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The Starting Analysis

Excerpted from the forthcoming book

Look Ma! No Hands!! Speed Reading with Semantic Restructuring

Do you want to spend less time on unpleasant "required" reading? Do you read for fun and want to enjoy your reading more? Enjoying the fun reading more and spending less time on the other stuff is what this book is about.

You might expect a book on speed reading to start by measuring how fast you read. You might expect a book on speed reading to calculate your words per minute and test your comprehension. You might expect a book like this to be full of charts and graphs, but you won't find these until later in the book. Charts, graphs, and multiple choice tests too often get in the way of learning the skills of speed reading. Instead, we'll start with a short reading attitude test. This test will help you decide which chapters to read and in which order to read them. Does that seem strange? Do you normally assume you have to read books cover to cover, start to finish? Sometimes reading a book cover to cover is the worst thing you can do. For most of us reading chapters "out of order" can seem like breaking the rules. But there is no rule saying you have to read this whole book, or that you have to read the chapters in their printed order. We'll spend more time on this idea later. For now, let's have a look at the test.

Each question has two possible answers. There are no right or wrong answers to these questions. The questions are about your preferences, your feelings, what you like and what you don't like. Knowing your preferences will help you make the most of the book. The questions will show you how to tailor the presentation of ideas in this book to serve your needs, the same way a personal trainer would interview you before setting up your workout schedule. Answer each question, then we can talk about what the answers tell us.

1. Reading is
   1. Fun.
   2. Not Fun.
2. I read
   1. Whenever I get to.
   2. Whenever I have to.
3. A world without books would be
   1. Heaven.
   2. Hell.

Some people want to learn to read faster so they can read more. Other people want to read faster so they can spend less time reading. Answering the questions should help you see in which of these two groups you fit. The two groups go along with two basic types of reading, fun reading and required reading. The "read more" group is usually thinking about fun reading. The "spend less time" group is usually thinking about required reading, either for work or school. Some people only read when required to. Reading just isn't on their list of fun things to do. Other people enjoy reading so much that they will read their cereal box again and again each morning at breakfast, just to have something to read. As I said earlier, my goal is for you to enjoy your fun reading more and spend less time on the required reading.

Are you in the "read faster" group? If so, you might as well just work straight through this book in the printed order. It is not a long book, and there are many ideas in it for you to enjoy, as well as complete instructions for how to speed read. You will end up with both prime benefits of this book; more pleasure from your fun reading, and less time spent on required reading.

What about the "spend less time" group? One option is to read only the section titled, "The Drills." Read that section, practice the drills, and give this book to a friend who reads for fun. That is a good option if you just want to get the most required reading done in the least possible amount of time. You will need a book for practicing the drills, that book should be something interesting and fairly easy for you. Don't try doing the drills with this book; pick something that really interests you. If, after doing the drills, you are curious about the rest of the book, skim it, jump around a bit. The chapter on obstacles might interest you, as might the chapter on other techniques. But the drills are the most important part; if you are satisfied after learning them, then where you go from there is up to you.

Whichever group you are in, take a moment to read the descriptions of the different sections of this book. You might see something that catches your interest. Read the sections that interest you, in what ever order you like. Just remember, if you want to read faster, you must read and practice the material in the section titled, "The Drills."

The book has four sections, not counting this short opening and test. The official first section of this book is titled "The Drills." These drills teach you to read faster; you don't really need anything else. Do the drills ten minutes a day for three weeks and you will read significantly better and faster.

Section two is The Rationale, and it explains how and why drills work. This section will make more sense if you have already been practicing the drills. On the other hand, if you are the type that just has to have reasons before you can do something new and different, skip ahead to "The Rationale." Then when you come back to the drills you can read and practice them with peace of mind.

There are many obstacles to speed reading. For instance, after you learn the drills and find out for yourself just how easy speed reading is, you might start wondering why you weren't taught this stuff in school. There are political obstacles to teaching these methods in public schools. The methods taught here contradict predictions from many teachers and school board experts. Obstacles also come from some commercial speed reading teachers, who deceive people into taking expensive classes without providing results. Some speed reading obstacles are philosophical. This book teaches that faster is not always better, and better is not always faster. There are even practical obstacles that prevent learning to speed read. If you are the fastest reader in the office, who do you think will get stuck reading those boring reports? Section three, titled The Obstacles, looks in detail at these and other road blocks to speed reading. (not available on-line)

Section one teaches you to speed read, but that is only a beginning. Other Stuff, the fourth section of this book, defines four basic types of "reading." Who wants to read poetry at one-thousand words per minute? If you are reading a novel just for fun, who cares how quickly you read it? On the other hand, at work and at school you may need information as quickly as possible. Section four talks about the differences among the four basic types of reading; reciting, reading, skimming, and scanning. The fourth section also talks about previewing books and breaking them in. Section four even teaches relaxation techniques. All of the methods taught in section four can increase how much you get from of your reading. (not available on-line)

Section five is called The Rewards. If the attitude test placed you in the "spend less time reading" group, you might get a lot from reading this section first, even before doing the drills. Most people learn better when they have reasons to learn better. After all, how you read is not anyone else's business. Whatever your reasons for being interested in this book, you might enjoy section five for the different perspectives it offers. "The Rewards" covers things you might not have thought about. Remember, the only reasons that count are the ones that motivate you! (not available on-line)

Take a moment right now to think about what you want from this book. You might choose to go straight to The Drills, do the exercises to acquire the skills, and then give the book to a friend. Or you can go straight to "The Rewards," to boost your motivation a bit before knuckling down to the task. If you are unsure where to start, let me suggest starting with The Obstacles. That section is full of things you should know even if you never learn the drills. Will skipping ahead to section three, The Obstacles, feel like cheating? If so, then I recommend it even more strongly. You just might start a life long habit of making books work for you, instead of struggling to work through them! Writing should serve you, whether in the form of a book, an article, or a report. You are the master; the words are the servants. Writers work hard in hope that their words will be useful to you. The reader is in control. Enjoy being in the driver's seat and decide for yourself where to start!