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-1-Speed-ReadingTechniquesIwasaBiblecollegestudentwhenoneofourchapelsfeaturedaguestspeakerwhotaughtushowtospeed-read.AtthetimeIdidn’tneedtheskillsincemostcollateralreadingassignmentsinmycourseswereunder500pages,butIstartedpracticingjustforthefunofit–sortoflikeaprivateparlorgame.HoweverallthatchangedwhenIwoundupingraduateschoolatPrincetonSeminaryandseveralProfs.expectedmetoreadseveralthousandpagesofcollateralalongwiththefiveorsixtextbooks.That’swhenIgotseriousaboutspeedreading.HereisthecollectionofwhatIpracticedthen,andpickedupsince.ThefirstthingIhadtodowastossawaythereadingmythsIhadheldsolong.ReadingMyths1.Readingislinear.Ihadalwaysfiguredreadingwasalinearprocess;youknow,startupfrontandgrindthroughtotheveryendintheexactorderitwasprintedin.Readingisnomorelinearthanthinkingis,(orIeventuallydiscovered,thanwriting;fewwritersstartatthebeginning—indeed,theyusually“writethefirstpartlast.”2.Truereadingisword-for-word.Istartedasakidlookingatindividualletters.Theydidn’thelpmuch.NextIstartedsoundingoutsyllables.Finally,Icouldreadwholewords.Whystopwithwords?Well,Iknowonereason…Ihadacollegeprofessorwhomade-2-usswearwehad“Readeverysingleword”ofourcollateralreading.Why?Hedidn’tmakeusswearwe’d“readeverysingleletter.”Theanswerissimple:thatprofessor(likeme)hadnevermovedfromletters,syllables,andwords,toreadingphrases,sentencesandparagraphs.Heassumedtheonlywaytoreadthoroughlywasbythelaboriousmethodofreadingonewordatatime.3.Readingisalaborioustaskwhichtakesalongtime.Notatall!Readingcanbebothfunandfast.Indeed,speedreadingislikeautoracing—itisfarmoreexciting.4.Allpartsofabookareofequalvalue.Thismythpersistsuntilyouactuallywriteyourownbook.Then,allatonceyourealizethereis“filler”material,illustrations,andevensometimeswholechaptersjammedintoabookjustbecausethepublisherinsisted.Takemessagesforinstance.Everhearamessageandwishyoucouldputitonfastforwardoverthatlongstoryillustratingapointyoualreadyunderstand?Well,inreadingyoucanfastforward.5.Readingfasterwillreduceretention.Sorry.Itshouldbethatway,shouldn’tit?Thosewhogroanslowlythroughabookpainstakinglysoundingouteverysingleword,maybeevenmovingtheirlips,shouldgetagreaterrewardshouldn’tthey?Sorry.Infact,speedreadingtechniqueswillincreaseone’scomprehensionandretention.-3-GettingReadytoReadSo,we’rereadytoread.Butdon’treadthebookyet.Thereareafewstepstotakefirst.FIRST:ELIMINATEALLDISTRACTIONS:GetridofANYthingyourmindcouldthinkaboutbesidesthereadingmaterial.Isthereconversation?Activity?TV?Anuncomfortableseat?Musicinthebackground?(OKOK,Iknowmanyofmyreadersarecollegestudentswhoclaimthey“studybetter”withmusicinthebackground.Goaheadandclaimit—butyouarewrong.Youmight“likeit”better,butyoudonotstudybetter.ANYthingwhichmightoccupyyourmindwatersdownyourconcentration—evenoccupyingyour“mind-in-background.”Foolyourselfifyouwish—butifyoureallyareseriousaboutreadingfaster,eliminatedistractions.SECOND:Ask:Whatismypurpose?Whyareyoureadingthis?Andwhatkindofliteratureisit?Isitaclassicorfictionworkyouarereadingforfun?Then,whyhurrythroughitatall?Likealeisurelymeal,sitbackandtasteeachbite—turnoverthedeliciousphrasesinyourmind.Oriscollateralreadingforacoursewhereyouaremustbefamiliarwiththecentralnotions?Thenfindingthenotionsiswhyyouarereading,right?Ormaybeyouarereadingcollateral-4-whereyouwillbetestedonthecontent?Ormaybecollateralreadingwhereyouwillberequiredtosay,“Ireadeverysingleword?”Oristhisabookwhereyouwillbetestedonthetermsanddatestherein?Or,maybeyouarejustreadingthebooksearchingforsomenewideasforyourownsituation.Oryouhavetowriteareview.Ormaybeyouplantoteachittoothers.Seehowdifferentyourpurposemightbeforeach?Beforeyouopenthebook,takeaminutetostateyourpurposetoyourself.Itwilllargelydeterminehowyoureadthebookfromthenon.THIRD:Doa10minutePRE-READ.Taketenminutesorlessandpre-readtheentirebook.Goaheadandtrythisifyou’veneverdoneitbefore.Treatabooklikeajigsawpuzzle.Dumpitout,thenorganizeallthepiecesfirstbeforeputtingittogether.Readthedustcoverandanycoverreviews.Thenlookthroughtheauthorblurb.MovetotheTableofContentsandseeifyoucanfigureoutthewholebookfromthispage.Pagethroughtheentirebook,pagebypageandglancethroughallsummaries,tables,pull-outquotes,diagrams(especially),andscanthroughallthesectiontitlesandyougo.Chancesareyou’llfindtheKEYCHAPTERwhileyouaredoingthis.Somepublisherssay(offtherecord,ofcourse)“Abookissimplyonegreatchapterwithadozenotherfillerchapters.”Ifthisisso,findthatchapter.FOURTH:ReadtheKEYCHAPTER.StartusingtherapidreadingtechniquesmentionedlatertoreadthisKEYCHAPTER-5-through.Youarenotobligatedtowaituntilyouhavereadallthechaptersbeforethisone,asifyoumusteatyourgreenbeansbeforetheicecream.Thebookisyours—goaheadandgetthecentralideabeforeyoustart!Onceyou’vereadthekeychapteryouarereadytoreadtherest.Inorderfromthefronttotheback,orinsomeotherorderwhichbettersuitsyourpurpose.Nowforsomeactualreadingtipstips.III.RapidReadingTechniques1.Raiseyourspeed-comfortlevel.Howcomfortableareyouspeedinginacar?Howfastdoyouhavetogobeforeyoufeelyouare“ontheedge?”70MPH?90?120?Howabout210MPH,thespeedtheIndycardriverscanaverage?Gett