Vary your speed when you read
The best way to think of controlling your reading speed is to compare the process to driving a car. Just as you have to vary your speed when driving to match the road conditions, so you have to adjust your reading speed to match the material you're reading. In other words, when you encounter material that's difficult to understand and it's an uphill battle to understand it, you'll need to shift your "reading gear" into low to get more power. When it's simpler material and easy going, then you'll shift into a higher gear to drive faster and more efficiently through the content.
A mark of effective readers is their ability to adjust reading speed to the nature of the material they're reading. This improves understanding of the material and makes the overall reading process much easier. To help you vary your reading speed appropriately, we've provided both general and specific guidelines for your study.
You may want to decrease your speed in the following situations:
- Unfamiliar words. For example, assume you run into the word "lethargy" (a feeling of tiredness, drowsiness, or lack of energy) and happen not to know its meaning. First, you can slow down and try to understand it from the way it's used in the sentence or paragraph. Second, you can read on and return to it later. (Suggestion: underline the word so you can find it again easily.)
- A long and involved sentence and paragraph structure. Slow down so you can untangle the structure and get an accurate idea of what the author is saying. Not every author is a good, clear writer so you may need to work at uncovering the meaning in a particular passage.
- Unfamiliar or abstract ideas. Some ideas are difficult to understand with a quick reading. In such cases, slow down to look for examples or illustrations which explain them more clearly. If these tactics don't work, find someone who will help you understand. In any case, demand that the idea make sense to you. And never give up until you do understand the idea because it'll make reading the material following it that much easier to understand.
- Detailed, technical material. By its nature, technical material demands that you slow down to read and understand it. Technical material often includes complicated directions, abstract principles, diagrams and other content in which you might not have much background.
- Content you really want to remember. To memorize content, you need to study it carefully, so speed is not the key in this situation. Instead, you need to emphasize organization and recitation-read the material out loud to fix it in your mind.
You may want to increase your speed in the following situations.
- Simple material with few ideas new to you. Make the best use of your time by concentrating on any unfamiliar ideas while moving rapidly over familiar materials.
- Unnecessary examples and illustrations. If examples and illustrations clarify ideas you already know, why waste your time? Skip over them quickly.
- Broad, generalized ideas. Usually, these ideas can be understood quickly even when you use scan techniques.
Tip: Look for pivotal words and phrases
A "pivotal" word or phrase can give you quick clues as to important points in the material. Typical pivotal words and phrases are shown in the chart below. In it, you'll see examples of pivotal words and phrases and how they can help you read and learn more quickly and effectively.
| Pivotal Word and Phrases |
What to do |
| In summary...In conclusion...Summarizing...In brief...Summing up, etc. |
Pick these out if you are skimming – they can give you a quick overview of large sections of text.
|
| First, second, next, last, etc. |
When you come across these, skip ahead and find the matching words (firstly, secondly, lastly). It will help you understand the relationships.
|
| For example (e.g.)...Such as... For instance...Like, etc. |
These expand on a point. If you already understand the point, pick up your reading speed. If it's not clear yet, slow down. It might be important because the author has gone to the trouble of providing examples.
|
| In other words...To repeat...Again, etc. |
Similar to the line above, you can skip these if you understand the preceding text; otherwise, take care – the author is highlighting important points.
|
Examples
Let's look at some examples to highlight when you should vary your speed. In the following passage on the Coriolis Effect, think about whether you would increase or decrease your reading speed.
The Coriolis Effect is the apparent acceleration of a moving body on or near the Earth as a result of the Earth's rotation. An object on the Earth's surface moves faster at the equator than it does away from the equator. An object near the equator is moving through a 25,000-mile (40,000-kilometer) circle in 24 hours. But, away from the equator, it travels in a smaller circle in the same 24-hour period. The Coriolis Effect alters the paths of any projectile or moving object on Earth – e,g,, bullets, aeroplanes etc.
This is technical material. If you're unfamiliar with it, you should decrease your reading speed to understand any complicated directions, abstract principles, and other content in which you might not have much background.
In the following passage on the natural rate of employment, I've used certain pivotal words. See if you can pick out those words and then think about the best method for reading this passage.
How is the natural rate of unemployment determined? The basic answer is that people keep changing their minds! First, consumers change their minds. The recent trend toward eating more vegetables and less meat means jobs are lost in the meat industry while jobs are gained in the vegetable industry. Second, employers change their minds. If they find some workers are not as productive as they hoped to be, they often fire them. Third, employees change their minds. They may find that they're not getting the wages and benefits they want and quit. All those events lead to job turnover.
The pivotal words are "first...second...third". When you run into "first" skip ahead and find the matching words "second" and "third" to help you understand the context of the points.
In the following paragraph on bad habits, the pivotal word is "For example". How should you vary your reading speed in this example and why?
Be aware of old habits that may be diverting you from your focus on goals for success. For example, a bad habit might be watching too much television. If you're spending three hours a night watching reality shows, then you're not dealing with your own reality! Those 180 minutes are wasted time. Do the math. If you spend three hours a night five days a week watching "Survivor" and other programs, that's fifteen hours a week taken away from your march toward success. Multiply that fifteen hours times 52 weeks, and you've wasted 780 hours in a year. So, obviously, this amount of television watching is hindering you from achieving success-or at least delaying your journey on the road to that success. Kick that habit! Take a hard look at your life and see how you can devote your energies to more productive activities-activities that will bring you more health, wealth, and success.
When a pivotal word like "for example" occurs, it expands on a point. If you already understand the point, then pick up your reading speed. If it's not clear yet, slow down. It might be important because the author has gone to the trouble of providing examples.
Next : Reading strategy exercises
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