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Any person these days can benefit from getting through their reading materials just a little quicker. Anyone including business professionals, students, and avid readers can improve their way of life by saving time to absorb information in their reading materials by increasing their reading speed. It can help you get through a summer reading list, get through a text to prepare for a college exam, or even get through an employee manual just a little quicker.

Before you are ready to learn how to read faster, understanding the factors that make this goal a success is highly suggested. This may include keeping your focus, sitting in a comfortable position (preferably straight up), holding the book down with your left hand, and allowing your right hand to control the pace of your reading.

Depending on the type of training you encounter (online, visual, or audio), a wide-range of software and program options are available to help you read faster and improve comprehension with a wide-range of techniques. A few methods of scanning material to consider are listed below:

Using the Hand

Try placing your right hand on a page and slowly guide it straight down, making sure your eyes follow downward as you read. The motion of the hand should become even and slow, as if your right hand is in complete control. Even if your eyes are right where your hand is, you will eventually learn how to go at a faster pace. Pause, read a little bit, stop, read a little, start, read a little more. The movement is intended for a slow and easy pace, which is performed only once per page. Left-handed readers will use the left hand as the dominant hand for pacing.

Using a Card

With a card or folded-up piece of paper, start reading after the paper has been placed above the line of print to block previously digested sentences. The goal is to slowly draw the card down the page in an even manner, aiming to read passages before the words become covered. This technique can help you discard your habit of reading passages more than once. It forces you to pay more attention the first time around.

The Sweep Method

Your hand can be used to assist your eyes across a page. First, slightly cup your right hand - keeping your fingers together. Using a light and smooth motion, sweep your fingers from left to right, making sure to underline the line using the tip of your longest finger. Your entire arm should be moving at this point - balanced on the muscle in your arm. Some people envision dusting crumbs off of the page to master this method.

Zig-Zagging

This technique is meant to cover about 3 lines at a time in a zig-zag hand motion or a diagonal pattern. Then you need to slide your hand down to the next line. This technique is not to read each word, but to just pick up the main ideas from each block of text. As you practice this technique will come easier to you. If you need to read a book carefully and pick up small details this technique is not recommended.