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Whether you need (e.g., you are a student or otherwise have deadlines on reading) or simply want to have the ability to read and understand more quickly, learning speed reading is the way to go. Not everyone thinks that reading is a skill that can be improved in this way, but like any other skill, practice is the key. Almost anyone can learn to speed read, it is merely a matter of finding a technique which is effective for them.

First, think about any book that you've read recently. Were all parts of the book equally engaging, or were there bits that were seemed less interesting. While we are told in school that we need to read every part of the book, this is only partially true. Be aware that most books have bits of filler, connecting information, meanderings, illustrations and tangents, and learn to recognize them. When you can identify a segment of your reading material as more superfluous, you'll find that your speed increases without forcing your comprehension to suffer.

Second, start skipping small words or phrases. This seems difficult to do at first, but if you've been reading for any length of time at all, you already know that words and phrases will follow patterns. For instance, if you read a line that begins 'She would cut off her nose...' you know that there is a good chance that it will end with 'to spite her face.' This skill is called inference, and you'll find that it is far easier than you think it is; once you start practicing it, you will start to improve dramatically.

One easy way to start speed reading is to lay a finger under the first line of text on the page and start moving it down. You'll find that your eyes want to stay with your finger, 'hurrying' along the words in order to keep up. You can start this fairly slowly, but remember to keep speeding it up so that you keep improving. This is a great method that even small children can use You'll find that when you use this technique, you can easily modulate the speed that you read at.

There are many benefits to mastering speed reading. Your brain works its best in the first 20 minutes of being engaged in a task. You can process what you read more quickly and efficiently during this window, and with speed reading you're prepared to make the most of it. Just imagine how much more on top of things you could be by managing your time so much more effectively.

Make sure that this powerful tool is something that you don't miss out on! Learn about speed reading techniques today.