 A significant part of personal development is reading, which can sometimes turn out to be boring, especially if our reading rate is slow. Reading books can transform your life and help you learn much more than you can in a classroom. However, it is one thing to build a reading culture, and another to learn how to read fast in the first place. Increasing your reading speed doesn't mean your ability to rush through the pages of a book without proper comprehension. Instead, it means being able to spring through a book and still retain enough information to compel a good summary. Speed reading is the process of rapidly recognizing and absorbing phrases or sentences on the page all at once, rather than identifying individual words. For most people, they read at an average speed of 250 words per minute, WPM. To speed read, however, it means that you have to double that rate. So in this video, I'll share with you how to improve your reading speed. If you're new here, consider subscribing so that you don't miss out on exciting videos like this. 1. Learn how to read without sub-vocalizing Most of us learn how to read by vocalizing the words. When we vocalize the words, we're limited by the time it takes to pronounce each word in our subconscious mind. As a result, we graduated from speaking the words allowed to vocalizing the words in your head. This is known as a sub-vocalizing or inner monologue. Although sub-vocalization helps us understand and follow a narrative, we don't need to grasp every word to get the meaning of a sentence. For instance, try reading this. I cannot wait to be a sipped writer. I bet you successfully read that, isn't it? That's the point. Everyone can read without sub-vocalizing. It only takes practice. Being able to read without sub-vocalizing can open up the top speed of your reading rate and be useful for understanding text easily. Here's the thing. The average reading speed is the same as the average talking speed, which has 250 words per minute. Since most people are used to saying the words out loud in their heads as they read. They tend to read and talk around the same rate. So if you want to increase your reading speed, you have to stop vocalizing the words in your head as you read. Truth is that you do not need to say every word to understand what you are reading. From just seeing the word, your brain can process the information. So, to practice this, start by looking at the words without the need to pronounce them. It might feel a little strange at first because the idea of looking at words without the desire to hear the sound is totally strange. But after some practice, you'll begin to get the hang of it. Another trick is to try to listen to classical or instrumental music while reading. It can mute your inner voice and put you in a state conducive to receiving and understanding the information in the book. 2. Use the pointer method. Using any kind of pointer, such as your finger to read, is a reading trick mostly reserved for children. However, if you want to improve your reading speed, then it is a trick you should be willing to try out. Tutor school teacher Evelyn Nielsen-Wood was one of the pioneers of speed reading. In the 1950s, she claimed that she could read up to 2,700 words per minute if she swept a finger along the lines as she read. It became the pointer method. Here's something about the eyes that you should know. The eyes don't actually stay fixed in one spot. They make brief twitches away from the center of your focus from time to time to gather more information. However, when they do, they relocate back to the previous position. Unfortunately, in the case of reading, the position isn't static. It means that when your eyes twitch away, it causes you to slow down as you try to search for your current reading position. Imagine what using a pointer will do. It will help you relocate where you stopped quickly. When you use a guide, your primary goal is to move the guide at a very consistent pace. Don't stop your finger. Slow down or go too fast so that you don't lose track of where you are. Also, using a pointer can help you stop vocalizing the test easily. 3. Try the scanning method. The scanning method is also called the previewing method. It involves moving your eyes quickly down the pages you're about to read. What you're doing is skimming the main points first. Here's how to employ this method of speed reading. As you skim through the book, be sure to identify specific keywords, names, numbers, or trigger words, ideas, and phrases. Here's a trick to do that. Start by reading the table of content of the book, subtitles, etc. Next, read the first paragraph of each main section. Read the last. Read the middle. Think this over in your head and piece it together. The scanning method speed reading means that you won't read through every word, but your eyes will land on what is essential to allow you to grasp the basic idea. 4. Practice time reading. If you want to increase your reading speed, use a timer to test how many words or pages you can read in a minute. When you keep practicing it to track your progress, you'll become faster in no time. 5. Get rid of distractions. First of all, whether you want to improve your reading speed or not, it is essential to get rid of distractions. Otherwise, you'll end up reading one line over and over again. To be able to achieve your goal of reading quickly, you need maximum focus and concentration. So, before you begin, minimize noise and distraction as much as possible. Turn off your phone, notifications, and other interruptions around. You should also get rid of foods around if it will constantly make your mind wander. The thing with distraction is that it can make you read a few sentences passively without focus, then spend time going back and re-reading to make sure you understand them. The overall effect of this is that it slows down your reading, so get rid of distractions. 6. You need to practice. All of the tips given here will be of no use if you don't practice as often as you can. To read faster, you have to read more. You can start by giving yourself a time frame of one week to read a book. As soon as you notice that you're improving, you can increase the numbers to as many books as possible. Thank you very much for watching our videos. If you liked this video, watch more videos on our channel, and subscribe. We love you.