Speed Reading by Justin Hammond | Book Summary

About the Book

Author Justin Hammond himself was a slow reader during his school days.  His book is written out of his own experiences. I must recommend this ultimate guide for readers seeking to pump up their speeds. Hammond provides excellent insights and practical doable advice. I’ve already increased my speed after reading this book. Go for it.

Highlights of the Books

• Practical book
• Easy-to-do actionable steps
• Quick read at 60 pages
• Lots of practice exercises

The first and most powerful lesson of speed reading is that it is a skill to be learned – not an ability you’re born with.

What is speed reading?

Speed reading means that you enable yourself to complete the same reading task, but with much greater efficiency.

The art of speed reading consists of a variety of reading methods and techniques designed to get you reading faster. These methods focus on getting you to decrease the number of habits that slow you down and increase the number of habits that can speed you up.

What are reading speeds?

Here are the average reading speeds of individuals in key age brackets:

Misconceptions of Speed Reading

“Some people are born with it; some aren’t.”

“I prefer to enjoy my books, not rush through them.”

“Reading fast means understanding less.”

“I just can’t do it.”

Benefits of Speed Reading

Benefit 1: You’ll Save Time and Energy.

Benefit 2: You’ll Keep Your Mind Alert.

Benefit 3: You’ll Comprehend and Remember More.

The truth is that speed reading has been proven to develop your comprehension. The more time you spend reading at an increased pace, the more your mind will adapt to comprehending the material you’re reading.

What is Subvocalization?

If a sound symbolizes a concept, then writing symbolizes a sound that symbolizes a concept.

This means that your mind sees the written letters, thinks about the sounds those letters represent, and then connects these sounds to the meanings. This process is called subvocalization. Look at the diagram below for how it works:

This process of subvocalization can actually slow down your reading speed, because you’re trying to pronounce each word in your mind.

Bad Habits to Speed Reading and How to Fix Them

1: Suboptimal Physical and Mental Conditions. 

2: Distracting Physical Environment. 

3: Reading Out Loud. 

4:  Sub vocalization.

5:  Regression. 

6:  Erratic Eye Movement. 

Self-Monitor, Work on one habit at a time, practice thinking about each of these bad habits

Techniques for Speed Reading

Before Reading

1: Improve Your Physical and Mental Conditions.

                Make sure you are feeling energized

                Sit up straight

2: Pick a Suitable (and Non-Distracting) Reading Environment.

While Reading

Read Phrases Instead of Words.

                You don’t need to think about sounds of words!

                You don’t need to read every word!

Locate the Most Important Sections of Text. Pay More attention to them.

Titles • Headings • The first sentence(s) in a paragraph • The last sentence(s) in a paragraph • The first paragraph(s) in a passage • The last paragraph(s) in a passage • Sentences with bolded, underlined, or italicized words • Picture captions

Meta-Guiding.

Practice

1: Time Yourself Reading and then Answer Comprehension Questions.

How to Measure Your Average Reading Speed

W / M = WPM

W = number of words in the passage

M = number of minutes you took to read the passage

So if you read a 500-word passage and it takes you 2 minutes and 30 seconds (2.5 minutes) to do so, you want to divide 500 by 2.5. This gives you a WPM of 200, which is considered average.

2: Try Reflective Journaling.

3: Document your Speed and Set Your Goals.

4: Use Computer Software.

5: Practice with Text You’ve Already Read.

When to Speed Read and When Not to

Remember : Speed reading is not a skill you need to use every time you read.

When It’s Great to Speed Read

1: When You’re Reading for Pleasure.

2: When You Don’t Need to Have a Perfect Understanding of the Whole Text.

3: When You’re Reading Something that is Easy.

4: When You’re Reading Familiar Text.

When it ISN’T Great to Speed Read

1: When You’re Studying First-Time Material.

2: When You’re Reading Unfamiliar Text.

3: When the Reading Level of the Content is High.

Now all you need to do is Practice. Proactively work to improving your reading speed with every appropriate text you read.