Speed reading is a technique that allows the reader to save time while also grasping the underlying concept or theme in the text. Although speed reading can obviously be applied to reading books or newspapers, many comic lovers question the ability to speed read comics while also enjoying the message that the illustrations are meant to convey. In the 21st century, comics are no longer seen as simply a means of entertainment, but have been defined as an important marketing tool in this technology-driven era whereby visual impact can easily convey the mission statement of the organization or the core purpose of its product and services.

Comic lovers and readers of comic books and graphic novels have more and more publications available both in paper and online, and are usually eager to zip through the latest release to get ready for the next one. Speed reading can allow them to do so; all they need to do is employ a few simple and effective tips. Illustrations present within the comics are a powerful tool and a quick look at the illustrations allows the reader to understand the situation surrounding the characters. Comic readers should focus on reading the text silently rather than vocalizing, as saying the words out loud can slow down the reading speed.

Moreover, comic books and graphic novels tend to extend the entire scenario over several illustrations, often on the same page, and it is therefore recommended that the reader learn to skip over those illustrations that are not deemed to be important. A simple glance at each picture can allow you to gauge whether it’s worth reading or is simply an extension of the previous illustration. This technique, known as skimming, can allow you to speed read entire comic books in a matter of minutes.

Another technique to speed read comics is to avoid rereading the text. Many readers tend to go back to the last illustration and reread the entire text. This merely slows down the reading process. To keep up reading speed, you must force your mind to read forward rather than drift back to the previous illustration.

Speed reading comics is entirely possible; all you need to do is practice a bit based on the techniques described above.

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Kindle, an Amazon e-book reader, has gained immense popularity in recent times owing to its features that allow readers to download e-books and read with relative ease anytime, anywhere. Recent speculations suggest that a Kindle Car application might be launched by Amazon that will allow readers to listen to book narration while driving.

Recent development in ebooks means that devices such as Kindle have slowly and gradually replaced physical books in many cases. Kindle has many features which allow its readers to learn to speed read, like adjustable margins, which is one important advantage of the reading device over physical books. However, readers are unable to enjoy the benefits of reading while driving their automobiles. This limitation can be easily achieved if Kindle technology is integrated to be used with an audio interface suitable for use while driving. The Kindle application will allow readers to listen to the narration from the point where they stopped reading on the ebook, and this can allow readers maximum pleasure without creating any prolonged delays in completing their books.

Kindle updates through car-friendly applications will not only allow Amazon to exploit a large potential market but will also be beneficial for the readers. Readers are now able to enjoy the pleasure of reading when otherwise unoccupied, but the driving seat is one place that simply does not allow a person to read on an ebook (or a printed book for that matter). However, with Kindle updates, readers that spent a considerable amount of time commuting will be able to enjoy their favorite literature while simultaneously reaching their desired location.

Some might argue that a connected car application for Kindle might create disruption during driving that can be hazardous. However, this application is an audio-only multimedia service and therefore will not pose any hazards to the driver or passenger’s life, so long as drivers remain alert and focused on traffic and navigation.

Audio books have already been launched to cater to this need but an application that integrates ebooks and car audio systems has yet to be launched. However, Amazon already has the desired technology that will allow Kindle to be integrated into the car interface with relative ease. Such an update will definitely be beneficial for readers that want to combine the tedious task of driving and the pleasure of reading.

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The answer is “yes” … if you know how to speed read, that is. Digital gadgets such as e-readers and tablets are making reading on monitors an increasingly tempting habit. And as with any new habit, speed reading on tablets or e-readers requires some skills and knowledge you need to possess in order to successfully speed read the new fantasy book you just downloaded.

The requirements and must-have techniques you need to master e-book speed reading

Setting the scene. Reading on e-readers, and especially smaller tablets, can be much more difficult than reading an actual book. If you’re using a tablet or notepad with other browser or e-mail features, you’re bound to be interrupted a million times, should you not take some measures against that distraction. Switch of any e-mail notifications and browsers, and log off entirely from your social media accounts and other chatting programs.

Timing. Having people who want or need your attention, like kids who are hanging around and lurking over you looking all hungry and grumpy, doesn’t really set you up for quietly but ravenously reading your book cover to cover. Once you minimize such distractions, you’re ready for the next step.

Avoiding common reading mistakes. Even if you’re 100% dedicated to your book, there’s still a good chance that you’ll end up losing your reading pace or letting your mind start to wander. It happens. You can, however, save a lot of time and improve your reading speed by avoiding reading habits that prevent you from reading as fast as you can:

• Regression is one of the most persistent bad reading habits, which we (mostly) unconsciously practice when reading. Avoid re-reading at paragraph and sentence-level simply  by increasing your awareness of the present moment. Learn to identify the moment before irrelevant thinking creeps up in your mind and steals away your attention from the page.

• Subvocalization is the second culprit leading to slow reading. It takes practice to master but once you do, you will be able to speed read without compromising reading comprehension. Suppress your urge to speak or form the words you read either in your mouth or your head, as both tend to slow you down.

Practicing visual reading.What do you look at when you read a book? Words stacked side-by-side, or mythical images and the imaginary landscapes and creatures that those words evoke? Visualizing your reading is a great technique which enhances the pleasures of reading. It also forces you into a faster reading pace, as your mind constantly seeks more images to visualize.
Developing speed reading promoting techniques. Targets such as increasing your per fixation word number, that is the number of words you focus on each time, are useful focused speed reading exercises that will end up increasing your overall reading speed. Another foolproof little secret for speed reading is pacing, using a pen or your finger to move forward down the page and forcing yourself to not linger more than you need to on each line.

Getting a speed reading software program. Until e-reader manufacturers come up with ways to accelerate speed reading on monitors, you can turn to a speed reading software program to effectively learn how to speed read. Look for a program that offers tips on how to best integrate e-readers and modern technology into your speed reading practice.

As a preliminary study has shown, reading on e-readers tends to be up to 10% slower than print reading. Given this, it only makes sense to work on enhancing your reading speed. At the very least you’ll be able to make up for that 10% slower pace you could have with e-reading.

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Too much to read, too little time. This is a common complaint these days. We have an abundance of information, yet limited time to take it all in. The joke is on us apparently.

More people these days seem to be moving towards time-efficient reading techniques that for years have been negatively represented as ineffective. In other words, the buzz is all about speed reading.

What is Speed Reading?

Speed reading has been used for years – in fact, you might have been speed reading texts without even realizing that “hey I’m speed reading through this book!” In the last 5 years or so, as the demand for a more efficient reading techniques rose, speed reading has gained more prominence as a valid method for getting the gist of texts in less time, and without sacrificing comprehension and information retention.

What kind of reading lends itself to speed reading?

You obviously don’t need to speed read a novel. But again, if you do, we won’t tell. Speed reading can be used for a variety of non-fiction texts and it’s a proven method of saving hours of reading time.

What techniques are the most prevalent?

The basic approach to speed reading is first to eliminate counterproductive reading habits such as subvocalisation, word-by-word reading, regression, and limited eye-fixation.

Practicing to speed read means you develop speed readings habits like these:

• Chunking, or reading in sets of words rather than word by word.
• Eliminating subvocalisation, or getting rid of that voice in your head (that might also come out of your mouth).
• Using your finger or a ruler for forcing oneself to read faster.

Other popular techniques include using speed reading software or enrolling in a speed reading course, and creating a reading-friendly environment.

Previewing

This is the most common and extremely efficient method for speed reading. And while it seems as though you’re wasting time, it actually saves you a lot of time as you focus on the text parts that matter.

Previewing doesn’t just happen, it is a process you need to be very conscious of as it requires a lot of concentration to actually benefit from it.

How does previewing facilitate speed reading?

Previewing is going through key parts of a text. If you’re reading a book, ideally you’ll preview the contents page, the blurb, chapter names and sub-headlines, any tables or graphs, conclusions or bullet-point lists, thematic sentences and so forth.

Take thematic sentences for instance; as their name suggests, the first sentence contains in condensed form the theme, or main point, of a paragraph or a chapter. So there you have it, you get the gist of a 15-page long chapter, just by reading the first two sentences of it.

Previewing means scanning through a text for all the key sentences, important names and numerical facts, significant keywords, or concepts. This pre-taste of a text ensures that when you actually speed read your text, you will already have a basic understanding of what to look for, what’s it about, and what is there to learned.

Previewing essentially means knowing all the tricks and shortcuts. Knowing where the meaningful, critical bits and pieces of a text are. It’s smart reading redefined to fit our digital era.

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If you could spend an entire day being utterly productive that would be a huge accomplishment. But for most people who go to school or to the office day in and day out, just because they’ve put in their 8 hours doesn’t necessarily mean they’ve been productive. True, they may have crossed off a set of items on their to-do list, but being busy does not equate to being productive.

In fact, sometimes a person can be stuck doing the same task the entire day, going practically nowhere. To help avoid that particular scenario, here are some tips that could help you become a little bit more productive in each of your tasks, without having to isolate yourself from the rest of the world. If you can be productive, you’ll avoid being constantly buried in work.

1. Make A Flexible To-Do List

The operative term here is “flexible”. When people hear the term “to-do list” they automatically think it has to be all very rigid and structured. That shouldn’t be the case; rather, the list must be flexible enough so that you can move the items around throughout the day, depending on their urgency.

A list is is helpful because it keeps you on your toes with the knowledge of what needs to be done and how long that will take. This keeps you alert to your schedule with each new task you begin. Of course, organization is still key here, but the point is also to keep you from getting stuck in just one task the entire day.

2. Learn To Touch Type And Increase Your Typing Speed

Since you probably spend most of your time on the computer at work (and maybe at home as well), you’re probably at least familiar enough with your keyboard that you don’t have to look at the keys constantly. Being able to touch type without ever looking at the keyboard will speed up any computer-related task. What most people who can’t touch type don’t realize is that the constant act of looking down to check for the right keys, or pausing to review what they have just typed, eats up a lot of time. Touch typing gives you that time back to use in a more productive fashion.

By learning how to touch type and then working on faster typing skills, anyone can easily cut back their typing time by half, and possibly even the time it takes to complete any given task, just because they are more efficient typists. Tutorial programs are easily accessible nowadays that making learning to touch type a simple process, like eReflect’s Ultimate Typing Software.

3. Develop A Working Routine That Works For You

Everyone has their own working habits. Find the one that suits you best, stick with it, and perfect it. Build a routine of your own, starting with minor things such as getting a cup of coffee before sitting down at your desk so that you won’t have to get up later. Every little savings in efficiency helps you accomplish more. Again, it’s that concept of organization which, even on a small scale, helps a person become ultra-productive.

Every single day is a new chance to make things right and increase your productivity and efficiency. It’s up to you whether to maximize that opportunity to your advantage.

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If you were never interested in literature, you probably don’t know why Shakespeare’s “Othello” is considered a masterpiece. But even if you had zero interest in Shakespeare, you might have been motivated to study literature if you decided that you could benefit from this knowledge. When knowledge  can directly benefit us, that’s definitely something that sparks our interest. And if this knowledge (for example, knowing CSS coding) is useful and perhaps moneymaking, then we become the most dedicated, knowledge-thirsty self-motivated learners possible.

The Internet is an invaluable source of knowledge, and it’s a shame to not know how to use it to your advantage, especially when it comes to self-guided learning. Yes, the useless, irrelevant and plain wrong information  currently online often outnumbers the useful parts, but if you know your resources then the Internet can be the only teacher you’re ever going to need.

It’s important to remain constantly on top of new developments and trends, especially for startup companies, but also for older, established online companies. The Internet is undoubtedly a valid and useful source of  information, but given the volume of information and the always insufficient time most of us has available, unless you have advanced speed reading skills you won’t have a chance at making your way through the entire web page by page. However, you can use specific sites to your advantage. So sharpen up your speed reading and prepare to take in large amounts of knowledge from these outstanding online resources.

University Webcasts and Lectures

Who said you need to mortgage your house in order to get into MIT or UCLA? You can watch and read leading lecturers on topics ranging from Human Rights to Nuclear Science Engineering right from your laptop. Webcasts are provided by many top universities, including MIT, Yale, Harvard and Berkeley.

Entrepreneurship and Business

For startup online businesses to new entrepreneurial concept implementation, there are numerous, first-class online resources for putting you on just the right track.

Resources like Investopedia, the U.S. Small Business Administration Training Network and My Own Business, Inc. offer valuable tutorials and lessons for aspiring entrepreneurs, investors, and e-traders.

Computer Technology

Luckily for anyone who wants to  learn computer programming and anything else related to computer science, there is an impressive collection of free, high-quality resources online.

Both New York State University and MIT offer outstanding tutorials and educational material on computer engineering. Advanced web design courses are also available from respectable sources such as the Google Code University, w3Schools and Dream.In.Code Tutorials.

Everything Else You Could Possibly Want to Learn About

Fiction-writing? MIT took care of it. World History? Covered by Washington University. Sign language tutorials? Covered here too.

iTunesU, Youtube Edu, TED and the UN University are four great resources on a variety of subjects. Here you can find inspirational stories, mind-blowing ideas, and a wealth of gathered wisdom.

If you’re more of a book reader than a tutorial person, there’s a vast collection of e-books, textbooks, and classic literature as well, from sources like Project Gutenberg, Textbook Revolution, and Wikibooks. Ultimately, what you need is a generous amount of free time to take in all the knowledge – or just great speed reading skills!

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Even if you avoid social media, commercials, and even reading the newspaper, it’s highly likely that by now you know that “Fifty Shades of Grey” refers to more than a set of paint samples for your house.

We might resort to a cliché here in describing the book as “sensational” but there’s really not a better word to encompass the phenomenon. It’s different, it’s sexy. In fact it’s a bit more than sexy, with a definite kinky side – one that perhaps everyone has but is reluctant to reveal. But, E.L.  James dared to reveal all, and she was generously rewarded!

With the trilogy being over 1,500 pages long, who really has the time to read it cover to cover? Despite all the hype surrounding it, that’s a lot of time to devote to one set of books. Here’s where some self-indulgent thoughts begin to creep in; why not speed read it and only slow down on those spicy hot pages to devour all the creativity and imagination (let’s call it that) those scenes has been written with? Seems valid, right?

Well, as with all great dilemmas, we might have to resort to an advantages/disadvantages list. It’s inevitable and you know it.

You should read it the conventional way because:

• Speed reading can’t possibly allow you to properly and thoroughly enter this Grey world. It might be nothing more than a romance—with some erotica on the side— but the characters are quite complicated and they deserve a little bit of your time to properly unveil themselves.

• You will finish the trilogy feeling unsatisfied and as if something is missing. The story line will seem unfamiliar, the characters not quite full-blown, the plot a blur. Need we say more?

• Speed reading just doesn’t really work for literature or fiction. It might be great for online content and standardized documents, but when it comes to literature, the old way is the best way.

• Respect for the author! Fiction of high quality is definitely worth your time. How else can you appreciate those innuendos, the imagery, the themes and twists that make fiction such a marvelous creative expression?

Just speed read it already!

• You must join the Grey-scussion really soon. You don’t want to be the only person within a 100-mile radius who hasn’t read the books!

• Yes, it’s literature, but the writer is no Jane Austen. Speed reading it will allow you to have the best of both worlds: enjoy the juicy parts and still have time to do other things than drool over Mr Grey’s awesomeness.

• Speed reading is not something you put on autopilot. You can vary your speed depending on where you are in the book and the plot, and still save lots of time while enjoying it.

• You can always speed read it again, if you must (and still do it in less time than someone would when reading it at a normal pace.)

So what’s it going to be? Is Mr Grey worthy of your time, devotion and mindfulness? Or could he spare you the details and give you what really matters?

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Remember when your reading lists contained nothing but a school assignment, or a note to look for more books by an author you just loved reading? Well, forget all about that. This is the Internet era where reading online never seems to end – strangely, it seems like the more you read, the more links you find to still more articles. Sounds pessimistic? We’d rather call it fascinating.

Of course you can’t read every single post and article you find on line. You need to learn to be selective, especially since there’s a lot of content out there that gets reused and recycled on dozens of sites at once. But being picky with what you read might not seem enough, because even after a rigorous selection process there’s so much to read on the internet that you could spend years just going from site to site. Unless you have the reading speed of Howard Berge, who allegedly reads 25,000 words per minute, you obviously need a reading speed increase to handle this potentially overwhelming amount of information.

Multitasking and Distractions Begone!

When you’re reading, whether it’s a work report or an ebook, you need to do only that. In other words, shut down other computer windows, turn off your phone, and focus. It might feel weird, as if you might be missing out on something, since you won’t be allowed to read your email, or flip over to see what’s new on Pinterest (a never-ending source of distraction).

If you block distractions and focus on your reading, you’ll soon realize how much faster you can read.

Go Beyond Your Comfort Zone

Try increasing your reading pace. Consciously accelerate your pace and try maintaining it until you read through the whole thing. You can achieve this by:

• Using your computer cursor to direct your eyes at a faster-than-usual pace. Your brain can be trained into directing your eyes to the next chunk of words, while you’re still processing the previous sentence.

• Timing yourself. Measure how much content you can read under one minute. Now work towards increasing the word number as you practice more.

• Play it smart. Scan through the whole post checking for relevance or originality before settling down to read it top to bottom. You might only need to read a few paragraphs to get what you want, so why spend time to read it all?

People don’t seem to realize it, but you can instantly increase your reading speed simply by forcing yourself to.

Avoid Common Pitfalls

Naturally, to learn to speed read you first need to know what is stopping you from speed reading. Two of the biggest culprits are subvocalization and regression.

You know that habit you have mentally hearing the words you read, or silently enunciating them with your mouth or lips alone? That’s subvocalization.

You used subvocalization when you first started learning to read and it’s possible you never really stopped doing it. (Which is bad, since you limit yourself to reading as fast as you can pronounce a word.)

The other common hindrance to speed reading is regression. When you go back to read a word, or re-read a whole sentence, that’s regression – and it can as much as double your reading time when used repetitively.

The trick to improving reading speed is to consciously force yourself to go on reading, no matter what. Focus on what you’re reading and cut out any distractions before they even appear. And stay focused on what you need from the internet before allowing yourself to explore the fun-but-trivial parts – after all, that YouTube video will still be there after you’re done with your work!

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Learning how to speak and read a foreign language can both be very exciting and challenging. The good news, though, is that with a good set of resources and a little work, you’ll soon be on your way to fluency. What’s more, you can also apply speed reading techniques to your study even if the language is not native to you.

Reading is the same activity, no matter what language you’re working with. It’s logical then that the concept of speed reading should not be considered as something applicable to the English language only.

The truth is that you can apply certain speed reading techniques in many contexts, even when you’re reading in a foreign language. As Marc Slater of 7 Speed Reading said, “The skill of speed reading is universally important. It doesn’t matter what form the language takes or what media you’re using to read; what’s important is that the material is understood properly.”

Here are some tips you can use to help you apply speed reading techniques to any text, even if it’s in a language that you’re not entirely fluent in.

1.    Make note of commonly used words

This is actually a very efficient technique, and one that eliminates a good deal of your reading time. Comprehension of the text as a whole requires you to be aware of and familiar with the meaning of the words. When you’re able to note and skip over common words, you’ll be able to shift your focus and concentrate on other terms that are less familiar to you. This way, you’re expediting the reading process and improving your comprehension by focusing on words that are otherwise unfamiliar to you.

2.    Listen to audio books

Some people may find this redundant – or even not related to speed reading at all – but listening to audio books does have its own advantages, especially when you’re trying to improve your fluency and practice your speed reading in a foreign language. What makes this technique important is that reading in any language is based first on phonetics and then on word comprehension.

Studies have found that the very basic foundation of reading is more of an auditory experience than anything else. By becoming familiar with the phonetics of the word and how it sounds to your ear, it becomes easy to identify the word with your eyes in a visual medium. To increase the usefulness of this technique, get a print copy of the book and read along with the narration.

3.    Practice speed reading

Of course, there can be no development in any skill without constant and consistent practice. Fortunately, there are a lot of speed reading courses available now, such as the 7 Speed Reading program. The advantage of this software is that you can import texts in your target language and use those for practice and speed reading exercises. There’s still no better way to learn than to put these lessons into good use.

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