Is speed reading for everyone?

By Melvin Ng

A common question asked in speed reading circles is whether or
not having the ability to speed read is suitable for everyone.
The straightforward answer to this question is: "yes". The more
complex answer is: "it depends".

Below we set out some of the circumstances under which it may be
beneficial to be able to speed read and other circumstances
where it may not be so beneficial to be able to speed read:

When it is beneficial to speed read

Essentially, the great joy of being able to speed read is the
ability to take in large volumes of data over as short a period
as possible. Consequently, those of us who find ourselves in
circumstances where we need to read excessive amount of
information in a short period of time; and, importantly, to
comprehend that material at the same time, will benefit from
this skill. Such persons include:

* School students:

School students are ideal candidates for speed reading skills
because they are at an age where they can still absorb new
concepts and ideas, whilst also having the need to have advanced
reading skills in order to be able to read lots of school texts;

* College students:

As with school students, college students need to be able to
read lots of textbook material in a short space of time.
Therefore, the ability to be able to speed read is an important
and useful skill.

* Work employees:

Those of us who are working "white-collar" clerical jobs
certainly need to have the ability to speed read as this will
cut-down on an otherwise very long day. With almost all of the
world's reading material being generated in offices, as faxes,
memos, letters, reports, etc. being able to speed read becomes
more important as time progresses, not less!

* English language students:

As speed reading skills enable you to comprehend what you are
reading better, English language students are an often quoted
group of people who benefit from the ability to be able to speed
read.

* Pleasure:

With the amount of advertising in modern magazines, the ability
to speed read is vital if you want to read this month's magazine
before next month's issue! And, that's nothing compared to
Sunday's edition of the newspaper. Can you image trying to read
Sunday's paper without speed reading skills? - Well, it simply
cannot be done these days!

In short, it doesn't really matter what stage of your life you
are at, the ability to be able to speed read is an essential one.

Occasions when speed reading may not be beneficial

Having said that speed reading is an essential element no matter
what stage you are at in your life, there are a number of
circumstances under which it may not be overly beneficial to be
able to speed read. These include:

* If you have a reading problem:

Speed reading techniques use cluster methods. This is to say,
the reader needs to group whole paragraphs together and skim
read them. However, if a person has a reading disability that
doesn't allow them to be able to process the clustering of
paragraphs easily, then this may result in a feeling of
embarrassment, discomfort, or even slowness. In such
circumstances, it is far better for the confidence of the reader
if they resort to traditional methods of reading each word on
the page word-by-word.

* Age:

Care needs to be taken at what age a student starts to learn to
speed read as certain clinical studies have shown that students
who try to learn to speed read too early can be left with
counterproductive problems - such as dyslexia. As such, it is
not recommended that children below 10 learn to speed read.

* Comprehension:

In certain circumstances some readers who speed read are left
with a loss of comprehension of the reading material, rather
than more. If this is the case, then invoking speed reading
skill may be counterproductive.

To sum it up, like most things in life, the ability to speed
read is something most of us should try to conquer, which is not
to say that it is necessarily beneficial to all of us, nor that
we should invoke it at all times.

Learn it and use it to your advantage, as and when is needed.