Reading: Words Per Minute, Smoke and Mirrors.

My mother used this lamp to light her way to bed.

WPM, Smoke and Mirrors. 

By M’reen

In my opinion, wpm (words per minute read) scores

are nothing more than smoke and mirrors - a way of ticking a spurious box.

Speed Reading appears to be a generic term that reflects any sort of reading

that takes a form different from when you first learned to decipher the squiggles on a page.

There appears to be two main branches which, naturally, borrow from each other.

These are Speed Reading and what I term as InnerMind Reading

and these are completely outshone by Quantum Speed Reading.

You really need to view these Indigo Children connect with the book’s author.

Turbo Charged Reading finds a home with the InnerMind Reading programmes 

and it borrows nothing from traditional speed reading.

1)    There is what I understand as Speed Reading; 

first created in the 1950s and this is principally composed of exercises and drills that (in my opinion) force you to ‘see’ more words on the line at a faster speed. 

I have found that the Speed Reading course I am receiving by instalments,

simply does not suit me as being slightly dyslexic my brain isn’t wired 

to accommodate these exercises and drills.

Wikipedia:

“The World Championship Speed Reading Competition stresses reading comprehension as critical.

The top contestants typically read around 1,000 to 2,000 words per minute with approximately 50% comprehension or above. The world champion is Anne Jones with 4,700 words per minute with 67% comprehension. The 10,000 word/min claimants have yet to reach this level”. I understand that the World Champion Speed Reader has held her title for a number of years.

The American, Howard Berg, claims to be the world’s ‘Fastest’ Speed Reader, 

as he reads at 80 pages a minute and states that he took a six hour exam in fifty minutes.

Gosh, I mostly can’t read my notes at the best of times.

He also claims to read at 25,000 words per minute

which is standard for novice ‘InnerMind’ reading Turbo Charged Readers,

indeed Paul McKenna and others on the British Learning Channel were recorded as 

PhotoReading 1,000,000 words per minute with 70% understanding.

I chose a page in a book at random that had 6 empty lines between paragraphs and so it appears that Howard Berg is reading at 33,600 wpm, therefore he is turning the pages at a shade faster than 1 per second which appears to be more like the first stage of InnerMind reading rather than speed reading.

As like the third stage of Turbo Charged Reading he speeds up and slows down (at some point?) 

when it is appropriate for comprehension and learning.

Reading without comprehension at the level you require is pretty pointless

– as yet I do not know how comprehension is achieved when speed reading

as I’ve not received those instalments.

Wikipedia:

Much controversy is raised over this point.

This is mainly because a reading comprehension level of 50% 

is deemed unusable by some educationalists (Carver 1992).

Speed reading advocates claim that it is a great success 

and even state that it is a demonstration of good comprehension for many purposes (Buzan 2000). 

The trade-off between "speed" and comprehension

must be analyzed with respect to the type of reading that is being done,

the risks associated with mis-understanding due to low comprehension,

and the benefits associated with getting through the material quickly

and gaining information at the actual rate it is obtained.

2)    InnerMind Reading: Turbo Charged Reading comes into this bracket.

            I understand ‘InnerMind' was first created in Australia? in the 1970s

            and again in the 1980’s in America

            and this method of reading applies skills 

            we already use in our daily life.

This type of ‘InnerMind’ reading claims WPM of 25,000 for a novice

to Paul McKenna and others on the British TV Learning Channel

recording 1,000,000 wpm with 70%+ comprehension.

However, if you read their information a little further

you will find that both Speed and InnerMind Reading qualify their claims

as this depends on the individual, the material read etc and, importantly,

how they define the test parameters.

Therefore I think that practical examples are more applicable:

Using one of the InnerMind reading methods,

a PhD student read and then wrote his thesis in 3 weeks

whereas it takes others of his calibre 6 – 9 months to achieve the same results. 

Another’s system’s testimonial states reading at 52,000 wpm

with 100% comprehension, but it doesn’t state whether he read

e.g. 10, 100, 1,000 or 10,000 individual words or pages.

Or if the lines of text were of a full page length or of the width of a very narrow column.

Or the lines broken down into readable chunks as in my blogs.

As a beginning Turbo Charged Reader I took 6 minutes to complete the first stage 

of the three TCR stages and that is to prepare my body, brain, mind and energy systems 

to download 2-300 pages of a book into my innermind by bypassing my eyes and conscious brain.

First I TCR the book upside down and back to front

so that individual words didn’t jump out at me

and then I TCR the book right side up from the front cover to the back.

The second stage consists of doing nothing (this depends on whether

you are reading emails / documents / reports / newspapers (0 minutes),

novels (10 minutes) or non-fiction material (20 minutes to overnight). 

During this period your brain gets to grips with the downloaded material

cataloguing, cross-referencing it with the information you already have

and then collating the material you want from this paper of electronic source.

The third stage is bringing the information wanted

into my conscious working mind. In order to write your thesis.

I have chosen to use novels to give you an idea of my progress.

because a non-fiction book cannot be universally known or be of a universal format.

I use the word ‘progress’ as reading is so individual

depending on a  great many factors.

I hope that you recognise my painting as being Aslan the creator of Narnia. 

As an example of the memory of material Turbo Charged Read

I’ve used The Chronicles of Narnia as you may have read at least one 

of these books or perhaps seen the film of 

The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe.

The books are around 100 pages long

and the language and plot is easy to comprehend.

I used these books to give an example

of how one might read their course books for the year.

Then I chose Chaos and Order by Stephen Donaldson

to give an idea of the speed or more accurately the amount I can read in a given time. 

You could easily read less or more.

This material is ‘difficult’ for me to read as he uses many words I didn’t know existed 

and when I looked some up, before instantly forgetting their definition, 

however I found that in the context of the sentence I understood their meanings 

in the same way that I understand new traffic signs and road markings in their environment 

but could not describe them to you without that background.

Also, I don’t usually read sci-fi so a lot of the terms and concepts passed me by.

There are four books in the series, all with 600+ pages,

there are also a large number of characters, each with their own story line.

There are mini-chapters to explain the technical, political, philosophical etc. aspects of the series.

And there are many repetitions of the plot from an individual’s

perspective and assumptions that make the text unsuitable

to plot my memory of the material TCR for this exercise.

However, this repetition aids understanding and is an excellent memory aid.

1^st 25 minute reading of Chaos and Order 

all from different chapters of the book.

Preparation: 0 minutes

Intention: 0

TCR the material: 0 minutes

Each word read the material: 25 minutes

Pages read: 14 (I was shocked that I‘d read so little.)

Memory after 1 day: None.

2^nd 25 minute reading

Preparation: 35 seconds

Intention: To read the material quickly

TCR the material: 0 minutes

Fast read the material: 25 minutes

Pages read: 41

Memory after 1 day: Like a faded dream.

3^rd 25 minute reading

Preparation: 35 seconds

Intention: To read and remember the material.

TCR the material: 1 minute 27 seconds to TCR 100 pages twice

a)     back to front and upside down

b)    front to back and right side up

2 minutes and 2 seconds to reach this stage with a 10 minute break for the information to mature.

Fast read the material: 25 minutes

Pages read: 96

Memory after 1 day: I’m satisfied with my memory of the material read.

These results are:

1^st )  14 pages with no memory. Preparation. 0 minutes + 25 minutes reading

2^nd ) 41 pages with a fading memory. Prep. 35 seconds + 25 minutes

3^rd ) 96 pages with a reasonable memory. 35 secs + 1 min27secs+25 min

Therefore for an additional 2 minutes and 2 seconds I read 82 more pages

and this is the same as reading seven times faster

than if I’d just picked up the book and started reading it.

Please remember that these are the speeds achievable by most novices.

And also remember, that reading in this way is the SLOWEST way to TCR

and is only used when you want to read every word sequentially.

You could try reading for 25 minutes or even 12½ minutes

Then count the number of pages you have read

and multiply that number by seven.

I choose 25 minutes because it gives plenty of time to be distracted.

In fact my only distraction during readings 1 and 2

was to wonder if I’d switched on the timer.

During the third read through someone sounded their car horn

and frightened the life out of me as I was that absorbed in my reading.

Did I find this a satisfying experience? No and Yes.

I was pleased with the increase in the pages read

I was pleased with my level of concentration.

I was pleased that after the 3^rd reading session, and much later,

I remembered more and my ‘videos’ in my head were richer.

However, I was not satisfied with my emotional experience.

In future, as in the past, I would spend the preparation time

but I would fast read slower.

The first read was rather like being in a waiting room

as I was just filling in time pleasantly,

However if you was waiting for a meeting,

your time could be used far more productively.

The second read was rather like gobbling food as fast as I could

before I ran out of time;  it satisfied my need but was not enjoyable.

The third read (because I had made the material familiar to my innermind)

was like going down a long smorgasbord where I rushed a little

and didn’t enjoy it to the full, simply appreciating the possibilities

and savouring only a small amount that was on offer.

Ordinary each-word reading a novel is the slowest way of reading

as each word is read by your eyes and sounded out in your mind.

Unless you are like my friend who can read a novel in half an hour

and take master mind questions a few days later.

Actually, he doesn’t think that he sees every word (consciously).

When Turbo Charged Reading a novel it is still the slowest way of TCR

as you FAST read each, or at least most, of the words on every page.

When TCR other material from an email to a 3 inch/8cm+ manual

you read it in a particular way depending on the content

and what you want from the material therefore you do not read

each individual word unless you wish to do so for some reason.

Because of the sequence of Turbo Charged Reading,

comprehension, memory and long term recall is build in.

Imagine, if you would, that you are skiing.

You need a pair of skis and you are more able with two ski poles.

With TCR you also have four supportive and interlocking strands 

and these are:

Your body,

Your brain,

Your mind,

Your energy system.

So, is Turbo Charged Reading Smoke & Mirrors?

No, because I do not make isolated claims

taken out of context for publicity reasons.

You have available my experience of memory

when reading The Chronicles of Narnia.

The amount of material read during a timed period

when reading Chaos and Order.

And the problems I experienced when reading Horrible Henry.

You can TCR music, poetry or self development, material for internal knowing.

I can Turbo Charge Read a novel 6-7 times faster and remember what I’ve read.

I can TCR an instructional/academic book around 20 times faster and remember what I’ve read.

Introduction to Turbo Charged Reading YouTube

A practical overview of Turbo Charged Reading YouTube 

How to choose a book. A Turbo Charged Reading YouTube

Emotions when Turbo Charged Reading YouTube

Advanced Reading Skills Perhaps you’d like to join my FaceBook group ?

www.facebook.com/mreenhunt

www.pinterest.com/mreenhunt

Perhaps you’d like to check out my sister blogs:

www.innermindworking.blogspot.com         gives many ways for you to work with the stresses of life

www.ourinnerminds.blogspot.com               which takes advantage of the experience and expertise of others.

www.happyartaccidents.blogspot.com         just for fun.

To quote the Dr Seuss himself, “The more that you read, the more things you will know.

The more that you learn; the more places you'll go.”