Learn to read quickly: How to read more words per minute

Taken three books on vacation, managed one? The 90-page paper just won't end and your presentation is tomorrow? If only you could read faster, right? In fact , reading is an art – and like all arts, you can practice it to get better at it. In this story we want to tell you how you can learn to read faster. It's not about becoming an ace at speed reading - with just a few simple tips you can increase your words per minute . And therefore read, understand and implement more quickly.

 

Speed ​​reading, what is that actually?

 

On average , Germans read around 200 to 300 words per minute . Speed ​​readers , i.e. people who have perfected speed reading, can often read more than 1000 words per minute - and understand the content they are reading . This is the most important rule for anyone who wants to learn to read faster: the highest speed is of no use if you don't understand what you are reading. So before you continue reading this story, you can count how many words per minute you can manage. Up to this point our story is 200 words long . So: turn on the stopwatch and start reading . We've been waiting for you for so long.

 

You are considered a speed reader if you can read and understand around 500 or more words per minute . But how can you now learn to read faster, how can you increase your reading speed ?

 

Why speed reading can be very useful

 

Why do you actually want or should improve your reading speed ? The simple answer is obvious: To be able to read books, emails, magazines, newspapers, teaching materials or reports more quickly. This means you can learn or complete your work faster, continue your education and, of course, prepare optimally for exams or lectures. Indirectly, reading quickly also improves your time management . Reading slowly means you have to spend more time going through and understanding texts. Time that you don't have elsewhere. But there's another benefit that speed reading can give you: Since it requires a lot of concentration and focus, it can help hone your general mental skills .

 

Finally devour even more books thanks to speed reading!

Learn speed reading: read like lightning

 

If you're serious, speed reading might be for you. There are many courses and offers in which you will learn to read much faster. There is no “ speed reading technology”. Rather, your training starts at different points, which we would like to briefly introduce to you. Also because the tips are suitable for anyone who wants to read faster - even if not over 1000 words per minute.

 

Minimize subvocalization: the inner voice, completely silent

 

Speed ​​readers try to reduce inner speech ( subvocalization ). This means that they try not to say words out loud or in their minds in order to speed up the flow of reading – and therefore increase reading speed .

 

Multi-line reading: Peripheral vision improves reading speed

 

When speed reading , you try to grasp several words or entire sentences at once - and thus read and understand them. This is called " peripheral vision ," where the eyes glide over the text and take in more information in a single glance. Just focus on the word “ At ” in the first line of this paragraph. And then try to grasp the words next to them as you continue reading. Suddenly you no longer have to read word by word - instead, you record several words at once , as a block.

 

Speed ​​reading with a finger, ruler or pen: reading aids help

 

Some speed readers use their hand , a ruler , or a pen to trace the text. This helps control eye movements and maintain focus.

 

Don’t look back: Training to read quickly means “reading forward”

 

Speed ​​readers try to minimize looking back at text they have already read. This encourages continuous forward reading and prevents the eyes from jumping back to sections that have already been read.

 

Concentration and focus: Speed ​​reading requires rest

 

Speed ​​reading is tiring . In order to be able to fully concentrate on the text, you should avoid distractions. So just pause the playlist, close the office door or enjoy a good book all to yourself.

 

Tell me what you read - and I'll tell you if speed reading makes sense

 

We all have our strengths and weaknesses. Speed ​​reading is only useful if you understand what you read faster. So if you read a text whose topic you don't like or is very complex, you will reach your limits when it comes to speed reading.

 

Speed ​​reading for mere mortals: You can do it better than you think

 

Do you want to be able to read the Guinness Book of Records faster, but don't want to be in it because of your speed reading skills? No problem. Here are four tips that can help you become a speed reader!

 

The most important speed reading technique: focus!

 

This is about three important aspects at once: Provide a quiet environment so that you can fully concentrate on what you want to read. Also important: Try to be interested in what you want (or need) to read. Only if your task doesn't underwhelm or overwhelm you can you reach a state that the experts call the flow state . And third: train your focus . For example with meditation techniques . The important thing here is that you provide your brain with everything it needs. For example , with the cubes and sticks , the school material , the muesli bars and minis from Dextro Energy*.

Speed ​​reading means reading with foresight

Before you even start reading, you can get an overview of the work. Whether it's a table of contents, structure of the individual chapters, bolding , italics and other details: every text, whether good or bad, has its own structure. If you understand these, you will quickly find it easier to read books or scientific texts quickly.

Optimize eye movements, avoid subvocalization

What is good for speed readers is also good for us mere mortals : By guiding our eyes while reading with a finger, ruler or pen, we read “forward” better and thereby increase our reading speed. And if you manage to read words in blocks instead of one at a time, you're on the right track. Another tip : Try to avoid saying words mentally or out loud - this will also make you faster.

Practice makes perfect

As with sports and other things where training makes us better over time, speed reading can also help you practice your skills . On the one hand, there is the training itself: you can use reading apps and platforms that are specifically designed for learning to read quickly. And you can practice by reading different texts (i.e. texts of different levels of difficulty and/or length). One last tip that may sound banal, but is so important: set goals. This way you can continuously and measurably increase your reading speed. A good start, for example, is 10% more words than you have previously read in a minute . Our Dextro Story can be used as a training tool !

Now you know how to learn to read faster. Whether for work , school or university or just so you can finally finish your three books on vacation : We wish you a lot of fun and success on your way to becoming a speed reader!

* contains carbohydrates

 

A varied, balanced diet and a healthy lifestyle are important.

Photo credit

unsplash.com/de/bruce mars

unsplash.com/en/Lucrezia Carnelos