10 Days to Faster Reading Page 15
1. Pre-view the reading first. Time yourself for a maximum of only thirty seconds, allowing yourself to quickly look at the introduction. The first sentences of the paragraphs, and the questions you will be answering.
2. Time yourself. See how long it takes to read the passage "A Few Words" below. Write your total time in minutes and seconds in the space provided at the end of the reading.
A Few Words
By John D. Whitman
There are two kinds of words that everyone can identify: old-fashioned words that can become obscure in modern times or change and modern words that mean something to everyone. We all understand, for example, what a "dollar" is, but if you talk about 'ducats," a type of money used several centuries ago, only historians are likely to understand.
But there's a third type of word: old fashioned words whose original meanings have been replaced by more modern definitions. For example, imagine driving to your local gym to work out so you'll develop washboard abs. On the way you hit a pothole in the road. You can probably define the words "gym," "washboard," and "pothole." But your definitions are likely to be very different from the original definitions of these words — all of which are as outdated as the manual typewriter.
You might be surprised, for instance, to know that the original tradition of working out at a gym meant you'd have to do it in the nude, because a gymnast literally means a "naked person." The ancient Greeks preferred it that way. Very few of us can really get washboard abs and even fewer have used an actual washboard — the ribbed board used to scrub clothes in the days before washing machines.
Potholes originally referred to holes in the tops of old-fashioned stoves. When you wanted to cook something, you moved the lid and placed a pot over the pothole so that the fire could reach it directly.
Here are a few more words that may seem current to you, but have actually evolved from years ago. Try dialing a phone. In this digital age, most phones are push-button, but we still use the word "dial," which refers to the round disk with finger holes on the front of old-fashioned telephones. Even the experts call most Internet-access points "dial-up servers," even though no one's dialing anything anymore.
How about storage for computers. If you hide your computer in that popular piece of home furniture called the office armoire, you're storing your laptop where your ancestors stored the sword. "Armoire" is the French word for armory.
We're bound to hold on to outdated words because their meanings are familiar and comfortable. We simply apply them in a new context. So, as you hurtle down the computer superhighway, just remember to still watch for potholes.
➞ Mark your reading time on a separate piece of paper: (minutes) (seconds).
3. Respond to statements. Immediately answer the following statements to the best of your ability WITHOUT looking back at the reading. Estimate the number of answers you believe are correct and put the number in the blank provided.
Comprehension Statements
Without looking back at the reading passage, respond to the following statements by indicating whether the statement is True (T), False (F), or Not Discussed (N).
1. There are two types of words everyone can identify: old fashioned words and words that mean something to everyone.
2. The word "ducat" is a new term.
3. In ancient Greece, it was forbidden to work out in a gym in the nude.
4. There are potholes on most major roadways.
5. Washboards are used in gyms to clean soiled towels.
6. Placing a pot over a hole in an old-fashioned stove would put the fire out.
7. We keep the term "dial" in our vocabulary because some people still use telephones with the round dials on the front.
8. The term "armoire" is derived from the French word for armory.
9. It is likely that we will continue to develop new meanings for old terms.
10. We hold on to outdated words because we don't want to go to the effort of creating new terms.
Now, estimate how many of these answers you believe you have correct out of ten.
4. Check your responses. Turn to the Answer Key. If you have any incorrect, mark the correct response and return to the reading passage to try to understand where you had a problem.
5. Figure your comprehension percentage. Add the total number of correct responses you have and multiply by 10. Write your comprehension percentage in your Personal Progress Chart.
6. Figure your words per minute. Look at your reading time and round off the seconds to the nearest 10-second mark. Turn to the Words per Minute Chart and find your Words per Minute next to your reading time. Write your Words per Minute in your Personal Progress chart.
7. Track your Time Trial scores. Go to your Personal Progress chart and make sure you've recorded your Words per Minute, comprehension percentage, and the date you did the exercise. It's also helpful to document other details such as time of day, any preoccupations, strategies used, and so on.
Start Your Engines: The Thumb Push
There are two ways to perform the pacer known as the Thumb Push. Choose a page in a magazine, newspaper, or this book to experiment with. Make sure to place it on a flat surface, not balanced upright in your hands.
The first method is "thumb down," the other is "thumb across." Begin thumb down by positioning your hand: Make a loose relaxed fist in front of you with whichever hand you want to read with. Stick your thumb out to the side. Now rotate your thumb toward you so your thumb is pointing downward, creating a thumb-down sign. Place your hand with the thumb down above the column you are going to read. Your thumb should be pointed down in the center of the column. Begin reading, stopping your eyes only two or three times on each line, seeing more at a glance. Remember to use key words, phrases, or key phrases to help you go even faster. As you become more accustomed to the method, try moving your thumb a little faster.
The thumb across method starts the same as thumb down by creating a fist with your chosen hand and sticking your thumb out to the side. This time leave the thumb in this position and place it above the line you are going to start reading. You should have somewhat of a straight line from your wrist to the tip of your thumb, covering the words you already read and leaving open where you are going. This is very similar to the white card method. Therefore, if you want to use the white card method and there is no card around, use your own wrist and thumb.
Gauge Your Attitude
Let's take an attitude check. Mentally fill in the blank of the following statement:
I am a(n) ________ reader.
Is your reading attitude changing?
Pit Stop: Tip of the Day
Look for different ways to experience the world. The more you experience, the more background knowledge you have. And this in turn helps you read faster with better comprehension. You could plan vacations to places you have never been, read books on topics you normally do not have interest in, expose yourself to educational television programs you may not normally watch, speak to lots of people and tap into their background knowledge, learn a new skill, take a class, and so on. Your ability to expand your background knowledge is only limited by your willingness to explore new horizons.
In Day 10, you will evaluate your progress looking at your reading speed and habits. In addition, you will receive one final tip to carry you into the world of faster reading.
Day 10: The Final Lap
Here you are! The white flag is being waved, just one more lap until the race is over. At this point, you are on the final sprint to the finish line. As you complete the race, give yourself a hearty pat on the back because you finally did something to make faster reading a reality. You read this book, tried new strategies, timed yourself, and gathered information to make your reading workload more manageable. Your racing career, though, is far from over. It is only just beginning.
As a reader and student of this book, you are similar to a race car driver in training. This day completes your formal training, but to become truly skilled, you
continually need to experiment with the strategies and learn through trial and error what works for you in your own world. If you listen to motivational speakers such as Tony Robbins or Zig Ziglar or sales gurus such as Tom Hopkins or Brian Tracy, you hear them all tout the value of daily reading. Brian Tracy says if you have an hour's commute each day and listen to instructional or motivational tapes, you can learn a semester's worth of material in six months. I've heard other experts say if you read a half hour every day for two years or an hour a day for a year you become an authority in any subject in which you have interest. They agree that reading is crucial to success in your field. Let's assume they are referring to average untrained readers; I wonder how a faster reading speed coupled with other efficient reading skills affects the outcome.
It is important to remind you that your past is not predictive of your future. If you have always read slowly, it doesn't mean you will read slowly your whole life — unless you choose to. Before you started this book, you didn't have much choice. Now you do. You now know what makes faster reading a reality — if you choose. By following the strategies in this book and adapting them to your world, you can become a faster and more efficient reader.
Reading for Survival
One thing is certain and more so these days than ever: Change is constant and technological innovations are at the forefront of this progress. Developing technologies, especially the World Wide Web, are transforming the economy, forcing you, the worker, to continually rationalize, reinvent, and restructure your work. How can you get help to cope with this change? Through reading.
Employers are demanding that you constantly acquire new skills but few provide the training or time required to obtain these skills. The unemployable of the (near) future will be those who can't, or don't, learn, regardless of available learning resources. Where can you learn these skills? Through reading.
You must realize and accept the reality that technology will affect you even though you wish it wouldn't. Being proactive with respect to this change is much better than being reactive. How can you become proactive and adapt to changing technologies? Through reading.
The ability to communicate and work effectively with others is also a workplace necessity with the advent of work teams. How can you learn to manage diverse personalities and other interpersonal issues? Through reading.
The information found through reading provides you with options to help you solve problems, cope with change, learn new skills, and most importantly, better understand the world you live in.
Reading, unlike taking a class, is done according to your own schedule. You choose what you need to read and decide which parts to skip or spend your time on. The material is there to refer back to, if needed, and no one tests you on what they think you should know. You decide. The world is literally at your fingertips when you choose to read.
The "Other" Reading Material
You already know about your reading pile. But there is "other" material you read that you probably don't consider reading, either because it doesn't make it to the pile or you just process it as it arrives such as regular mail or e-mail. These present you with more opportunities to play with your new reading techniques and use some of the tips discussed in this book. Here's a sampling of other materials you may read:
At Home
Homeowner or electronic manuals
Credit card applications
Appliance warranties
Membership applications
Tax forms
School applications
Directions for toys or furniture assembly
Insurance policies
Financial documents
At Work
Proposals
Patient charts
Legal documents
Corporate profiles
Reports
Insurance policies
Business plans
Résumés
Complaint letters
Interoffice memos
Internet research
At School
Textbooks
Literature
Reading comprehension tests
Library and Internet research
Reference material
If you've ever been admitted to a hospital, you may recall the lengthy and vital forms you were asked to sign. The hospital employee processing the paperwork tells you what it says and points to the dotted line. Most people sign the forms without reading. With your faster reading skills, you can now read these and other legal documents quickly, making sure you agree with what you are signing.
Where Are You Now?
It's been ten days since you started your reading training. The following section will help you gauge where you are right now.
1. Facts and figures. In Day 1, you evaluated yourself statistically in Words per Minute and comprehension on the first Time Trial. Your Personal Progress Chart shows your development with your reading scores. Now it is time to do the last Time Trial to see where you are. Turn to and do Time Trial No. 10 on page 110.
• What seems to be working?
• What strategies are you comfortable with?
• What do you want to become more comfortable with?
2. Efficiency. On Day 2, you had the opportunity to evaluate yourself on the "Inefficient and Efficient Reader checklist." Go back to that list now (page 15) and use a different color pen to redo the checklist according to how you feel today. Do you have more checks on the efficient side? If you, what are you doing to achieve this? If not, what is preventing you? Re- member that learning to be more efficient is a process, not a one-time event. Any progress on your process is a step in the right direction.
3. Attitude. Starting on Day 1 and every day throughout this book, you were asked to gauge your attitude. Now is the last time to reevaluate your attitude:
I am a(n) ________ reader.
Are your words more positive, competent, and confident than when you began? If so, what is making you feel or think this way? If not, what is preventing you from feeling or thinking this way? If you only read a few chapters or didn't do any of the exercises, take to time to go back and do them. Insecurity about your newfound potential is common; certainty comes with experience.
What Are Your Keepers?
Whenever you go to a class or conference, listen to an audio training, read a nonfiction book, or experience any other learning forum, always be on the lookout for solid ideas or actions that you can take away from the experience. Otherwise, you are wasting your time. When I attend conferences, training or professional meetings, I not only make a list of things to take away but I sometimes create a list of keepers or to-do's. What are you going to take away or do as a result of reading this book?
The following is a list of possible reading commitments you can make as a result of your experience with this book. They are broken down into three areas: reading awareness, reading and time management, and reading strategies. It takes ten minutes or less to complete this exercise.
1. Review each list that follows in its entirely.
2. Identify and check the items you want to commit yourself to. You can also write them on a separate piece of paper. Feel free to adapt them or add your own.
3. Schedule a date next month and then for the following three months or more to quickly re- view and revise your reading commitment. Use this menu as a guide in your revision.
Reading Awareness
1. I will accept that I'm human and capable of a few natural mistakes.
2. I will be aware of my eye movements involved in the reading process.
3. I want my eyes to stop on the more important words in the text.
4. I want to remember the relationship between background knowledge and reading comprehension
5. I will read in a quiet, distraction-free environment.
6. I will read without listening to music (unless it's Mozart or other classical music).
7. I will always know my purpose and responsibility before I begin to
read.
8. I will not read for work or school with the television on.
9. I will read work or study materials at a desk or table.
10. I will read leisure material anywhere and anytime I want.
11. I will reevaluate my lighting and make it friendly for my eyes.
12. I will get my eyes checked every two years by an optometrist.
13. I will be aware of and take care of my mental and physical distractions before I read.
14. I will try to relax when I have a lot of reading to do.
15. I will remember the difference between skimming and scanning.
16. I will be able to skip information without guilt.
17. I will be aware of my reading speed and shift it depending on my purpose and background knowledge.
18. I will reevaluate what I consider truly technical material.
19. I will enjoy reading more.
20. I will:
Reading and Time Management
1. I will find time to read.
2. I will resist the temptation to pick up the phone while reading.
3. I will resist the temptation to check on incoming faxes.
4. I will resist the temptation to check e-mail the moment it notifies me of incoming messages.
5. I will always carry reading material with me.
6. I will listen to audio recordings for personal or professional development.
7. I will avoid marathon reading sessions by taking short, frequent breaks
8. If I come across usable information, I will immediately make note of it either on the material or in a notebook.
9. I will create a reference system for keeping track of important usable reading material.
10. I will:
Reading Strategies
Note: You may have more than one answer for some of the questions.
1. I will reduce passive daydreaming when I read by
a. Reading faster.
b. Reading key words, phrases, and key phrases.