed promising reading rates of some thousand words per minute - imho this is just bullshit.

I've not gone through a program nor have i bought a "speed reading product" but i'm able to read up to 1000 words in a minute. Maybe some hundred words more for a very short time if i would really try it. Imho, if one has to read a lot of stuff regulary in very short time then he will become a "speed-reader" (or at least a very good and fast reader) automatically.

If you want learn speed-reading please keep one thing in mind: It isn't that useful as it seems to be. Speed-Reading poetry and fiction isn't much fun because it affects the power of imagination negatively (you just don't have enough time to use your imagination while reading) and speed-reading technical books isn't possible without missing some (mostly important) details.

[Moejoe]

I took a speed reading course and read 'War and Peace' in twenty minutes. It involves Russia.

Woody Allen

[RWood]

When I was in grad school the university sponsored a free speed reading course (the same one the former US President John Kennedy was said to have taken.)

For it to work you simply turn your brain off and allow a raw data feed of the main words on the page to go into your head. Analysis and understanding are delayed until later (if ever.)

There was no joy reading this way for me. For business school cases it was also a disaster. I remember I read a 40 page case about Citibank and thought it had something to do with check processing and money. All but one in my group went back to their old reading ways after the course. The one that stayed with it flunked out after the first term.

[untiedknot]

this is pretty much what I was thinking, that you won't retain much. Good Woody Allen quote

[Timoleon]

Any kind of richness or imagery or subtlety in the text is totally lost with speed reading. It's like chugging a milkshake --- you lose the flavor and gain nothing but a headache.

Speed reading is the antithesis of reading enjoyment. It should be "vtterly criyt done and nocht vsyt."

[kacir]

Originally Posted by untiedknot

I have heard so many mixed opinions on speed reading. Does it work? Do you comprehend anything? Has anyone gone through a program or bought a speed reading product that has worked for them?

try a program for Rapid Serial Visual Presentation
I was very surprised how fast I can go with the help of some of those programs.

RSVP was developed for use on a small handheld screen.
If somebody developed an RSVP program for iPhone you could very soon be reading at 1000 words per minute on such an unbelievably small screen.

I can not however imagine SUSTAINED read at that breackneck speed for hours. This is, because the computer keeps the speed and if you want to rest your eyes for a moment or think about something you have to stop or slow down the program manually. I think I would be very very tired after reading a text of significant length.


I have I friend (very, VERY smart one) that can read a thick [paper] book in 2 hours. He reads entire line of text at one glance. It is extremely important that the book is very well typographically laid out. The font must be serif because that helps the eye to visually connect the words. When he was younger he would read for pleasure several books a day this way. Nowdays he uses this skill very seldom, he says. It is quite demanding.

[drnos]

I consider a good book to be a conversation. Why do I want to hurry the conversation?

[kindlekitten]

wow d00d! welcome to the forums! you might want to catch up a bit! ;o)

[SolRaven]

Originally Posted by RWood

There was no joy reading this way for me. For business school cases it was also a disaster. I remember I read a 40 page case about Citibank and thought it had something to do with check processing and money. All but one in my group went back to their old reading ways after the course. The one that stayed with it flunked out after the first term.

Originally Posted by netseeker

Imho, if one has to read a lot of stuff regulary in very short time then he will become a "speed-reader" (or at least a very good and fast reader) automatically.

If you want learn speed-reading please keep one thing in mind: It isn't that useful as it seems to be. Speed-Reading poetry and fiction isn't much fun because it affects the power of imagination negatively (you just don't have enough time to use your imagination while reading) and speed-reading technical books isn't possible without missing some (mostly important) details.

I've been thinking about picking up the speed of my reading and had taken speed reading courses in the past, but like you both said, although I remembered a lot, there was also a lot that I felt was missing after I finished a book. It just wasn't the same. I had always assumed I needed to practice it more, but now I realise that it with speed, I'll pay in enjoyment, and probably comprehension and/or feeling as well.

[Xanthe]

I've always been a fast reader, merely because I like to read and I am always reading. I can't imagine taking a week to read a single book, unless it's highly information-intensive and a zillion pages. But I've always viewed speed reading courses with abhorrence. I want to enjoy what I read, to appreciate a good turn of phrase, to pick up a clue, to take pleasure in the nuances. I don't want the meat without the potatoes.

[SolRaven]

Originally Posted by kacir

try a program for Rapid Serial Visual Presentation
I was very surprised how fast I can go with the help of some of those programs.

RSVP was developed for use on a small handheld screen.
If somebody developed an RSVP program for iPhone you could very soon be reading at 1000 words per minute on such an unbelievably small screen.

I checked it out and put Spreed on my tool bar. All I can say is, "Wow". I would love this for my Droid X. Sometimes I'll try to sit and read but keep losing focus. Other times I'm totally emersed right away. I've noticed that RSVP keeps me perfectly engaged and focused right away. I find it surprisingly enjoyable to read this way. I'd want to get it not so much for speed, since that seems to vary on my mood, but for focus. Now... when will I see this on the Android Market?? Hmmm.....