Speed Reading – Part X

Analytical Reading: Classification Stage (Part 3 of 4)

We are currently at the Analytical Reading stage of Speed Reading. For a bird's eye view of Analytical Reading, please click here. We have discussed Part 1 and Part 2 of the Classification Stage earlier.



Why the need to differentiate between Practical & Theoretical Books?
Before we seek out to differentiate between these two types of books, a pertinent question would be: ‘Why is this significant?’ Now, this is a good question indeed.

By categorizing books into these two categories, you will be a more effective reader. Your mindset when approaching practical books will be to understand and gauge the effectiveness of the authors’ recommendations. For theoretical books, a different and more contemplative mindset is required to mull over the author’s ideas.

What are Practical Books?
Put simply, practical books teach you ‘HOW’ to do something that you want to or believe you should do. Any guidebook or one that tells you what you should do or how to do it is a practical book. This includes all expositions of arts to be learned, engineering, cooking, medical and other practice manuals.

What are Theoretical Books?
Conversely, Theoretical Books teach you ‘THAT’ something is the case. Theoretical books usually touch on subjects such as science, history and philosophy.

Vary Your Approach
For Practical Books, you have a clear objective. You wish to do something and the author has proposed to you that by following his instructions, you will achieve your goals. Practical books often uses words such as ‘should’, ‘ought’, ‘good’, ‘bad’, ‘ends’ and ‘means’. The author will attempt to convince the reader that something should be done or that this is the right way of doing something or that such a means should be chosen. In reading such books, you must remain skeptical at all times and consider whether the author’s observations are valid. Otherwise, it is easy for one to follow blindly what the author has written.

In contrast, Theoretical Books keeps saying something ‘IS’, not ‘should’ or ‘ought’. They are more dogmatic in the sense that they present their ideas as facts rooted in reality. We will discuss more on how to approach Theoretical Books later.

Conclusion:
We have completed the Part 3 of 4 of the Classification Stage in Analytical Reading. Questions or comments are most welcome.

Speed Reading – Part IX

Analytical Reading: Classification Stage (Part 2 of 4)

We are currently at the Analytical Reading stage of Speed Reading. For a bird's eye view of Analytical Reading, please click here. Part I of Classfication Stage is available here.



Learning from the Book Title
One of the most astonishing facts is that most readers pay very little attention to the title of the book they are reading. For illuminating books, the title itself can give us a very good indication of what the book is all about. Not convinced?

An Illuminating Example
One of the most famous books about the Roman Empire was written by Gibbon titled ‘The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire’. Most readers glanced at the title briefly without giving it adequate thought. They were then asked why the first chapter started with the Golden Age of the Roman Empire: ‘The Extent and Military Force of the Empire in the Age of Antonines’

Unsurprisingly, they became puzzled as to why the origins and Rome’s rise to power was not discussed. Why did the book start with the Age of Antonines? The answer is staring at you right in the face. The title of the book is the ‘The Decline and Fall …’, yet if you had only read the title cursorily, you might have misread it as ‘The Rise and Fall …’

If you had read the title carefully, you would have guessed correctly that the Roman Empire was at the height of its’ power during the Age of Antonines and would decline soon thereafter.

Study the Preface and Subtitles
In well written books, the author attempts to assist the reader in classifying his book, by making his title or subtitle descriptive. A skillful reader should then vary his approach in reading the book based on how it is classified.

In the book ‘The Evolution of Physics’, the authors Einstein and Infeld tell the readers that it is a scientific book and that ‘a scientific book, even though popular, must not be read in the same way as a novel’.

Read the Analytical Table of Contents
The Analytical TOC is created by the author to provide a road map to the readers as to their train of thought and the ‘flow’ of the book. If you fail to take advantage of this, you may become perplexed and lost when reading the book. If you ignore the Analytical TOC, you might not obtain a coherent view of the author’s ideas. You should avoid this if you wish to obtain the full benefits of reading a well written book.

Conclusion:
We have completed the Part 2 of 4 of the Classification Stage in Analytical Reading. Next, we will look at what we can learn from the differences between Practical and Theoretical Books. Any questions or comments?

Speed Reading – Part VIII

Analytical Reading: Classification Stage (Part 1 of 4)

We are currently at the Analytical Reading stage of Speed Reading. For a bird's eye view of Analytical Reading, please click here.

Understanding the Importance of Classification
You must know what kind of book you are reading. Preferably, before you start reading. There are different approaches required depending on the book you are reading. This is particularly important when you are reading nonfictional expository works.

What are nonfictional expository works?
An expository book is one that conveys primarily, ‘knowledge’. Any books that consist primarily of opinions, theories, hypotheses or speculation conveys knowledge and is classified as an expository work

Why do we need to classify these works?
It is important as each category is instructive in a particular way. For example, the problems dealt by a book on physics and one on morals are not the same. The methods an author may employ in solving a problem in physics will differ vastly from one attempting to answer moral dilemmas. As a skillful reader, your method in reading expository works must vary depending on the type of book you are reading.

What are the different categories of nonfictional expository works?
1. Practical Books;
2. Imaginative Literature;
3. Stories, Plays and Poems;
4. History;
5. Science and Mathematics;
6. Philosophy; and
7. Social Science.

How do I classify a book before reading?
Use inspectional reading to classify the book you are reading. This can be performed by reading:
1. The Title;
2. Subtitle;
3. Table of Contents;
4. Preface by the Author;
5. Index; and
6. Publisher’s Blurb.

For more information about Inspectional Reading, please refer to the following:
1. Inspectional Reading: Systematic Skimming
2. Inspectional Reading: Superficial Reading

Conclusion:
We have completed the Part 1 of 4 of the Classification Stage in Analytical Reading. Next, we will look at what we can learn from the Title of a Book. Any questions or comments?

Speed Reading - Part VII

Analytical Reading: An Overview

Having mastered the first two stages of reading, we are now ready to proceed with the third stage, namely Analytical Reading. I wish to reiterate that this stage requires substantial concentration, suitable only, if you are seeeking deep insights from the book being read. If you are reading novels or magazines merely for leisure, you do not need to use Analytical Reading. Let us review the purpose of this stage of reading:

‘CHEW AND DIGEST THE BOOK!’
At this stage, reading is a complex and systematic activity. This requires a thorough and complete reading. Unlike inspectional reading, analytical reading attempts the best and complete reading, given an UNLIMITED amount of time. The reader here, must ask many and organized questions. Since this is an intense activity, it is NOT REQUIRED for all reading. It is used only when you require an in-depth understanding of the particular book you are reading.

As you can see from the Diagram above, there are seven interlocking steps when performing analytical reading. We will briefly review each of these seven steps for now.

1. Classification
You must know what kind of book you are reading even before you read it analytically.

2. X-Ray
State the gist of the whole book in a short and concise paragraph.

3. Establish Rapport
Find the important words and through them, establish rapport with the author.

4. What’s the Message?
Find the paragraphs in the book stating its’ core arguments. If there are none, construct your own paragraph based on your own understanding of the book.

5. Fair Criticism
Suspend your judgment and seek first to understand the author’s line of thinking.

6. Judgment
Form your opinion and substantiate your judgment as to the validity of the authors’ reasoning.

7. Aids to Reading
Here, discussions will revolve around the use of extrinsic aids to reading such as commentaries & abstracts, reference books, dictionaries and encyclopedias.

Conclusion:
It is important that one masters Analytical Reading as you will profit greatly from it. Applying Analytical Reading will become progressively easier if you practice it often. I will look at each of these seven steps in future posts.

Speed Reading - Part VI

INSPECTIONAL READING - SUPERFICIAL READING

We are still at the Inspectional Reading Stage focusing on ‘What is the Book about?’ Inspectional Reading itself comprises of two stages:

1. Systematic Skimming; and
2. Superficial Reading.

Systematic skimming has already been covered in my earlier post. This post will cover the second stage, namely Superficial Reading.

The purpose of Superficial Reading is to enable us to read through the book continuously, so that we can grasp the flow and general thrust of the book. By doing so, we can understand the major points highlighted by the author and follow his line of reasoning.

There are three main steps to Superficial Reading:

1. Continuous Reading
In Superficial Reading, especially when reading a difficult book, read through without ever stopping to look up or ponder on the things we do not understand right away. Just pay attention to what we understand and read past the points that we find difficult to grasp. Continue with the ‘flow ‘of the book and ignore any potential stumbling blocks in our way. Even if we understand less than half the book, we will have grasped the overall thrust of the book. This will help us when we reread the areas we did not understand earlier.

2. Do not consult Extraneous Materials
Never consult a dictionary at this stage! For most of us, English is not our native language. As such, we have a tendency to refer to the dictionary for every word we don’t understand. DON’T DO THIS! Do not consult any dictionary, encyclopedia, footnotes, scholarly commentaries and other extraneous materials at this stage. JUST KEEP ON READING!

3. Look at the Forest, not the Trees!
At this stage, imagine that we are eagles soaring high above the sky. Our aim is to obtain a bird’s eye view of the forest. We want to see the BIG PICTURE and understand what the whole book is about and enjoy ourselves.

Conclusion:
How many times have we picked up a book, only to interrupt our reading by consulting the dictionary? We then jot down the meaning of the word on the book and try to continue reading. Suddenly, we find that we’ve forgotten what we read earlier and have to start all over again.

If you do this, it is very likely that you will NEVER finish reading the book. Most likely, you’ll stop at page 10 and that’s the last you’ll ever see of the book. So, avoid this temptation! I promise you, if you read continuously as suggested, your reading skills will improve!

My future post will cover the Third Stage of Reading, Analytical Reading. This stage of reading is intensive, so stay tuned, if you are interested in learning about Analytical Reading.

Speed Reading - Part V

INSPECTIONAL READING - SYSTEMATIC SKIMMING

Today, we are ready to learn about Inspectional Reading. Just to recap, Inspectional Reading is at the Second Level of Reading, focusing on ‘What is the Book about?’

This level of reading is characterized by its special emphasis on time. At this stage, a student might be allowed a set time, to complete a certain amount of reading. Inspectional reading is the art of skimming systematically the material. Here, one attempts the best and complete reading that is possible given a LIMITED amount of time.

Inspectional Reading itself comprises of two stages:

1. Systematic Skimming; and
2. Superficial Reading.

This post will review the first stage of Inspectional Reading, namely Systematic Skimming. Here, the main purpose of Systematic Skimming is to allow us to understand the main contents and purpose of the book. By doing so, we can discover whether the book requires a more careful reading. It also allows us to place the book in our mental catalogue, so that we can refer to it, should the need arise.

Systematic skimming consists of the following steps:

1. Look at the Title Page and Preface
Our aim here is to attempt to place the book under an appropriate category, together with other similar books. Further, we need to consider the scope, aim and the author’s special angle on his subject.

2. Study the Table of Contents (ToC)
Reading the ToC with the chapters and sub-titles broken down, enables us to obtain a general overview of the book’s structure. Some books even have an extensive analytical ToC for each chapter, allowing us to understand the structure and ‘flow’ of the book in greater detail. In short, the ToC is extremely useful, as it acts as a roadmap to the entire book.

3. Check the Index
After looking at the title page & preface, and studying the ToC, we should have a fairly good idea as to what are the important terms in the book. For those crucial terms, we should refer to the index and look at the passages where these terms are cited. Within these passages, one may discover the crux of the author’s thesis.

4. Review the Pivotal Chapters
Based on the overall tone of the book, look at those chapters that seem pivotal to the arguments postulated by its’ author. If these chapters have summary statements in their opening or closing pages, read through it carefully. These are passages, which may summarize the major contentions being opined by the author.

5. Tune in to the ‘Pulse’
At this stage, we are ready to tune in to the ‘pulse’ of the book. This is performed by turning the pages, dipping in here and there, reading a paragraph or two, and sometimes several pages in sequence. Our main aim is to look for the signs of the main arguments put forward by the author. Remember to read the last final two or three pages of the book, for its conclusion. Authors often sum up new and important matters in this section.

Conclusion:
After performing Systematic Skimming, we are able to understand the main contents and purpose of the book. With this, we are ready to perform the Second Stage of Inspectional Reading – Superficial Reading!

Speed Reading - Part IV

ELEMENTARY READING – COMMON PROBLEMS (PART TWO)

Sub-vocalization is the tendency for the reader to ‘mouth’ the words in the passage they are reading. Usually, this arises due to the use of the phonic or ‘look-say’ method used, to teach children. Although sub-vocalization is an impediment towards reading, they is a specific method to overcome it.

The best suggestion comes from ‘The Speed Reading Book’ by Tony Buzan. The ideas below are largely based on his book, so check it out, if you are interested.

It is important to realize that for most readers, sub-vocalization cannot and should not, be completely eliminated. For these readers, sub-vocalization forms part of the thought process in rendering the written material intelligible. It allows them to consciously increase the ‘volume’ of the material being read and assist in comprehension.

Whilst sub-vocalization persists, it can be pushed further and further back into the semi-conscious, such that the reader becomes less dependent on it. The reader must sub-vocalize using his brain and avoid verbalizing (or saying out aloud) the material he is reading. It is important to realize that it is THE BRAIN that is performing the sub-vocalization and not the mouth. It is possible to sub-vocalize at a reading speed of 2,000 words per minute.

How can one push sub-vocalization, further and further back to the semi-conscious? This can be performed by using a reading guide to aid your eyes in focusing on the reading material. The best reading guide would be a long thin object such as a slim pencil, which will avoid blocking your view of the page. Using the finger as a reading guide is discouraged, since the hand blocks your vision of the page.

Place the reading guide underneath the line you are reading and sweep it smoothly along the reading materials. Stop moving the reading guide once you have read the whole line and move downwards.

Refer to the diagram above to see how your reading should look like.

Conclusion:
Verbal sub-vocalization is a bad reading habit that must be stopped as it impedes your reading speed. For most, mental sub-vocalization cannot be avoided. In order to improve your reading speeds, mental sub-vocalization must be pushed into the semi-conscious by increasing your reading speed. You can achieve this by using a reading guide such as a slim pencil.

Any comments or questions are most welcome.

Speed Reading - Part III

ELEMENTARY READING – COMMON PROBLEMS (PART ONE)

When reading, there are certain common reading habits practiced by unskillful readers. These are major impediments to efficient reading. Today, we will discuss about some of these unskillful habits, namely narrow fixations, back-skipping and regressions.

Narrow Fixations
Whilst reading, the eyes make small and regular jumps. The eye fixes at a certain point and then jumps to the next point. At each point, termed as a fixation, the eye encompasses a few words at a time. In reading, the eyes move in small jumps from left to right, stopping momentarily to take a few words at a time, before moving to the next fixation. The eye does not move smoothly, a word at a time from left to right. Unskillful readers generally have a narrow fixation. This means, at each stop, his eyes merely take in one or two words at a time. This slows down his reading, substantially.

Regressions
In regression, one consciously returns to words, phrases or paragraphs already read earlier. This is usually because the reader feels that they may have missed or misunderstood the material read earlier. The reader feels a compulsion to go back and re-read the material in order to improve comprehension.

However, studies have shown that regression does very little in aiding or improving comprehension. Usually, the reader lacks confidence in their reading skills, resulting in acts of regression.

Back-skipping
When a reader repeatedly regresses whilst reading, it may form into an unconscious habit, until he is unaware that he is constantly skipping to words or phrases read earlier. This unconscious act is termed as back-skipping. The reader is hardly ever aware that he has a tendency to back-skip when reading.

Let us review reading material below to demonstrate the difference in reading styles between the Skillful Reader and Unskillful Reader.

Reading Material (approximately 60 words)

Romance of Three Kingdoms gives us a world of versatility in full scale---a rolling panorama of human passions and ambitions. What makes the book fascinating is its wide appeal to many kinds of readers. In Asia, children read the book like they do with fairy tales, whereas politicians embrace it for strategies, scholars wisdoms, parents guidelines, everyday people entertainment.

Unskillful Reader
The Unskillful Reader looks at this paragraph and breaks down this into 45 fixations, often taking in only one or two words at a time. Each fixation requires approximately ½ a second. Therefore, he requires approximately 22 seconds, reading this paragraph.

Further, the Unskillful Reader will have a tendency in regressing or back-skipping. Each regression or back-skip may take approximately ½ second as well. If he regresses or back-skips ten times in reading this paragraph, he has wasted an additional 5 seconds.

The Unskillful Reader will take approximately 27 seconds to read this 60 word paragraph. His reading speed is 2.22 words per second or 133 words per minute.

Skillful Reader
By habit, when the Skillful Reader looks at this paragraph, he groups large number of words together in one fixation. He is able to do this, as each group of words represents an idea or meaning, which he can quickly grasp. Therefore, the Skillful Reader only requires 12 fixations to complete reading this paragraph. As he does not have the habit of regression or back-skipping, no further time is wasted.

The Skillful Reader requires only 6 seconds reading this paragraph. His reading speed is 10 words per second or 600 words per minute. The Skillful Reader is 4.5x faster than the Unskillful Reader by having a wide fixation and avoiding bad habits such as regression and back-skipping.

Conclusion:
To eliminate the bad habits above, you must first DISCIPLINE YOURSELF not to re-read the sections you believe you missed out. Secondly, you must gradually increase your reading speed by maintaining an even rhythm in your eye movements. The increase in speed will minimize or prevent regression and back-skipping, whilst improving comprehension. Thirdly, try to slowly increase your peripheral vision by absorbing more words in a visual gulp. By doing so, you will be able to widen your fixations to read more words in each fixation.

Speed Reading - Part II

FOUR LEVELS OF READING

Before we begin, let me clear some misconceptions that arise due from the term 'Speed Reading'. Speed Reading is NOT about:

1. Pushing your eyeballs to the maximum, to scan reading materials;
2. Reading as fast as possible, all manner of materials, causing you to lose the pleasure of reading certain materials such as novels and poems; or
3. Teaching you on how to obtain a photographic memory.

For me, speed reading is just about reading at an appropriate speed, which depends largely on the TYPE of reading material and the WHY you are reading it. It is designed to help you comprehend better and faster. Although this sounds oxymoronic, this can actually occur because most of us have bad reading habits, simply because no one taught us how to read properly.

However, before we begin on this journey – let us begin by understanding the four levels of reading. The information presented below are largely based on the book ‘How to Read a Book’ by Mortimer J. Adler and Charles Van Doren.

The differences between the levels must be understood so that we are able to improve our reading skills. Each level of reading must be understood before one can move on to the next level. This is because each level of reading is cumulative and forms the foundation to achieve the next level, forming a pyramid shape as indicated in the diagram above.

First Level – Elementary Reading
‘WHAT DOES THE SENTENCE SAY?’
To master this level, one must learn the rudimentary art of reading by receiving basic training and acquiring initial reading skills. This is ordinarily learned during primary school. I am certain all of us have achieved this level. Yet, even for those who have attained this level, some may have picked up certain undesirable habits such as sub-vocalizing, fixations and regressions. To read about Common Problems in Elementary reading, click here: Part I & Part II.

Second Level – Inspectional Reading
‘WHAT IS THE BOOK ABOUT?’
This level of reading is characterized by its special emphasis on time. At this stage, a student might be allowed a set time, to complete a certain amount of reading. Inspectional reading is the art of skimming systematically the material. Here, one attempts the best and complete reading that is possible given a LIMITED amount of time. For more information about Inspectional Reading, please refer to the following Inspectional Reading: Systematic Skimming and Inspectional Reading: Superficial Reading.

Third Level – Analytical Reading
‘CHEW AND DIGEST THE BOOK!’
At this stage, reading is a complex and systematic activity. This requires a thorough and complete reading. Unlike inspectional reading, analytical reading attempts the best and complete reading, given an UNLIMITED amount of time. The reader here, must ask many and organized questions. Since this is an intense activity, it is NOT REQUIRED for all reading. It is used only when you require an in-depth understanding of the particular book you are reading. For a bird's eye view of Analytical Reading, please click here.

Fourth Level – Syntopical Reading
‘GESTALT: COMPARATIVE READING’
The most complex and systematic type of reading, also requires the highest skill level. The reader must read many books and place them in relation to one another and to the subject at hand. Not only must he compare and contrast between these books, he needs to do much more! He must SYNTHESIZE the materials he has read, and reach observations and conclusions, that are not available in any of the books he has read.

Conclusion:
With an overview of the four levels of reading, we can now explore them in subsequent posts. We shall identify, how best to improve our reading techniques, systematically at each level.

Speed Reading - Part I

1. What is the essence of Speed Reading?

Speed Reading is about reading and comprehending any materials quickly and efficiently. There are two main aspects to speed reading:

(a) Speed in reading any written material; and
(b) Comprehension of the material being read.

Obviously, it’s no good if you can read at a rate of 1,000 words per minute and understand ZILCH (ZERO) of what you are reading. On the other, some people read at 10 words per minute and still don’t understand what they are reading anyway. :)

Effective Reading Speed = Words Read Per Minute (WPM) * Comprehension Level

For example, if I can read 500 words per minute with a comprehension level of 90% (i.e. answer 9 out of 10 questions correctly), my effective reading speed:
= 500 WPM * 90% = 450 WPM


2. Why should I learn it? How do I begin?

Let me ask you some questions first:
• Do you plan to go for further studies on a part time basis?
• Do you have a pile of books sitting at a corner in your home gathering dust?
• Do you keep telling yourself that you are going to read those books, someday?
• Do you have loads of written materials (articles, books, accounting standards etc.) that you need to read to keep yourself up-to-date (but never seem to have time to do so)?
• Do you have exams coming up soon and have a gargantuan pile of materials you need to understand and memorize within a month?

If your answers to any of the above if YES, then maybe it’s time to look around and see if there’s a faster way to read and understand written materials. Doesn't it seem surprising to you that some people can read books fast and understand most of what they've read? What makes them so special? The answer is simple - SPEED READING!

How do you begin? Well, I’ll be blogging on speed reading once a week. So, do drop by and you can join me on a step by step process to learn speed reading. Sounds good?

3. How much time do I need to spend?
Realistically, you only need to spend approximately one to two hours a week to start on speed reading. If you are reading at a rate of less than 100 words per minute, you should see a marked improvement after the initial two months.

4. How is it going to help me achieve my goals in life?
Knowledge is Power. There are so much written materials out there written by people with vast experience. If we can just tap into some of their wisdom and experience, it will make us better people and equip us with the knowledge to deal with life. I believe this will also help you achieve your goals in life.

5. What are the best materials on Speed Reading?
Videos – EyeQ by Dr. Akihiro Kawamura
Books - How to Read a Book by Mortime J. Adler and Charles Van Doren

Conclusion:
If you want to learn speed reading the easy way, then you are welcome to join me and we can do it together. Alternatively, do yourself a favour and buy the book above. A little investment can go a long way, especially when it comes to speed reading!