Have you wondered what exactly the process of reading is? We are able to read and comprehend because of numerous subtle body gestures and functions that happen in quick succession allowing us to sense, absorb and comprehend the material in front of us. All of this happens so instinctively that we aren’t even aware of it happening most of the time. Amongst all these reading functions, the most fundamental is ‘Eye fixation’.

We all know that to see something (without it getting blurry) we have to focus on it. We are also ‘focusing’ or ‘fixating’ on what we see in front of us when we are reading: words. Our eyes stop for an instant at one word and after we’ve taken it in, they flit to the next word. In fact, because of the coverage of our vision (vision span), we are usually able to take in more than just one word. The amount of words we are able to read in one fixation depends on our vision span (which is different to every person). Here the logical implication is that the speed reader has far less eye fixations than the average one. He is able to read more words in a single glance because of his wider vision span.

Here is an example depicting the vision span:



Above, you can see a single eye fixation- aimed towards the four words in bold. The vision span is involved in reading these words but it can also sense the words to either side of them. Vision expansion (a speed reading technique discussed later on) helps you in widening your vision span to take in more words in a single eye fixation. When you are able to read more words per fixation, your eyes spend less time in flitting and you end up reading faster.

Immediately after your vision span picks up words, your brain starts comprehending them. At higher reading speeds, when you have a wider vision span, your brain has to process more words at a single glance. And if your processing isn’t able to keep up with the input it’s getting, your understanding and retaining of the material will start declining.

When we read slowly, we are all able to absorb and comprehend much more, and at much higher levels, than when we read quickly. Even the speed reader, who can do about even 1000 words per minute, is able to understand and retain more when they read at lower speeds. Therefore, it’s a given that when you try to read quickly, you will comprehend less and be able to recall even less. So while vision expansion and other techniques can speed up your reading, you also need to make sure your comprehension abilities keep up.

You might want to ask at this point: Is it possible to read quicker and retain just as much as you would when you read at your current speed? The answer is ‘yes’. With practice and effort, you can achieve high speeds without a significant loss in your understanding of the material. Keep reading and you will find out how to utilize the methods in this course to increase your reading speed while still understanding what you read.