The text says it's been proven by NASA and several others that you can't remove subvocalization, yet most speed reader comments here go on to say "yes it works i removed subvocalization". It's obvious all these "speed readers" didn't read a single line of this article.
Is speed reading really possible?
41–50 of 148 posts
Re: Is speed reading really possible?
#42I agree with the conclusion that improving reading comprehension is the best way to improve reading speed, at least for me. There are two things I learned from my stuttered attempts at speed reading: (1) The best way to increase reading speed for me is to simply stop re-reading sentences that I already read. I do this unconsciously usually because I didn't fully understand the sentence the first time. Better reading comprehension reduces this. (2) Attempting to speed read is probably a waste of time for me because most of the material I read is technical, so comprehension is usually the bottleneck to getting through the material, anyway.
Re: Is speed reading really possible?
#43Good speed reading courses and books not only teach you how to skim faster and not to subvocalize but how to comprehend and learn better.
For example in Paul R. Scheele's book he teaches you how to start on a book:
read the table of contents,
then read the headlines through the book,
then speed read the book and then try to probe your comprehension, ask questions etc.
The table of contents and the probing is the most important. Teaches you recursive learning, when you first build a foundation then you fill out the details.
Re: Is speed reading really possible?
#44Anecdotal personal stuff: I learned to stop subvocalizing in grad school. I had no idea it was a canonical speed reading strategy. I can read really fast now, with unimpeded comprehension.
Common sense stuff: The author says that scientists say that reading without subvocalization is impossible. The fact that deaf people can read is extremely inconvenient for this theory. Seriously, man?
Re: Is speed reading really possible?
#45At around 7 or 8 years old, my reading level was several grades ahead of schedule. I was consuming large (for my age) novels with no sweat. My parents noticed this and gave me a speed reading book. I incorporated each an every item on that book including the removal of subvocalization. It certainly gave returns right away, allowing me to consume books at a faster rate, but a huge cost. Years later, I entered college…
I just realized that same thing happened to me, I attributed it to ADHD. Helps me when I am skimming through news but reading manuals or technical textsbooks is a disaster.
Re: Is speed reading really possible?
#46The text says it's been proven by NASA and several others that you can't remove subvocalization, yet most speed reader comments here go on to say "yes it works i removed subvocalization". It's obvious all these "speed readers" didn't read a single line of this article.
depends what you mean by sub vocalisation - some people move their lips when they read - this slows things down. You still read the words in your head - so you could call that sub vocalisation - but don't move anything physical (throat, mouth, tongue) - that slows you down.
Re: Is speed reading really possible?
#47> You can't read without subvocalization.
While this article seems well researched, I find this claim very hard to believe. I can read while singing (not a song with words, but a tune that I know well, without words).
I really don't think I "talk to [myself] so quietly, it cannot be heard" and while my "tongue and vocal chords" may "receive speech signals from [my] brain", I'm pretty sure they're not executed and neither my tongue or my vocal chords move in any way.
(While reading in English there are some words I don't even know how to pronounce, so how could I "subvocalize" them...?)
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The other point I have issues with is the fact that one should retain everything they read while speed reading. While I'm unfamiliar with speed reading classes' claims, I would argue that it's useful to be able to skim a big wall of text to
1- get a rough idea of what it's about
2- determine if it's worth a further, more thorough examination
That may not be called "speed reading", but it's certainly a helpful skill.
Re: Is speed reading really possible?
#48I think speed reading is most useful when you are reading some text where only parts are relevant or new to you. By quickly reading those, you can focus on the important pieces and spend more time to think about them. Interestingly, the faster I read, the less I'm able to "filter" the information I read about, it seems almost as if my brain absorbs it directly. That means that I'd never speed read content that might…
This book did in fact double my reading speed in 1 hour and there are 2 nice tests in the back which can help calculate you reading speed and also comprehension http://www.amazon.co.uk/Speed-Reading-Double-Triple-ebook/dp...
how ironic.
Re: Is speed reading really possible?
#49Is there any good speed reading online course?
Re: Is speed reading really possible?
#50Not for me.