So I'm at a party and someone asks me
what I do. If you're like me, you could say
many things! But when I choose to say "I
teach speed
reading," the reactions vary though the most
common is something like "Wow, I could
really use that! Can you tell me how to do
it?!" So I've gotten pretty good at condensing
down the content of my books and 20 years
of experience into a very short synopsis. I
thought you might have interest, especially if
you have always wanted to know a
few "secrets" about speed reading.
I begin by saying that readers really do
have a
reading stick-shift that consists of
five gears with gear one being very
slow up through gear
five being overdrive. Most readers are stuck
in first or second gear because they just
don't know how to get into gears three, four
or five. A speed reading course or book will
show them how to expand their peripheral
vision to see more at a glance - with
comprehension - and provide them with
simple options they didn't even know existed!
Probably THE most useful speed
strategy is
one that you probably never learned to do:
read effectively with your hands or a
white card. When I was doing
research for
The Complete Idiot's Guide to Speed
Reading, I re-read (okay, skimmed
thoroughly!) over 30 books on speed
reading. To my amazement, every single
book talked about the
use of one's hands or a card to read faster.
Click here for
instructions on one of my
favorite methods: The White Card Method.
And if you're interested in
others, Chapter Two of The Idiot's Guide
is
dedicated to these methods, with pictures.
Speed reading is also being able to get
what
you need quickly without wasting
time. This includes thinking about
why you are
reading what you are reading and
what you
need it for. Click here to read
about
another one of
my favorite ideas: Read the best and SKIP
the rest!
If you were the person I was talking to at the
party and you had interest in learning more,
then I would suggest you go to your local
library or bookstore and get a copy of one of
my books. I would also tell you about my new
online course if you wanted more
personal
guidance and instruction. In the meantime,
this tips archive
page
has lots more ideas on how to
read and work smarter, faster and just plain
better.
Here's to getting started on s-p-e-e-d-i-n-
g
through your reading!
