"Triple Your Reading Speed" by Wade E. Cutler

• The average reader can increase, by a minimum of three times, his present reading rate.
• Each individual reads mainly at the basic rate he or she has been taught.
• Most “untrained” readers read between 125 and 250 wpm.
• Ideas and information are the important benefits to be gained from silent reading -- not the words themselves.
• Reading rate is controlled primarily by the deviations of eye fixations (stops) made per line of print.
• It is necessary to reduce the number of eye-stops in order to achieve marked increases in reading rate.
• A conscious and deliberate control of eye movement must be acquired.
• The vision consciousness (eye span) area must be increased.
• A regular, systematic method for visually covering the printed page must be developed and practiced.
• Intensive and extensive practice with faster, more effective methods is necessary.
• As eye fixations (stops) are reduced, reading speed increases accordingly.
• When the eyes are in motion across the printed line, all letters and words are blurred and no actual reading can take place.
• Reading rate (and comprehension) is determined further by other reasons and conditions
• The reader’s basic intelligence, coordination, and visual acuity.
• The type of material being read
• The purpose for which the material is read.
• The reader’s familiarity with the field or subject.
• The degree or level of the reader’s interest and/or motivation.
• The reader’s attitude toward reading in general, and the subject in particular.
• The reader's immediate state of health, well-being, fatigue, comfort, etc.
• The individual’s previous reading experience, or lack of same.
• It is not possible to think successfully about two or more things simultaneously.
• To read effectively, your mind must be on what is being read.
• Reading is a mental activity primarily; to a lesser degree it is also a physical one.
• Any activity -- mental or physical -- requires the expenditure of energy.
• Prolonged or sustained exertion of energy will produce fatigue.
• Fatigue, either mental or physical, tends to lessen the individual's ability to concentrate.
• Reducing the total time required to read a given amount of material will aid comprehension by actually reducing fatigue -- both mental and physical.
• The total meaning and content of a book, short story, play, letter, etc., cannot be understood or appreciated fully until the entire content has been read.
• Reading effectively at a faster rate will enable the individual reader to see the “whole” more quickly, thereby improving overall understanding.
• The normal individual’s thinking rate far exceeds his speech rate of approximately 150 words per minute.
• Pre-reading can tend to reduce your actual reading load by helping to determine quickly whether what you have before you is worth spending time to read in depth.
• How to pre-read a nonfiction book:
• Examine the outside -- front and back
• Note the author’s name and qualifications
• Check the publisher’s name and copyright date
• Read the front matter -- introduction, preface, foreword, etc.
• Carefully look over the table of contents
• Thumb through the book. Note any graphics.
• If there is an overall summary or conclusion, read it carefully.
• Peruse indexes, bibliographies, and glossaries if any are included
• From the preview, evaluate the book’s value for your purpose.
• How to preview a chapter:
• Study the title
• Question the title
• Note the number of pages
• Read the first paragraph or so
• Read the last paragraph or so
• If there is a summary or conclusion, read it carefully.
• Look over any study questions, tests, or problems at the end.
• Page through the entire chapter.
• Take a few minutes to reflect on upon what you have learned already.
• You are now ready to read and study with a purpose.
• How to preview magazine articles
• Read the article’s title and any subheadings.
• Note the writer’s name and any biographical notes about him.
• Carefully examine all graphics.
• Read the first few paragraphs.
• Read the first or topic sentence of all succeeding paragraphs.
• Read the last few paragraphs.
• The most effective means for overcoming the wasteful habit of looking back to see what was missed the first time is to simply stop doing it.
• Your best defense against wasteful, time-consuming visual progressions is to preview thoroughly.
• When you take a break, get both physically and mentally away from reading and study materials.
• Vocalization when reading is, of course, reading aloud; sub-vocalization might be defined as reading aloud silently -- to one degree or another.
• Before starting to practice news-type columnar reading exercises, use a ruler or other straightedge to trace a thin line down the vertical center of several columns. Then make your eyes follow the line downward as you attempt to see all the words on either side of the center -- without left-right movement. Repeat each column several times, and note that comprehension tends to improve with each repetition. It must be emphasized that neither speed nor good comprehension is the main objective of this practice; further development of eye control and increased vision span are the main goals here.
• Developing the ability to see wider areas is one key to success with rapid reading. Developing the ability to see deeper (vertical, or up-down) areas is yet another.
• If you persist with a tendency to either vocalize or sub-vocalize what you see, try counting aloud repeatedly from one to ten, or recite a simple poem or the lyrics to a song you know well as your eyes visually “comprehend” each line.
• Even after having developed better eye control and a wider, deeper, and more effective vision span, would-be rapid readers often are hindered from achieving really impressive rates because of a failure to maintain an accelerated rate throughout a longer reading.
• If possible, finish an entire book in one sitting; doing so will benefit overall comprehension.
• Reading is a skill -- a developed or acquired ability.
• An acquired ability or developed ability can be developed further, refined, and improved.
• A carefully worked out and tested course or program is essential to facilitate measurable improvement.
• Reading rates, methods, and patterns can and do become habit.
• You will accomplish more and do better if you devote full attention to one subject at a time.
• To maintain and improve your faster, more effective reading techniques, it is suggested that you continue to read more and more without falling back into your slower habits.
• Few persons know how to study effectively; teaching them proper and effective study practices will result in more productive study time and improved comprehension.
• For all tests, prepare adequately in advance. (This includes having the necessary materials -- paper, calculator, writing instruments, etc.) Relax; start work immediately; budget your time; read each question carefully; be concerned with only one answer at a time; recheck your work if time permits; and never turn in your paper until the teacher asks for it.