While it is better to be taught speed reading from speed reading courses, you can actually try out speed reading on your own using speed reading exercises. Speed reading exercises can be accomplished on your home with common reading materials. The nice part about speed reading exercises is that they are free, so you can enhance your reading rates without having to pay for speed reading programs. This article will show you how you can do speed reading exercises on your own.
The initial step in speed reading exercises is acquiring a reading material and going to a reading location where you can read comfortably. It is important that you do this in an environment that is conducive for reading and without many distractions, so that you can focus on the exercise. As for the reading material, it is ideal that you pick something that you haven’t read before, so that you cannot depend on your memory. In addition, do not choose technical reading materials and ensure that what you are reading is actually something that you can comprehend. This will enable you to measure your comprehension in respect to your reading rate.
Once you are ready for reading, start your speed reading exercises on your reading material. You can test the various reading techniques that are showed at speed reading programs. One of them is skimming, wherein you have to visually search the sentence for clues to meaning. One more technique in speed reading is called meta guiding which utilizes a tool like a finger or a pointing material to guide your eye on its text navigation. Meta guiding is another speed reading technique that uses a finger or a pointing tool to guide the eye on the text. Subvocalization is also lessened during speed reading.
You may have a hard time understanding the words that you are reading on your first few attempts at speed reading exercises. However, do not be alarmed as it is normal for beginners to experience that. Your brain will steadily get used to reading at a faster rate and your understanding will improve in time. The essential thing is that you accomplish these speed reading exercises on a regular basis, for about 15 to 30 minutes per day, to guarantee an effective improvement in your reading rate.
