On Becoming a Faster Reader

Has slow reading speed kept you from reading as much as you want to? Are you able to remember what you have read without going over the material again and again? If these questions open up concerns, then read on.

In today's fast-paced information age, it is more important than ever to be a proficient reader. Everyone from high-powered executives to children just learning to read in grade school can benefit by improving their reading skills.

Why do you want to read faster? When a person is able to increase his/her reading speed, reading becomes more like watching a movie. More material can be absorbed in a shorter amount of time. In short, improved reading speed leads to more success and a better overall quality of life.

Poor readers have to overcome bad habits in order to improve reading speed. One of these is subvocalization. This is the habit of pronouncing the words in your mind while you read. Another bad habit is re-reading or regression. This is letting your eyes wander back to re-read text.

One place to go to get help is on your computer. Computer software has been developed and is on the market which will help the typical reader increase his/her reading skills. These software programs pace the reader at higher speeds, making it physically impossible to subvocalize. Other software displays text by flashing word sets, whereas the reader will not have a chance to look back and re-read materials.

Typical reading software also helps the reader reduce eye fixation time (which is time spent with the eye focused on a single point), expand the eye fixation zone (which is the ability to read a wider text width when the eyes are focused on a single point), and to help increase the re-fixation speed (the ability to reposition the eyes at a rapid rate).

To help the reader improve, software programs usually employ two types of technology: rapid serial visual presentation (RSVP) and tachistoscopic scroll presentation (TSP). When in RSVP mode, text is displayed in the center of the text area. RSVP can help one reader faster than normal because the eyes do not need to move. The words come to the eye's focus point instead of the eye going to the words.

In TSP mode, text is displayed in a manner that forces the eyes to move just like they do in normal reading. TSP trains a person to read in a normal fashion, but at higher speeds. Both modes can help a person to read multiple words at a time.

So, where do you find this miracle software? Try searching for reading improvement software, reading assessment software, productivity reading tool, self-improvement educational reading tool, reading fluency software, vision training software or speed reading software.

A good speed reading package will help you assess your current reading speed level and improve your reading speed and comprehension. The program should be challenging but fun, making you want to come back time and again to continue to improve your reading skills. Evaluate what you want a reading improvement software program to do for you and give it a try.

Reading improvement is like training for a sport. It is physical skill. So, practice, practice, practice. You will be amazed at the improvement in your reading speed in a short period of time.