It is important to note that reading speeds should and would differ according to the complexity of the subject being read. It is therefore important to pace the hand motion at the speed which is most appropriate for the subject being read- the key is to go as fast as possible without compromising comprehension.
Irrespective of the speed that has been chosen, the key is to always stick to the speed reading principles of: concentration, avoiding regressions, reducing sub-vocalisation, capturing more words with each fixation and using layered reading- at the beginning, some of these will not come naturally, but with time and training it will eventually be the only way you would feel comfortable reading.
Training plan
The crux to speed reading is the regular routine of drills; without training on a daily basis, it is not possible to maintain high speeds nor is it possible to develop them in the first place.
For the reading drills, it is recommended to use simple reading material (a novel is a good example) rather than complicated technical material with which reading speeds can vary depending on your familiarity with the topic.
Again, to kill two birds with one stone, the practitioner may choose to train with material that is on his compulsory reading list but the above consideration regarding technical reading should be kept in mind. However, for the measurement of progress, the practitioner is recommended to use a modern novel since its complexity is likely to stay consistent whilst other reading materials are likely to vary depending on the topic- thus making the ability to accurately chart progress more difficult.
To calculate reading speeds, simply approximate the number of words on a page by counting the number of words in a typical row and multiply by the number of rows. Then calculate the number of pages read divided by the time taken (in minutes) - this would provide your Words Per Minute reading speed (WPM). It is recommended to chart progress once a week.
In all the exercises, it is important to remove any worries or anxiety about comprehension; at times, you will be reading at higher speeds or fixating on more words than you are capable of understanding at present- the key is to let go and follow the exercise instructions and try to reach the targets set. The practitioner must stay concentrated on the training and keep his attention on the reading, even if it is too fast to fully comprehend. The whole point of the training/drills is to feel free to push against the current boundaries in order to improve the speed at which you read with high comprehension and comfort.
(Note it is advisable to use a stopwatch for the following exercises in order to measure the time as instructed- a countdown alarm function is best in order to avoid the need to check the time left).
Exercise 1- Speed and comprehension
1. Take the reading material chosen for the practise and begin reading at a comfortable reading rate for 5 minutes using the vertical hand motion- the aim should be to read with full comprehension. (note the page on which you started).
2. Note the point in the book to which you arrived after 5 minutes.
3 . Read through the material again (using the same hand motion) but increase your speed and aim to arrive at the same ending point (noted in point 2 above) in 4 minutes instead of five.
4. Repeat again but this time aim to complete in 3 minutes.
5. Repeat again but this time aim to complete in 2 minutes.
6 . Repeat again, this time using the skimming hand motion, and aim to complete the same material in 1 minute.
7. Finally, starting at the end point noted in step 2 above, read with your comfortable reading rate for 1 minute.
8. Once a week note down the reading speed attained in step 7 above by noting the number of words read in that 1 minute. (number of pages read multiplied by the number of words per page).
Exercise 2- Speed
1. Take the reading material chosen for the practise and begin reading at a comfortable reading rate for 3 minutes using the vertical hand motion- the aim should be to read with full comprehension. (Note the page on which you started).
2. Note the point in the book to which you arrived after 3 minutes.
3. Count the number of pages read, and add this to the end point noted in step 2 above- this is your new target end point.
4 . Read through the material again (using the same hand
motion) but increase your speed and aim to arrive at the new ending point (noted in step 3 above) in 3 minutes.
5. Increase the end point again by adding the same amount (amount read in step 1) to the new end point from point 3 above- this is the new end point. For example if you read 3 pages in 3 minutes, the end point for step 4 would be 6 pages whilst the end point for step 5 would be 9 pages.
6 . Read through the material again (using the same hand motion) but increase your speed and aim to arrive at the new ending point (noted in step 5 above) in 3 minutes.
7 . Increase the amount of pages one last time- so in the example above you now need to read 12 pages.
8 . Read through the material again, this time using the skimming hand motion, but increase your speed and aim to arrive at the new ending point (noted in step 7 above) in 3 minutes.
9. Finally, starting at the end point noted in step 2 above, read with your comfortable reading rate for 1 minute.
10. Once a week note down the reading speed attained in step 9 above by noting the number of words read in that 1 minute. (number of page read multiplied by the number of words per page).
Exercise 3- Peripheral vision and sub-vocalisation exercise
1. Using the vertical hand motion:
2. Take the reading material chosen for the practise and begin reading by capturing 2 words at a time- mentally pronounce only one of the words- do this for one page.
3. Repeat but this time capture 3 words with each fixation, mentally pronounce only one of the words- do this for one page.
4. Repeat but this time capture half a line at a time and again mentally pronounce only one of the words- do this for one page.
5. Now using the skimming hand motion:
6. Repeat but this time capture two half lines at a time and
again mentally pronounce only one of the words- do this for 2 pages.
7. Repeat but this time capture three half lines at a time and again mentally pronounce only one of the words- do this for 3 pages.
8. Repeat but this time capture five half lines at a time and again mentally pronounce only one of the words- do this for 5 pages.
9. Perform this exercise rhythmically, maintain the same pace throughout and ensure you stick to the amount of words per fixation as instructed.
Exercise 4- fixation training
1. Using a folded blank piece of paper that has the same width as half a line in your chosen reading material and the length of the folded paper should equal the height of the reading material.
2. Read the first half line of a page, then quickly cover that half line with the blank piece of paper and try to picture that half line on that blank page.
3. Proceed to the next half of the line, glance and then cover it- try and picture it on the blank paper.
4. Proceed to the next lines until you have completed 3 pages.
5. Then repeat for 3 pages capturing 2 half lines at a time- then visualising those two half lines on the blank paper.
6. Then repeat for 5 more pages this time capturing 3 half lines at a time.
7. Perform this exercise rhythmically and maintain the same smooth pace throughout.