The Need for Speed...Reading
Or not?
President John F Kennedy:
Kennedy mentioned in an interview that he taught himself speed reading and was able to read up to 1,200 words per minute - he probably helped make the practice popular. He and his brother Bobby were famous for their speed reading abilities.
He encouraged many in his cabinet to take speed reading courses and helped make speed reading popular throughout the U.S. in the 1960s. Presidents who claimed to speed read: Jimmy Carter, Teddy Roosevelt, Franklin Roosevelt, George Washington and Abe Lincoln.
It's easy to understand the allure of speed reading.
A Real Page Turner:
Howard Stephen Berg from the United States has claimed to be the Guinness World Record holder for fast reading with a speed of 25,000 words per minute, and Maria Teresa Calderon from the Philippines claims to have earned the Guinness World Record for World's Fastest Reader at 80,000 words per minute reading speed and 100% comprehension.
Speed reading is a thing. I have taken some courses and have increased my reading speed by 50% or so. I find if I read slower, I comprehend more, but if I am not distracted and focused I can read faster.
The term "speed reading" is thought to have been coined in the late 1950s by Evelyn Wood, a schoolteacher.
The Evelyn Wood Speed Reading Course
A video outlining the Evelyn Wood course:
Evelyn Wood Reading Dynamics Lesson 1
Evelyn Wood Reading Dynamics Lesson 2
Evelyn Wood Reading Dynamics Lesson 3
Cheech and Chong did a parody of Evelyn Woods speed reading classes in 1978:
Tim Ferriss has his own way to speed read:
👍 Mark Manson has his own Speed Reading Theories:
The reason for this article at this time is because the following has been making the rounds on the internet. I tried it out, and it seemed to work for me. I can read the right side faster than the left (normal) side. You try:
The science behind the idea seems sound. But what do I know? Some people have different reading problems, dyslexia for example, and this did not help them to read faster. It had the opposite effect on their reading speed.
The new Jiffy Reader extension for Google Chrome uses bionic reading to help users read content faster. Bionic reading uses a combination of bolded letters to draw your eyes to specific parts of words, ideally allowing you to absorb the words you see much faster.
I use this Chrome Extension. You can download it here: Jiffy Reader.
I’d like to know in the comments what you think? Does it work for you? Is it just a passing shiny object soon to be left in the rear view mirror?
I’m in the latter camp. I’ve tried the extension for a couple of weeks, and it is kind of quirky. It doesn’t always work. I’m thinking Tim Ferriss’s and Mark Manson’s techniques will give me a better long term solution.
Thanks to all my subscribers!
Peace in Ukraine already…✌️
Great article.
First, about Jack and Bobby: Actually, when they touted their speed reading, it was part and parcel of a much larger thing with them: They urged Americans to strive for excellence and achievement. It was a way of distinguishing themselves from Eisenhower. For example, in around 1957, Russia scared the pants off of America with the Sputnik achievement in outer space. Americans were afraid that Russia would surpass us with scientific leaps into the unknown. By the early sixties, we saw a succession of shows on TV in which evil Russian scientists would take over the earth.
Kennedy promised to rescue America with intellect, physical fitness and the Green Berets. He sort of like marketed himself to Americans as the James Bond of American politics.
Now for speed reading itself:
a) I find my comprehension is boosted when I read faster. Also, reading is more enjoyable when I read faster because MORE STUFF HAPPENS IN LESS TIME. Suppose you are reading at 400 words a minute. In one minute's time, you are gonna be bored to death reading about someone sitting down at the dinner table. But if you read at the rate of 1000 words per minute, you will not only read a farty story about people sitting down to dinner; you will also read about the food fight after they sat down and the severe allergic reaction someone suffered from the food.
An interesting read, Paul. I'm not a real fan of speed reading, regardless of whether it works or not. To me, reading that fast would take the pleasure out of reading. It would be like greatly speeding up a piece of music... sure, that would save time but what you lose in the process doesn't seem worth it. Isn't life already overloaded with information without trying to fit more in? It's a no from me :-)