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Speed Reading In a Hurry

Revisado: 09-12-18

Speed Reading by John Slavio offers a practical, yet comprehensive look at taking your reading speed to the next level. As a professional copywriter, I spend the majority of my time researching any given number of topics. This requires a lot of reading. No… I don’t mean skimming. I’m talking about substantive reading, digesting the information, and being able to effectively convey the information in my content.

Because I’m limited on time with recreational books (and because I’m a natural slow reader), I chose to listen to the audio book. I was a bit concerned that the vocal instructions wouldn’t translate properly or have the same impact as a visual guide. However, those concerns were quickly put to rest within the first couple of chapters. The narrator (who was awesome btw) started with the 1 min reading speed test to gauge my current level of reading speed.

Turns out… I wasn’t as bad as I thought (compared to the average reading speed), but certainly not without room for improvement.

Whether you require this skill for work, a self improvement project, or simply looking to read more in less time, this book doesn’t waste any time in covering the wide range of benefits. It also discusses what specifically speed reading is, and what it isn’t – dispelling age old myths about it being some supernatural ability available only to Nobel Peace Prize winners – or wizards.

They discuss the importance of having a clear set of goals for what you hope to accomplish with speed reading – often in terms of WPM (words per min). It breaks down the philosophy of speed reading, along with the pitfalls of common reading tendencies (such as moving your lips or listening to your inner voice while reading) and reversing learned habits.

Once you have a good understanding of some of the things that may hinder you from becoming a speed reader, I personally found it much easier to pick up some of the basic steps in learning. They cover the most popular and effective methods, such as the single finger, multiple finger, card, and ruler techniques – and then moves onto recognizing word groups and the importance of expanding your vocabulary.

I’m a quick learner, so it didn’t surprise me that I was/ am able to take these basic steps and apply them immediately.

I was going to end my review on a sour note, taking issue with the subtitle of the book, where it suggest that you can “double your reading speed and comprehension overnight.” Nothing happens overnight… right?

However, I realized that was able to double my reading skill within the course of one day. I didn’t quadruple my reading speed, nor am I suddenly some speed reading demon, but based off of the words per min rate, I simply can’t argue with the results. And I hope you have the same (or better) experience.

Although results may vary, I’d recommend this book to anyone looking to boost their productivity or increase their reading comprehension without slowing down.

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