Prosper News: June 2006

Dear Student,

Another month has passed. Each day that comes and goes brings with it the opportunity for us to grow. The choice is ours. We can choose to take advantage of the information and help that is available to each of us.

We encourage you to use all of the resources that Prosper, Inc. offers you. If you have any questions about the benefits that you have available to you, ask your coach. Choose each day to increase your knowledge. Choose the path that will bring happiness to you and your family.

Sincerely,

Your Friends at Prosper, Inc.

Quote of the Month

Need for Speed

Process Information and Enrich Your Life

Managing Stress

We live in a fast paced world. There is so much new information around us that it seems impossible to keep up. There are so many books and articles written on any given subject that you could easily spend all of your time reading them and you would still never catch up.

Rather than become overcome by the wealth of information that we all have at our immediate disposal, take the time to look at alternatives that can aid you to process and retain more information in less time. There is no doubt that you have heard of speed-reading, but to the vast majority of us speed-reading remains a mystery.

The average reader reads between 200 and 300 words per minute while many speed-readers read over 1,000 words per minute. Studies have also shown that average readers comprehend only 60 percent of what they read while many speed-readers are able to comprehend about 80 percent. In the business world being able to capture information quickly is a skill that cannot be overlooked.

While speed-reading is a skill that takes time and practice to master, there are a few simple things that you can do to increase your reading speed and comprehension.

  1. Identify Your Purpose - the amount of information you hope to acquire from a book or an article often determines the style of reading you will use. If all that you need from a book or article is a rough overview, a quick skim is all that you will generally need. You can save a lot of time by skipping over the extra information that you are not concerned about.

    When you start your reading, take time to identify the amount of information you need to take with you. Take only the time you need to get the information you need.
  2. Read the Information Up Front - taking the time to read the table of contents and anything else that comes at the front of the book or article will help you to familiarize yourself with the flow and content of the literature as well as helping you to identify the key points. The more familiar you are with the subject, the faster you can read.
  3. Increase Your Vocabulary - nothing will slow you down like not knowing the meaning of the words that you are reading. Taking the time upfront to learn the definitions will save you time and frustration in the long run. Glossaries and the Internet are excellent places to start when trying to improve your vocabulary.
  4. Do Not Sub-Vocalize - learning to become a visual reader is a very important step to learning speed-reading. Most people sub-vocalize the words that they read. This habit comes as a result of the way we were taught to read. Most of us were told to sound out any word we did not understand. This habit which drastically reduces their reading speed. There are many software programs designed to help you overcome this tendency and to become a visual reader.
  5. Keep Moving Forward - another tendency that most people have is to go back and reread any passages that they may not have completely understood the first time. Generally, this is done to improve the comprehension. Studies have found that the opposite is true. When we break our natural flow through the passages, the mind has a tendency to lose pace and does not interpret the information as well. These breaks and pauses can often allow your mind to wander off the subject you are reading. Studies have shown that people who go back and reread passages generally have a lower comprehension of the text.

These five steps are ways that you can begin to increase your reading and comprehension. There are many computer programs available that will also help you to increase your reading speed. If you are curious about your reading speed, there are many tests available online.