The human mind has almost infinite potential
Science has suggested that the human mind has an almost infinite potential for learning
and processing information. The problem has always been how to access this incredible
power.
95 - 5
Research shows that reading is 95% thinking and only 5% eye movement. Most of today's
reading programs focus only on rapid eye movement techniques.
250 words per minute
The average reading speed is around 230 words per minute. Most people are capable of
reading at least as fast as 500 words per minute however they are "held back" by
bad reading habits. Faster readers enjoy better grades at school and advance higher in
their careers.
The average college student reads between 250 and 350 words per minute on fiction and
non-technical materials. A "good" reading speed is around 500 to 700 words per
minute, but some people can read a thousand words per minute or even faster on these
materials. What makes the difference? There are three main factors involved in improving
reading speed.
John F. Kennedy
One of the fastest readers in the American society was John F. Kennedy and this could
be related to the speed in which he presented his speeches. He delivered his speeches
faster than most can even try to talk.
1,000,000 words per week
Is essential information your enemy or ally? A recent Xerox study determined that you
must read at least 1,000,000 words per week just to stay abreast of new information. Think
about that, 1,000,000 words a week! Yet, the average reading speed is only about 200 words
per minute. Since the decisions you make each day are only as good as the information you
base them upon, your information glut is a serious detriment to your professional
performance. As the author of Mega Speed Reading, and the world's fastest reader I will
share some of my accelerated learning strategies with you for staying on top of essential
information.
1,000,000,000,000 brain cells.
Human minds have 1,000,000,000,000 brain cells. In fact, the inner connections, the synapses, in our mind are virtually infinite. It has been estimated by a scientist that the number of synapses we have would be a 1 followed by 10 million zeros. Our physical capacity for reading is beyond our comprehension.
Our visual unit has the capability to take in a full page of text in 1/20 of a second.
If we could turn the pages fast enough, our brain could process it faster than our eyes
can see it. If we could turn those pages fast enough, our eyes have the capacity to read a
standard book in six to twenty-five seconds depending on the length of the book. We could
take in the entire Encyclopedia Britannica in one hour. So reading 700 - 1,000 words a
minute is easily within our reach.
4 million words per month
The average business person today is required to read 4 million words per month. That's
close to 50 million words per year. It would take the average reader (reading 200 words
per minute) 3,333 hours of reading each year in order to read that much! Who has the time
for that much reading? Do you?
Who reads slowly?
Lawyers and executives read the slowest based on testing two-million people. They are afraid they will miss something, causing these intelligent folks to stop and caress each word like it was the Hope diamond. They regress twice on every page, and have a comprehension of only 70% as they "snail" along.
Synonyms
"photo reading" is different from "regular reading" and different
from "speed reading." It is more a way to "process" and
"understand" information than it is to "read" information. Because
photo reading uses more of your mind, you can go through information more easily and with
greater understanding.
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