Reading is a passion, a hobby, a profession for many. But, in reality, what we read is not what we know .This is because most of us read through eyes with the brain being a remote element with least to no participation in the process; this happens while we do speed reading. Nevertheless, human brain can be trained to speed read by keeping our cognition intact with our brain is in a state of absolute participation. However, speed reading is not a low-hanging fruit as the moment we start hitting the threshold of reading, brain sways which can eventually plummet our understanding on what we are reading. Occasionally, the reader tend to go addict to a rote-reading mania instead of comprehending the actual theme of the content. However, on the brighter side, a genuine speed- reader go crazy if in case ,he or she has  no access to newspapers,  internet news, e-mails, TV,  mobile phones, and Facebook for the whole day .It can really turn him/ her  down with a blank canvas of life with  hardly   nothing to embellish.

The cycle of reading

Reading is a cyclic and complex cognitive process of decoding the expressions. The whole process involves not just the blabbering but a periodic and systematic journey that derives the complete meaning of the numerical, pictorial, and descriptive expressions in front of us. It is a form of language processing that requires your command over the subject and language you are reading, your brain, and the speed and rhythm over the process. In other words, a true reader aims to comprehend rather than floating on top of the pages. The cycle of reading proceeds with visualizing the information, organizing one`s sense organs to grab the matter, sending signals from eyes to the brain, perception by the brain, storing the information and if necessary, retrieving the information soon after finishing the reading. Remember, all these must happen simultaneously and sequentially but not the other way around.

Variables affecting the nature and speed of reading

Imagine there are 50 readers being made to sit calm in a place and flip through a specific page while you track them. 50 readers go at a different pace, depth, intensity and the level of comprehension on the given topics; even strange is, they might not at all show interest. This is because of few factors surrounding the phenomena. Some of the most striking reasons for such variation includes:

1. The subject and the nature of topic being assigned to read
2. The domain and their level of expertise in that domain; some may find it relevant while some feel so strange.
3. The external factors such as noise, light, distraction levels.
4. The background of the readers and their language proficiency.
5. Present mood of the readers, in fact, this is very important.
6. Previous knowledge or exposure to the same matter or at least similar pages.
7. The level of interest and the attitude with which each reader participates.
8. Professional background and the experience. Academic experience is a great plus. The list goes on!

How to speed read?

It is the science and art of coordination between eyes and the brain. Practice is the key however the core focus lies in developing being within despite the outside distractions. In other words, stay focusses and gradually  train  the brain through conditioning, however, do  not fight with it. Some of the skills that practically help in speed reading are;

1. Refraining yourself from sub-vocalization while reading. Sub-vocalization is the tendency to pronounce  words within your head ; self-talking. This could take a lot of time , hence make up your mind to eliminate the sub-vocalization gradually.
2. Eye movement is the key as most of us read at a different pace leading to the cessation of some words, while skipping a few and rushing through the easy ones. Eyes can read faster when they actually stop at a point. Hence, fewer the eye movements, the better you read. To regulate this speed , use a pointer such as pencil and use your right hand to control the speed by uniformly navigating your pointer so that eyes can should follow the pointer.
3. Learn skimming and scanning. This is usually a normal technique used in many competitive exams such as IELTS and OET. Skimming is just glancing quickly over the paragraph to get a general idea of about what the topic is. Scanning is the detailed but quick reading of the deeper facts and figures.
4. Practice on a regular basis. Spend at least, 30 minutes a day on a daily basis by setting a timer to evaluate your progress as days pass on.
5. Do not repeat readings unless it is absolutely necessary. If possible skip the section that you are very familiar with and you know what exactly it is going to be about, however don`t guess things too much.
6. Never forget to read and understand the first and last sentences of a paragraph because they tell you the whole story.
7. Set yourself goals as your reading speed should improve if you repeat one or more times daily. Many people can double their reading speed after several weeks. 200–250 words per minute is the expected reading speed for a student aged 10- 12 years and 300 wpm could be ideally possible for an average college student
8. Do not get tensed as you are slow because the first few lines takes some time and you will eventually move fast as you get into the depth.
9. Work on Improving the grammar, expressions and tone of the language used and most importantly vocabulary because the moment you get word which is unfamiliar you would stop and think. To prevent such pauses, expand your knowledge of words.
10. Use different types of literature such as newspaper, magazines, scientific papers and mostly novels.

Summary

Never compare your speed with someone else`s because at the end you should only cross your goals set each day. Improve yourself gradually by gaining control over your skills. Stay focused and if possible meditate on a regular basis as this could really help in this matter.

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