Does Speed Reading Actually Work? - Rupak Shah

As a “Velocity Reading Trainer” (Velocity reading is a more practical version of Speed Reading), following are the questions I usually get.

1. Does Speed reading actually Work?

2. Can you enjoy your reading at faster Speeds?

3. Can you retain at that Speed?

The answers to these questions are not just based on my experience but also from the feedback of more than 2,500 people whom I have trained. The answers will expand your mindset of looking towards the reading skill (not just speed reading skill).

(There will always be some people who have unique skill and commitment that helps them to read very fast and also there are some people who have unique challenges that never allow them to read fast. The answers to these question will not resonate with them. The Answers are applicable to average people like us who constitutes to the maximum crowd.)

In the following article, WPM will stand for words per minute i.e. number of words read in one minute.

1- Does Speed Reading actually work?

Average reading speed is 150-250 WPM. For Indians, I have found out to be a little lower, not because we are poor readers but because many do not have the first language as English. (Check your reading Speed – http://www.readingsoft.com)

But we can easily read (within 21 days of practice) around 400-600 WPM. Because our brain is designed to function at that Speed. You need to practice regularly with the commitment for a longer period to go above it.

You cannot start reading the new material at such fast Speed. You need to have a fair idea about what the material is actually about. That does not mean you have to know everything but at least something.

For example – I may read something related to psychology around 800 words per minute (that’s the part of my regular reading). I read at more than 1000 words per minute for Self-help categories (because I have read a lot about it). But when it comes to something spiritual or medical (because I rarely read them) speed is around 400 (still 200% more than average) words per minute.

So my answer is to question – Does Speed Reading actually work? is Yes, it works provided you speed up and slow down based on the reading material.

But your minimum speed can be taken to more than 300 WPM which will is still more than 1.5-2 times of your present reading Speed.

2- Can you enjoy reading at the faster Speeds?

When you are reading at the speed 100-200 WPM, you are largely dependent on hearing your own voice while reading (known as subvocalization in the scientific terms). If you are enjoying your reading at this speed it means, you are enjoying listening to your own voice too.

When you start reading faster, dependence on subvocalization reduces and hence you will not get the satisfaction of listening to your own voice. At higher speed, reading becomes more visual and you can literally see the book like a movie while reading.

So my answer to the question – Can you enjoy reading at that Speed? – is Yes but the experience at reading at high speed will be different.

You can’t enjoy in the same way which you are enjoying now.

3- Can you retain at that Speed?

Reading, understanding, and retention are three different processes. Reading and understanding have to be done at the same time and once you have understood the concept you can start retaining it.

Speed reading focuses on reading and comprehending material at higher speeds. The faster you are able to comprehend the meaning of something, easier it becomes to learn it. But just because a person has increased the reading speed from 120 words per minute to 500 (more than 400% that does not mean your retention speed will increase by 400%.

It will increase but rarely more than 200%. The reason is memory techniques are different and you have to practice them too if you want to speed up by 400%.

So the answer to the question Can you retain at that Speed? Is No. it will speed up only when you practice memory techniques too along with speed reading techniques.

Even if you don’t want to work on retention skills, reading faster will save your time so you have more time left for retaining the material.

Bottom line – Stop seeing speed reading as Black or White because truth always lies in the shades of gray.

The simplest example I can give you is – if you compare your reading to an ordinary car, speed reading is the Ferrari. It is faster and saves a lot of time but the driver should know when to slow it down and speed it up.

To summarise

Does Speed reading actually Work? – Yes, it works provided you speed up and slow down based on the reading material.
Can you enjoy your reading at that Speed? – yes, but the experience at reading at high speed will be different.
Can you retain at that Speed? – Yes but rarely it will increase by more than double. It will speed up more than that only when you practice memory techniques along with speed reading techniques.