Reflections on Speed Reading - Center for Lifelong Learning

The Groupon is ON

2011-07-21T21:00:00.000-07:00

Once again, we have decided to do a screaming-deal through Groupon. Our $249 1-day speed reading workshop is only $55. How can we afford that? The answer is simple, really: we have to. It is so important that these speed reading skills get out to as many people as possible. The skills aren't tricks or techniques to use occasionally. The system is designed to allow you to bring information into your life in a way that your brain likes. That means that you don't fall asleep anymore while reading, you don't lose your place, and you remember everything you need to.

I have also decided that our Groupons will NOT have an expiration date. To me, having a certificate expire in 6 months or a year is totally unfair. Why should a deal have an end date except to maximize the profit of the merchant. You either offer a deal or you don't. So don't worry about being busy right now. You can take a class anytime you want, for the rest of my life (I think I have at least another 50 good years left!).

Please consider having your entire family take the class. For 13 years of age and up it is a wonderful experience to have a family learn something new together. If you have younger children, you can teach them after you learn.

Check out the Testimonials at the readfast.org website. They are all real and they tell the story best.

Buy extra Groupons for gifts. They are great for someone in school, in a demanding job, or unemployed. Having taken the class looks great on your resume. It shows how dedicated you are to personal and professional growth.

Call or write anytime with any questions.

Jackie

Great Seattle public classes this past weekend . . .

2011-01-24T11:58:00.000-08:00

Wonderful speed reading classes this past weekend! Sixty more people were set off into the world with the skills learn how to read anything and everything they want.

It so pains me to think of how many people conclude that they aren't very good learners, that school isn't for them, and therefore, they are limited in career choices and in the heights they can achieve. Most of the time, nothing could be further from the truth. I have found that the only thing holding most people back from achieving their hopes and dreams is their perception of themselves. Too often, this perception has been created based on false assumptions.

The way most of us were taught to read is actually nearly the opposite of the way our brain works. Getting sleepy while you read, losing your place, and even hating to read result from your brain being totally bored with the way you read.

It is troubling to think of all the people who have settled for a job or given up on a dream because they thought that studying or learning wasn't for them. Such a waste.

The good news is that for two hundred and fifty bucks (less when we have a sale), you can change your entire way of learning and reading and become anything you want to become. It takes some practice, to be sure - anything worth doing does.

It is something worth considering.

Speed Reading Phone App for the iPhone

2010-05-23T10:33:00.000-07:00

I was recently contacted by the developer of an iPhone app that could be useful for our speed reading program practice. Called Quickreader, it comes with 25 full copyright free books to practice on. You can select your desired reading speed and practice! No Android or Windows app yet, but hopefully in the future. See the app in action in a video at the site.

Speed Readers Don't Use Laptops In Class

2010-04-24T10:26:00.000-07:00

There has been considerable discussion lately about the use of laptops in the classroom. Sadly, many students are using them to surf the web and as an excuse to not pay attention. Some have said that if the teacher is not engaging them, they feel justified doing other things. This attitude is not only sad, it is disrespectful of the instructors' time and their own as well. Why would you want to pay thousands of dollars for a college class and then not pay attention?

This attitude also reflects the classic misconception in education that it is somehow the instructor's responsibility to get the student to learn. This has never been true. The student, especially the older adult, is completely responsible for the success of their learning experiences. You decide what you want to get out of a class and how you want it to contribute to your life. The teacher gives you the means, shares examples, explains concepts, but you are responsible for using a system of information capture that facilitates your learning.

The laptop may seem like it is a help, but it is actually a hindrance. Even if you are using it to take notes, it takes you out of the discussion. You cease being engaged with the teacher and the other students. It also locks you into to a linear, left-brain notetaking technique that is rarely useful. When you try to study notes taken in this way, you find them of little use.

Teachers are finding that students who bring their laptops to class perform as poorly as students who didn't bother to come to class at all.

Speed readers from our program learn a powerful right-brained note taking technique that serves them in any situation. It turns them into very active listeners and they are always very present for the conversation. Many students have said that the note-taking method alone is worth the price off the class.

The best part of the method is that you do not need a computer. In fact, it doesn't really work with a computer - you hand write the notes in such a way that you can fit an entire day of lectures or create a study guide of excellent notes on an entire book on just one page. Teachers who see notes taken in this way after their lectures often ask the student for a copy!

It doesn't matter if you think your teacher is boring or doing a good job. This note-taking technique transcends all of that and makes you the engaged listener and thinker you need to be for your education and your career to be successful.

New Practice Website

2010-02-14T11:11:00.000-08:00

Hi Speed Readers,

I came across a new website that could be useful as you practice, especially in building that "seeing and knowing" muscle and your peripheral vision. It is called Eyercize. You paste the text you want to pracftice with into the box at the bottom of the page and then you get to pick a reading speed, number of words you want to see in a group, and other parameters. It they will underline the number of words you selected at the pace you chose. That site is apparently going to put out more speed reading tools.

I hope your practice is going well and that you are working through any resistance or doubt. Keep it up, be patient, always do the Overview and push yourself to see and know the words. Build your excellent page of notes and watch your comprehension grow.

Good luck!

Jackie

Speed reading training brings up interesting issues

2010-01-11T16:13:00.000-08:00

Students are often surprised at how many seemingly unrelated personal growth issues arise as they are learning speed reading. Why would studying how to read faster bring up issues of self-esteem, how much one believes in oneself, and the degree to which we have been conditioned to certain ideas? When you look below the surface, it starts to make sense.

We were taught to read in kindergarten through the third grade, very impressionable times in our lives. Often we were asked to read out loud by our teacher who then said, "now read to yourself." That speaking outloud to yourself is called subvocalization and it slows down your natural ability to read by as much as 50 percent. It limits you to reading at the speed of sound when you mind is quite capable of reading at the speed of sight.

You do not have to say the words aloud in your head to understand them. Do you say "stop" to yourself when you approach a stop sign on the road and think about what to do next? No. You recognize the pattern that is the word "stop" and through your learning and experience, you do what is necessary.

The same is possible for your reading. You don't have to think about the word. You know what it means and your mind can create all you need to experience the thought that the word generates. Then a gestalt experience is possible where you experience the ideas behind the words.

It is interesting to see how many people find an inner voice that tries to hold them back, to convince them that there is no way they could possibly know a word by just looking at it and generating the thought.

We were taught in school to slow down if the material is hard so that we would remember it better. Yet when people slow down in tough material, comprehension drops to barely 50 percent. This is not just a result of the material being difficult. It turns out that the slower you read, the LESS you remember. Yes, the faster you read, the more you will remember. It is the way your brain is wired.

Yet speed reading students will struggle at first as their minds try to hold them back, trying to make them believe that there is no way they could read fast. Often, after a practice session reading at a rate of about 3,000 to 5,000 words per minute (the average reader reads at 250 words per minute), I will ask a student what they got out of the section they were reading. Often, the initial response is "well, I didn't get anything - I was moving too fast." I'll say, "OK, sure." Then I will ask again, "but tell me what you noticed, anything at all." The student will start describing all kinds of information that they picked up. Even though they did comprehend quite a bit, their minds are so convinced that only by saying the words aloud in their head and reading them one at a time could they possibly get anything.

Our powers to disbelieve even that which unfolds before our own eyes is very strong. Years of doing or perceiving things a certain way can result in strong resistance to change. We often have a fear of change as well, especially of those things we have held dear for many years, even if they haven't been working for us!

But that voice of self-doubt can be soothed and ultimately quieted. Just tell yourself "you know brain, I get why you think we didn't comprehend anything, but the fact of the matter is that we did. I understand your disbelief, but let’s be open to new realms of possibility."

What if you tried this in other areas of your life as well? When self-doubts arise, when you believe that options are few, what if you decided that you might not be right? What if you left open the possibility that your perceptions might be influenced by your lifetime of experiences, observations, and conclusions, not all of which are valid? It's kind of freeing, when you think about it, the idea that you have more control over your emotions and perceptions than you have previously believed?

Always be on the lookout for wonderful discoveries about how you could change your perceptions, alter your way of being, and challenge the assumptions that have created your ideas about how the world works. It is an amazing journey.

Is speed reading for real?

2009-10-12T06:30:00.000-07:00

I get questions and challenges from reading tutors and coaches sometimes, questioning the legitimacy of speed reading. After having been surrounded by an educational system with assumptions and techniques that seem to be designed to slow people down, it is no surprise.

People struggle with reading for a variety of issues. Some are social, some are emotional, and some are purely educational and process oriented. In my experience, mass education is often the culprit. Students whose learning style falls a little outside the expected norm are classified challenged and usually labeled, then ignored, punished, or even sometimes medicated.

But nearly everyone who is taught to read in the West is challenged because the process used in nearly every school ignores the natural power of the brain and uses techniques and assumptions that are primitive at best. When children are taught to sound out words in their head, they are essentially being given a ball and chain that diminishes their reading speed and comprehension potential by 50 percent.

Speed reading changes the input strategies most people are saddled with in school to ones that 1) are used by people who speed read naturally without instruction and 2) more closely match the way education and neurological research shows the brain wants it.

Did you know that the "QWERTY" keyboard was intentionally designed because it is the most counter-intuitive layout possible? It was designed to slow people down so that the original mechanical typewriters wouldn't jam as much. Now we have computers capable of lightning fast responses and the keyboard is the same!

I have seen thousands of people experience the joy that comes from letting go of the assumptions that shackle their learning. I have seen teenagers labeled ADD, slow, struggling, and a host of other terms blossom with these techniques.

You don't have to have worldly knowledge or an excellent vocabulary. In speed reading, context takes center stage as we holistically take in the conversation that the author intended.

Happy speed reading!

The Power of Affirmations

2009-09-19T16:14:00.000-07:00

Affirmations are very helpful. You have probably done them at one time or another. Giving yourself a "pep talk" before an important meeting or event is a good way to bolster your confidence. Visualizing the outcome you desire is a powerful way to achieve your goals.

The way our brain is designed makes visualizations and affirmations possible. Strange as it may seem, your brain doesn't really understand the difference between imagination and reality. Astronauts have known this for years. During training programs, they will visualize their work in space and body monitoring equipment will register as if they were really doing it. Their bodies and minds learn the movements. Professional sports teams use affirmations and visualizations as a primary training tool. We use these techniques in our speed reading workshops, but you can use them every day to help you get by.

Affirmations help in our information drenched world as well. It is easy to feel overwhelmed by all we are surrounded with each day. We come into contact with more information each day than we know what to do with.

Today's affirmation: I move through the world with confidence and grace, learning what I need to know along the way, increasing my awareness of important matters in my life.

Try this when you feel overwhelmed: I have the ability to learn all that I need to know and that which I have to learn will flow freely into my life.

Take a few deep breaths and say these affirmations to yourself before you begin your day, before you begin work, or just when you are feeling overwhelmed.

Have a great day.

Google insures that books stay alive!

2009-09-17T07:50:00.000-07:00

Print on Demand machines have been around for quite a few years. These amazing machines, part copier and part printer, can produce a 300-page soft cover book in about 5 minutes. I published both my books with publishers that used that technology. There is no need to maintain an inventory and the book can stay in print indefinitely.

Now Google has announced this week that it will make its catalog of 2-million digitized books available to On Demand Books "Expresso Book Machine" which it plans to make available to locations around the globe. These paperback books will cost the consumer about $8 each and will have access to the 2 million books on Google that are no longer protected by copyright. This includes titles published before 1923 and includes classics like "Moby Dick" and "Adventures of Huckleberry Finn" as well as very obscure titles.

What a wonderful balance this is between digital books on devices like the Amazon Kindle or Sony Ebook reader and the desire to have a real book in ones hand. For speed readers, it is an excellent development. Speed reading is best served by having access to the entire book, something that e-book readers don't yet do well.

We would all do well to check out these out-of-print older works being made available by Google. Too often these books are ignored since most can't be found during Internet searches. We must always remember that there are thousands of years of human thought that have been written down and we would all do well to explore this vast resource.

Speed Reading Practice - Week 3

2009-09-17T07:40:00.000-07:00

The beginning of the third week of speed reading practice could find you wondering if you have totally forgotten to read! The new techniques, not quite yet in your comfort zone, are becoming more and more familiar, but at times, you find yourself wondering if there is any merit to this new way of reading.

It is common for doubts to set in, especially when you are replacing long-held behaviors and beliefs about information intake. There is a part of our psyche that wants to hang on to the familiar, even if the familiar is painful or not working for us.

Be patient and ride out the confusion. Tell yourself, "this is only a temporary state of mind. Each day, I am becoming a better and better speed reader and soon, all these new techniques will feel familiar and easy."

By the end of the third week, you will likely find yourself feeling very confident with your new way of reading. If it takes longer, don't worry. It was months before I felt really comfortable with the new techniques, but I held the steadfast belief that it was the right thing to do and that it would eventually become part of my comfort zone. And it did!

Keep customizing the Triple Reading Process. Intentionally choose how you are going to read a book, how many passes through you will likely need (usually determined after the Overview), and whether or not you need to take notes while you read.

After a few months - sooner for some - you will feel less like you need a formal process. You will always Overview a book, article, or report, but then you will decide as you go what the process needs to be. I find myself moving back and forth between my notes and the book quite freely, always striving to "see the words and know that I know them."

Good luck!

Speed Reading Practice - Week 2

2009-08-20T08:10:00.000-07:00

If you have been practicing for 10 minutes or so a day since your workshop, you may be feeling somewhat at ease with some of the new techniques. If not, don't worry. These behaviors take some time to move into your comfort zone.

YOU DON'T HAVE TO BE COMFORTABLE WITH THE TECHNIQUES YET TO REAP THEIR BENEFITS.
This is important. Your brain needs the speed reading techniques you learned to operate efficiently, but it will still try its best to hang on to old behaviors. Don't worry. Keep at it and trust that it works.

During times of doubt, remember those moments in the workshop when it felt like it was happening for you.

1. Remember the book of questions that proved that you can "see the words and know them" without thinking.
2. Remember during the practice when you were doing the Overview step and I asked you what you got. You were able to tell LOTS about what was happening in the book even though you had not read it yet. You can see the words and know them.

This week, practice noticing that during the Overview step, you are able to understand quite a bit about what is going on in the chapter. Also notice any resistance you feel to believing it!

Sometimes you will notice that you glance at a phrase or sentence and a part of your mind totally knows that you get it. But a parallel part of your brain will sometimes be there as well saying, "come on, that's ridiculous - you can't know that - you didn't read it." When that happens, just acknowledge the thought and let it pass with a gentle: "yes, I know it seems that way, but I really am able to see the words and know them instantly."

This inner struggle will fade for some in time. In my case, it is often there, in the background, even after all these years, but it doesn't bother me. I just smile to myself and note how curious it is that my brain is always challenging me.

Be sure you invoke the reading process with each book:

1. Start by assessing how accountable you are going to be held to this book (is it an assignment, background reading, something you have to know for a test, or something you have assigned to yourself to bring into your life?).

2. Look over the book and get a feel for its layout and the table of contents. Look through the index if the book has one. Be thinking about what you think you need to get out of the book (or article or report).

3. Think about how you are going to lay out your notes. What would be the best approach to
accomplish your objective? Your objective might be to know the whole book for a test, to get a feel for the author's ideas for general background knowledge for a project you are doing, or to search for information about a particular topic that interests you.

4. Have that thinking result in a preliminary plan for your notes (Chapter by chapter, by theme, or whatever).

5. Conduct the Overview phase. Don't spend more than 3 or 4 seconds on a page. KEEP MOVING. You will be back! See the words and know them. Be sure you are RELAXED. Just let the words wash over your eyes in a smooth, sweeping motion. Use your pacer. Notice what ideas jump out at you. Don't worry if they are accurate. You will be back!

6. After this overview, you have a pretty good idea of the general content of the chapters of the book or whatever it is you are reading. You know enough at this point to make some choices.
a. Decide if you need the book at all. Maybe it isn't really what you need right now. Shelve it for later.
b. You may decide that something in Chapter 4 is what you were hoping to find and just focus on that chapter, leaving the rest of the book for later if at all. There is no law that you have to digest an entire book to get what you need from it right now.
c. If it is a pleasure book, you might decide that it isn't something you want to get into right now. Shelve it for a few months and come back and see how it feels then.

7. Go back, chapter, for the Gist stage. Here you are going line by line, taking in half of the line at a time. Do this in a relaxed state. Practice seeing the words and knowing them. Let the meaning build. Take notes if you are being held highly accountable for the book.

8. If at any point you feel like you aren't getting anything, stop, take a breath, and start again. You will be fine.

9. Go back, chapter by chapter, for the Details stage. Here you are also going line by line, taking in two or three (or more) words at a time. The details will eventually come through at this stage. Keep adding to your notes.

If the book is really dense, you might go back for another pass. If the book is really easy, you might be done after the Gist stage. You control the process.

Don't forget to RELAX and ENJOY the learning process!

Good luck!

What is the future of reading in the electronic age?

2009-08-14T11:30:00.000-07:00

NOTE: If you are a speed reading workshop graduate, read this using your new techniques! Either use the cursor as a pacer or if on your laptop, just lean over with your pen. Remember to always start with the Overview, always work toward just "seeing and knowing" the word. Go for it!

There has been considerable talk lately about the future of reading. Google's recent announcement that it is contributing to the digitization of libraries by converting millions of books to scannable, digital format has fueled this discussion. Will books fade from our lives? Will they be replaced with computers and hand-held devices? How will this effect speed reading?

First a word about speed reading. There is much that is misunderstood about it and recent speed reading graduates often find themselves questioned by family and friends. But it is difficult to argue with the results. Speed readers remember nearly all they read, they go through ten or fifteen articles while a slow reader barely finishes two, and they are comfortable with being surrounded by mountains of information. They confidently know they can go through it any time they want to.

How fast does a speed reader read? Slow readers, taught by well-meaning teachers in elementary schools around the world, barely read 150 to 250 words per minute with 72 percent comprehension at best. After a 2-day workshop and a few weeks of practice, speed readers replace their slow reading behaviors with a suite of skills designed to match up their information intake with the way their brains want to see it. Speed readers don't fall asleep while they read, a sure sign that your brain is bored. They don't find learning a chore. Learning is exciting, easy, and is done without fear or stress. They can read anywhere from 500 words per minute to thousands.

I have been around computers since the first computers hit workplace desks. I spent 20 years working for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory on space exploration missions, so computers have been part of my entire adult life. Even in high school, back in 1971, I was privileged to take a rare computer class where I learned computer programming and typed out my lines of code on paper tape and punch cards. It took a week before I saw my results, but it was exciting!

I have worked off of 3-inch orange and green CRT screens right up to the modern, super high resolution LED screens like on the 17-inch laptop screen I am looking at as I write this. And for part of my week, I give tours of the Microsoft Home, a home of the future with technology that might be available in the next five or ten years. In the Home, I am surrounded by displays that appear on the kitchen counter, on the bulletin board, and on the wall of the dining room.

But in spite of it all, I prefer books. Books are special and so far, no electronic format has been devised to take their place. E-book readers are a start, but they have none of the attributes that make a book special.

When I hold a book in my hand, I know I have the entire treatise of the author right there. I can feel the weight of it, the smell of it, and most importantly, I can look through any part of it easily. Having the entire piece right in front of me is important and I think it may be the critical element missing from electronic formats. There are many times when I read something that gets me thinking about something else, maybe something that is 50 pages away from where I am in the book. I know it is there because the first step of the speed reading process is to look at every page in the book before I start reading. That way, I get a truly holistic sense of the book and where it is going.

Part of the beauty of speed reading, and why our brains like it so much, is that it gives you that powerful ability to look at the book as a whole. No longer are we constrained by reading one word at a time, hoping that the author's ideas will build up by the time we reach the end. They rarely do.

Electronic formats so far give you one page at a time, locking you in to the old way of reading. I want to be able to flip through, skim, and bounce around in a book. Not all books we need to read are novels where you often want the story to unfold. Many books we need to take in are complex collections of an author's beliefs, discoveries, and conclusions that don't always need to be digested in order. Speed reading gives you that power, but current e-book readers take it away.

I don't know how to solve that problem in e-book readers. Even the Star Trek universe shows people hundreds of years from now with small format screens digesting one page at a time. I am concerned that young people growing up in our electronic age will lose the ability to examine problems holistically, will fail to see the big picture, and be content with only the partial story that is in front of them in the moment.

But I love it when I am writing and find a digitized book online that I can search, making my writing deeper and richer because of all the perspectives I can include. The digital world can be an important place. I recently sent the two books I have authored to Google for inclusion in their digitization effort.

But I will be collecting books as long as they are available and I will be guarding my precious collection of books from the last century while the digitization machine that is evolving all around us. There are many things that our devices are good for. I have a touch screen phone, a Zune music and video player that I carry around with 120 megabytes of storage space, and most of the time you will see a bluetooth ear bud hanging out my ear. I read millions of words online each week and that is great, to be sure. But the most important collections of ideas in my life are still on paper, bound together with glue, and sitting on a shelf, all there for me whenever I need them, even if the power goes out.

It is a comforting thought.

Online Speed Reading Practice Resources

2009-08-10T16:40:00.000-07:00

Hello Speed Readers!

Lots of folks have created tools for speed reading practice and you can find lots of them online. There are some handy websites to help you expand your peripheral vision, practice "seeing and knowing," and taking in a number of words at a time. Of course, you don't need any of them to succeed, but they can be fun.

1. Ababasoft.com
These folks have a number of simple online tools that are also available for download that will help to widen your peripheral vision and practice your speed reading.

2. AceReader.com
AceReader is an interesting collection of tools to practice the elements of speed reading skills. The best one may be the TACHISTOSCOPE FLASH AND RECALL GAME which will help you practice seeing and knowing the words. Be sure to set the options so the words appear in the center of the screen or it is just too hard!

3. Speed Reader II
This is an interesting program that allows you to input a text file and have clumps of words displayed at the speed you choose. It is a handy way to practice your "seeing and knowing."

4. HypnosMedia
An interesting program used as a tool for hypnotherapy, this will help you with peripheral vision practice.

5. The Sharm
An program that lets you create your own relaxation music. Downloading the trial will do all you need. Create a soundscape that you would like to listen to in order to relax prior to a learning activity.

6. Program Yourself Video
This video, by artist Pete Moraites, is an interesting visual piece that is a great way to practice your peripheral vision, soft focus, and the idea of “seeing and knowing” the words. It has an interesting message as well. Relax your eyes, let your soft focus rule, and see what you can see.

Of course, the only thing you need is a book, your pacer, and your brain! Enjoy.

First Day of Practice

2009-08-10T15:22:00.000-07:00

Hello new Speed Reader!

As you contemplate your speed reading practice, here are a few thoughts.

1. Remind yourself that you are making a choice to bring these new skills into your life after seeing their potential this past weekend.

2. Keep reminding yourself of those moments during our workshop where it felt like the new techniques were happening for you. Build on those moments and let them be your beacons of hope at times when you not feeling very connected to the process.

3. Each day, whenever you read, overview first, then go back and try the Gist stage (half the line at a time). Even if you go back and read in the old way, always be moving toward "seeing and knowing" the words. You DO know what they mean. The words are patterns - pictures - that represent a thought and you know it.

4. Pick a 10 to 15 minute time each day (at the same time would be ideal) when you practice the techniques. Either practice the entire process or pick a technique and practice it. For example, one day you could spend your practice time doing overviews, intentionally working to expand your peripheral vision, seeing and knowing the words, and noticing more. At another session, you could focus on the Gist phase and so on.

5. Journaling or blogging about your practice experience can be helpful in keeping you on track and motivating yourself.

6. Keep the notes going! Take notes in association matrix style in everything you do, whether it be school, business, or personal items. Planning a vacation? Use that form of notetaking. One line is the supplies you have, another is the ones you need to buy, etc. Shopping for a new car? Go with a form you made. One line could be colors, another options, etc. You see what I mean.

Before your practice, take a moment, take a deep breath, and relax! Learning a new skill is fun and exciting. Remember, speed reading has to be done in a relaxed state. Start out with an affirmation like "today I am going to become a better and better speed reader!" It works.

Good luck and don't hesitate to call or email me.