Speed Reading Article

Speed Reading Technique: Scanning

Scanning is one technique that is developed when learning to speed read. Scanning will allow you to read an article much faster while still understanding and retaining what you have read. Many people use this technique naturally and don't even realize they are actually speed reading.

A speed reader will quickly scan the length of the article and focus on the keywords which stand out while scanning. By doing this, he is able to get the overall feel for what the article is about. Then he will go back and read over the article very quickly to pick up details.

Think of times when you do this automatically. You might scan an article in the newspaper and pick up on certain keywords or phrases so you will know if it is an article you wish to read further. With speed reading, you can refine this technique to read documents quickly that are required reading in your work or school.

By learning this speed reading method, you will be able to quickly scan documents and pick out the pertinent details and after your second read have a good understanding of what you have read. Even though you have read the article twice, you will still be reading much faster than if you read the article the traditional way.

Scanning further develops a skill which comes naturally. When learning to read, children will first learn letters and how they sound and sound out each individual letter in a word. After a while, they will begin to recognize certain words so that they no longer need to sound them out. The next step occurs when the child's brain picks out these memorized words while scanning a sentence so the child has a feel for the meaning of the sentence even if he can't read every word on sight. So we begin the process of scanning while reading at a very early age.

Speed reading takes this natural scanning to a whole new level so that you are able to read books, articles, and documents at a rapid pace. Most importantly, you are able to understand the context of the text you are scanning.

If you have a desire to learn how to speed read, then scanning is one technique you will most likely learn. There are other techniques you can combine with scanning which will take your reading speed up to an entirely new level. Learning how to scan read properly will be of a great benefit in your professional career and in your educational pursuits.