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Majorix
May 8th, 2012, 06:31 PM
OK, something completely off of computers for a while.

I hate admitting that I am a slow reader. 130-180 wpm, be it in my native language (Turkish) or English. According to a numerous sources, that is way below the average.

Researching a little, I found that I "suffer" from "subvocalization", that is, say every effing word in my mind while I read something. I don't know if it is related or not, but I sometimes find myself repeating my teachers' words in mind. Same goes while watching a movie. I am also subvocalizing this post while I am writing it. Annoying!

I don't blame myself though. This is how they taught us to read in the first or second grade. We started voicing every syllable, then words. A few months later they taught us to "read in mind", and then just left the reading issue aside. No more improvements!

I like reading books (mostly in English, and in Turkish if the author is Turkish) and if I start a book in day 1, I will most likely read too slow and not understand everything, then get bored and finish it in day 100, if at all.

I will take some courses, read some books and look at some (Windows) software to see if they help with subvocalization.

So, that's MY story. Does anyone here experience the same? Or are there people here who read at more than 600 wpm?

mips
May 8th, 2012, 07:06 PM
Nope, don't suffer from that problem. Somehow I taught myself at a very young age to speed read. When I was young I could read like 4 childrens books a day (generally 100 pages each). Now I'm old and I struggle to concentrate past 100 pages.

If a book is REALLY good I could easily finish it in a day, 400-600 pages. But it is rare that I find a book like that these days, last one was by David Baldacci, he writes some proper stuff ;)

johnnybgoode83
May 8th, 2012, 07:18 PM
I am a slow reader as well and I can't see the appeal of reading a book quickly. I prefer to take a good week reading a novel so that I can absorb and enjoy every single word.

Majorix
May 8th, 2012, 07:35 PM
I am a slow reader as well and I can't see the appeal of reading a book quickly. I prefer to take a good week reading a novel so that I can absorb and enjoy every single word.

That, as scientists put, is a myth. You don't understand/absorb more by reading slower.

johnnybgoode83
May 8th, 2012, 07:57 PM
That, as scientists put, is a myth. You don't understand/absorb more by reading slower.

I enjoy it more and my enjoyment is all that matters :p

jasonshim
May 8th, 2012, 08:59 PM
I, too, am a slow reader.

I have difficulties at times, but I have learned to deal with the problem.

I usually check if there's an audiobook version of any book I want to read.

I do not like reading for a prolonged period of time. So, I just let the narrator

deal with the hassle :).

It's actually helped me read/listen to tons of books, which I couldn't because of my

short attention span. I can listen to audiobooks while I drive, do chores, etc.

I think this way I can make up for my poor reading comprehension with better listening

comprehension ability.

I usually speed up things a bit to shorten listening time btw.

It really helped me a lot. I think you should give audiobooks a try.

dpny
May 8th, 2012, 09:17 PM
I'm on the other end of the spectrum. I can read 400 pages a day.

cariboo
May 9th, 2012, 03:22 AM
Speed reading was all the rage when I was in grade 7, If I remember correctly the classroom average was about 1000 words per minute. We used the Evelyn Wood (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Evelyn_Wood_(teacher))system, which was advertised everywhere at the time

DaveGalt
May 9th, 2012, 06:03 PM
Don't confuse speed reading with skimming. Real speed reading is all about understanding faster, not just recognizing words faster. If you read 200wpm with 50% comprehension, then you really only read 100wpm--the other hundred words you just looked at.

To read faster, you need to understand faster, and to understand faster, you need to read IDEAS, not just words. This is called reading thought-units. Too many 'speed reading' courses try to tell you that if you just push your speed, that somehow your comprehension will just magically increase on its own. WRONG. Reading IS comprehension... it's the whole point of reading.

So if you really want to learn to read faster, concentrate on reading groups of words at a time which make up the individual thoughts of each sentence. See them in your mind. Think about and conceptualize the ideas.

You will find when you concentrate on visualizing the ideas as you read, you will not have to try to stop subvocalizing. It will just fade away on its own, because 1) your concentration on visualizing will crowd it out because you can really only concentrate on one thing at a time, and 2) you won't need it any more because you were only using it as a crutch to help your comprehension.

One more thing. In order to learn to read faster, you may have to slow down at first. You need to develop your abilities to assimilate ideas as you read. You may have to slow down and learn to concentrate on visualizing the meaning of what you are reading. It's somewhat like learning martial arts, where you practice in slow motion to improve your form, because it's correct form which gives you the power.

I hope this is what you're looking for. If you would like more information, check out www.readspeeder.com (http://www.readspeeder.com) or www.thoughtunits.com (http://www.thoughtunits.com).

LillyDragon
May 9th, 2012, 10:40 PM
Sub-vocalizing, now that's a term I've never before. It's exactly not only how I've been reading all my life, but thinking too! I sub-vocalize everything in my head, sometimes more than once, just like the original poster. Heck, sometimes I get bored of hearing my own voice in my head, so I just "think" with a different voice, it's crazy. xD Even while I read, I "hear" the voices of the characters too.

It's no wonder I can't speed-read at all, because I'd like to be able to read close to 600 WPM for heavier novels, like the Lord of the Rings trilogy. Dave brought up some good points that at least gives me some idea where to start if I decide to take speed-reading seriously. Now I know it's more than just about "getting the gist" of the text while glancing over it, which I'm guilty of doing in boring sections of an RPG. :P

MisterGaribaldi
May 10th, 2012, 03:58 AM
Hmm... here's my question: how do you clock yourself? Wouldn't you have to count the number of words in advance between points A and B, and then use a stopwatch or something?

wolfen69
May 10th, 2012, 04:14 AM
That, as scientists put, is a myth. You don't understand/absorb more by reading slower.

Ahh, grasshopper, you're missing the point. Some people like to read slower as to soak it in, stop, re-read certain parts, maybe daydream a little, etc.... It's not a race, people should read at whatever speed is comfortable to them.

cariboo
May 10th, 2012, 05:29 AM
Hmm... here's my question: how do you clock yourself? Wouldn't you have to count the number of words in advance between points A and B, and then use a stopwatch or something?

The average paperback book has 250 words per page, so it's fairly easy to come up with an words-per-minute figure.

wolfen69
May 10th, 2012, 06:22 AM
The average paperback book has 250 words per page, so it's fairly easy to come up with an words-per-minute figure.

Typical response.

mailalot
September 8th, 2012, 10:20 PM
Hi Guys,
This free speed reading course looks promising:
http://www.indiegogo.com/endymio?a=771342

ki4jgt
September 8th, 2012, 10:35 PM
That, as scientists put, is a myth. You don't understand/absorb more by reading slower.

I can't prove it "scientifically", but emotionally I can say that's wrong. Emotions are felt and require time. To speed up, you can only use logic. The information retained is still the same but the feeling isn't. I used to read around 1000 WPM before I had my little break down. Slower reading allows for experiencing the book and bringing it out into the real world.


OK, something completely off of computers for a while.

I hate admitting that I am a slow reader. 130-180 wpm, be it in my native language (Turkish) or English. According to a numerous sources, that is way below the average.

Researching a little, I found that I "suffer" from "subvocalization", that is, say every effing word in my mind while I read something. I don't know if it is related or not, but I sometimes find myself repeating my teachers' words in mind. Same goes while watching a movie. I am also subvocalizing this post while I am writing it. Annoying!

I don't blame myself though. This is how they taught us to read in the first or second grade. We started voicing every syllable, then words. A few months later they taught us to "read in mind", and then just left the reading issue aside. No more improvements!

I like reading books (mostly in English, and in Turkish if the author is Turkish) and if I start a book in day 1, I will most likely read too slow and not understand everything, then get bored and finish it in day 100, if at all.

I will take some courses, read some books and look at some (Windows) software to see if they help with subvocalization.

So, that's MY story. Does anyone here experience the same? Or are there people here who read at more than 600 wpm?

Reading at 1000 WPM, I can say you still subvocalize. If you have Windows though, try a program called Spidiread 2012. It's GREAT. I'm using it to get back up to 1000 again.

Paddy Landau
September 8th, 2012, 11:29 PM
I also did the Evelyn Wood Speed Reading Dynamics course. The theory is that your brain is capable of taking in loads of information, so by picking up your speed, reading a novel is like watching a film.

It worked for me and my friends, and I'd recommend it to anyone. If you're worried about reading too fast to miss daydreaming, don't worry — it doesn't force you to read faster, but it does give you the choice!

MG&TL
September 8th, 2012, 11:56 PM
I could mostly (and did) read before I went to school, so mercifully I never got the sound-it-out stuff. I think I might have died. To this day, I don't "sound out" new words, I look at the language constructs and compare it with words I already know.

My parents would read me books while I wat hed them point at words, so I learned to read then, I guess. Then I started reading (noisily!) until my parents pointed out I didn't actually have to speak. After that speed picked up dramatically and I was reading medium-size books by quite a young age.

Point being I've never had a problem and can read pretty much as fast as I want to. Guess it depends on how you were taught.

Mikeb85
September 9th, 2012, 12:41 AM
I used to speed-read like crazy, still can, but sometimes prefer not to. I remember in high school once reading a 1300 page novel in an afternoon, then writing an essay on it in the evening, to be handed in the next day.

I find speed-reading doesn't affect comprehension, I can gather just as much information quickly as if I'm reading slower... However it does affect enjoyment, as another poster said, sometimes it's nice to simply read a page, then lie around and appreciate what was written. It's not always about comprehension.

For news articles, press releases, stock reports, etc..., I'll generally speed-read still, as in those cases it is simply about comprehension.

I also agree that to speed up comprehension, it's useful to break things down into blocks and ideas, and not try to dwell on every word written..