Improving reading skills without "speed reading"

I really enjoy reading and I read a lot, but I read very slowly. I know this because, for example, the time estimates for reading on my kindle are always about double what it is for the "average" reader, and also, subtitles in movies are always too fast for me. I have tried speed reading courses and I understand the techniques (don't sub-vocalize, avoid regression at all cost, chunk words). The goals that most speed reading courses strive for don't appeal to me however. They strive for decent comprehension and unrealistically high speeding rates. This comprehension is mostly informational but I don't necessarily read just for information. I find that when I read at a very fast pace I lose a lot of the enjoyment I get from savoring words and sentences.

Ideally I would be happy to double my reading speed. Every time I search I come across websites that want you to read at 1000 wpm (a prospect that doesn't interest me at all given the research I've come across that caps real reading at around 400wpm for most people). Are there any less ambitious techniques out there for my situation?

reading

ruminator

Posted 2015-01-08T19:19:50.263

Reputation: 116

possible duplicate of How can I improve reading speed and comprehension?

– Rob Tillie – 2015-01-08T20:47:15.673

You can find an excellent answer to your question here: http://productivity.stackexchange.com/questions/210/how-can-i-improve-reading-speed-and-comprehension?rq=1

– Rob Tillie – 2015-01-08T20:47:53.237

I had seen those answers in my preliminary search but I was looking for alternatives. Most of those answers generally ignore some of the findings mentioned in this article: http://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2014/03/is-speed-reading-possible/284326/ hence I tried to phrase my question to circumvent "speed read" type of answers

– ruminator – 2015-01-09T02:31:56.117

Answers

There are a couple of good practices you can use from the speed reading scene without actually speed reading (meaning reading faster then you can comprehend / subvocalize). I would suggest the following practices which have helped me personally the most:

Get a feel for the layout of the book: check the back cover and the index to get a sense of what is in it and where.
Skip anything that is of no interest to you. Do not think you have to read a book cover to cover, especially non-fiction. The fastest way of speed reading is not reading something at all if it is not of value to you.
Use a marker or finger to guide your eyes.
Do eye exercises to strengthen the muscles in your eyes.

I still subvocalize most of what I'm reading and I am not reading any faster then I want to, but using these small changes to my reading practice, my reading speed has doubled to about 350 to 400 WPM.

Rob Tillie

Posted 2015-01-08T19:19:50.263

Reputation: 954

I offer this only because I have a similar issue in that I have started to find it difficult to sustain the concentration necessary to enjoy reading books as much as I used to. I find myself having to reread sections, or just slow down my pace by vocalizing. Reading for pleasure became completely unpleasurable for me. However, I find I have no problem with comprehension, retention, and focus if I use audiobooks instead. I spend a lot of time on my Kindle, and I find myself seeking out books with narration over just the books alone.

My girlfriend has a Ph.D. in psychology, and works as a learning styles coach. She helps students figure out how they learn and absorb information best, and will help them construct alternate methods to the visual-text and lecture formats of American academia. There are those who work best with visual reinforcement (through pictures and video), kinetic reinforcement (through physical activity), interactive reinforcement (working with another person), or, in this case, audio reinforcement (speech and sound). I don't know if you have given it a try yet, but it may help.

Neil T.

Posted 2015-01-08T19:19:50.263

Reputation: 159

I haven't found audiobooks too useful as I cannot focus on the spoken word for prolonged periods. I learn by doing (kinesthetic reinforcement). At any rate, I am not looking for a new modality of learning. I really genuinely enjoy reading but I would like to be more efficient at it without losing the enjoyment. – ruminator – 2015-01-09T02:25:49.373