Rapid Reading and Retention Workshop
Talk about synchronicity! As you know I have been investing a lot of time learning to read faster so that I can read the 50 classic literature books for my informal liberal arts education. And each day I perform speed reading drills using browser extensions and bookmarklets. I received an email informing me about a Rapid Reading and Retention workshop offered by Jim Kwik so I immediately signed up. I like to learn as much as I can about a topic of interest or a new subject so that I can pick out the sections that will work for my situation. And this is especially important since the ability to read faster with increased comprehension is critical today.
Jim Kwik's goal for the workshop was to teach us two techniques to increase reading speed. He introduced us to the acronym FAST: Forget, Active, State and Teach.
FORGET
- Forget everything you already know about speed reading.
- Set aside preconceived notions.
- Set aside limiting beliefs.
- Forget what you have done in the past.
ACTIVE
- Actively participate.
- Learning is not passive.
STATE
- All learning is a state, which is dependent on your mood.
- How do you make learning interesting?
- Get involved in learning.
TEACH
- Take good notes and teach others what you learn.
- When you teach what you have learned, you learn it twice.
Before Reading
Before you start to read, do some exercises. Exercises which engage both sides of the brain are excellent. The 40-page book, Brain Gym by Paul & Gail Dennison has some simple exercises that you can do in a few minutes. Kwik mentioned the lazy eight exercises (visualize an eight on its side). Clasp your hands together with your index fingers pointed upwards and touching and move your hands in that position as if you were drawing a lazy eight. Perform that movement for a few seconds. If you are right handed, practice using your left hand to brush your teeth and eat.
Enemies of Reading Speed
- Lack of education: When was the last time you took a course on how to read?
- Focus: Most people have a difficult time maintaining focus while reading. Contrary to what most people think, when you read faster your level of comprehension increases because of better focus.
- Subvocalization: Sounding out words slows down your reading speed.
- Regression: Rereading information slows down reading speed.
Use a Visual Pacer
It's been found that sight and touch are linked, so it's important to use a visual pacer such as your index finger to focus and move you through the information. I found it surprising that Jim Kwik advised us to use our left index finger as the pacer. By using our left hand, which is connected to our right brain, we do not just hear the words, but also experience them. Be inside the book that you are reading – it increases your retention. And using a visual pacer increases your reading speed by 25 percent.
To eliminate subvocalization requires reading at least 400 words per minute. A good speed reading drill is the 4-3-2-1 drill. Time yourself and read for four minutes, then read the same amount in three minutes, then two minutes and finally in one minute. I appreciated this workshop because I learned some new things, was reminded to hold the book upright when reading, and the workshop is very timely.
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Author Bio: Avil Beckford, an expert interviewer, entrepreneur and published author is passionate about books and professional development, and that's why she founded The Invisible Mentor and the Virtual Literary World Tour to give you your ideal mentors virtually in the palm of your hands by offering book reviews and book summaries, biographies of wise people and interviews of successful people.
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