ion, as well as location. This could involve learning a new language, studying for qualifications online, learning new skills and sports – all of which will include reading, and that isn’t just browsing a few web pages, it includes reading books, articles and journals.

If you have to absorb huge amounts of new information on a regular basis, you need techniques which will speed up the process. Speed reading is one way

Nowadays we are constantly bombarded with information, from the radio when we get up in the morning, via day-time and evening TV, as well as our daily newspapers and an increasing variety of magazines. Then we have the internet at work, college or home and street advertising and our mobile phones as we travel. As technology advances, the amount of knowledge we need to possess in order to keep up with our lives and our careers grows at an alarming rate.

How can we possibly cope with the huge volume of information needed just to stand still, never mind to move forward? Although audio and video are increasingly popular as means of disseminating information, reading is still one of the major routes to acquiring knowledge.

All of us have to study at some point in our lives and that no longer stops once we have finished our degree or gained professional qualifications. Increasingly powerful technology is changing the day to day activities in many jobs. 21st century workers have to be prepared to take on board the concept and practice of life long learning, if they are to keep their jobs. Continuing professional development is now an integral part of most careers.

But it’s not just work that demands increased reading. The internet gives us access to all sorts of opportunities to learn, for both pleasure and career advancement, allowing us to develop new skills on a part-time basis. The fact that many of us can also work online, either in our own businesses or as telecommuters, means we can live almost anywhere in the world, opening up the possibility of a completely new lifestyle, in terms of activities, hobbies, interaction with different groups of people and education, as well as location. This could involve learning a new language, studying for qualifications online, learning new skills and sports – all of which will include reading, and that isn’t just browsing a few web pages, it includes reading books, articles and journals.

If you have to absorb huge amounts of new information on a regular basis, you need techniques which will speed up the process. Speed reading is one way

rs grows at an alarming rate.

How can we possibly cope with the huge volume of information needed just to stand still, never mind to move forward? Although audio and video are increasingly popular as means of disseminating information, reading is still one of the major routes to acquiring knowledge.

All of us have to study at some point in our lives and that no longer stops once we have finished our degree or gained professional qualifications. Increasingly powerful technology is changing the day to day activities in many jobs. 21st century workers have to be prepared to take on board the concept and practice of life long learning, if they are to keep their jobs. Continuing professional development is now an integral part of most careers.

But it’s not just work that demands increased reading. The internet gives us access to all sorts of opportunities to learn, for both pleasure and career advancement, allowing us to develop new skills on a part-time basis. The fact that many of us can also work online, either in our own businesses or as telecommuters, means we can live almost anywhere in the world, opening up the possibility of a completely new lifestyle, in terms of activities, hobbies, interaction with different groups of people and education, as well as location. This could involve learning a new language, studying for qualifications online, learning new skills and sports – all of which will include reading, and that isn’t just browsing a few web pages, it includes reading books, articles and journals.

If you have to absorb huge amounts of new information on a regular basis, you need techniques which will speed up the process. Speed reading is one way

ined professional qualifications. Increasingly powerful technology is changing the day to day activities in many jobs. 21st century workers have to be prepared to take on board the concept and practice of life long learning, if they are to keep their jobs. Continuing professional development is now an integral part of most careers.

But it’s not just work that demands increased reading. The internet gives us access to all sorts of opportunities to learn, for both pleasure and career advancement, allowing us to develop new skills on a part-time basis. The fact that many of us can also work online, either in our own businesses or as telecommuters, means we can live almost anywhere in the world, opening up the possibility of a completely new lifestyle, in terms of activities, hobbies, interaction with different groups of people and education, as well as location. This could involve learning a new language, studying for qualifications online, learning new skills and sports – all of which will include reading, and that isn’t just browsing a few web pages, it includes reading books, articles and journals.

If you have to absorb huge amounts of new information on a regular basis, you need techniques which will speed up the process. Speed reading is one way

all sorts of opportunities to learn, for both pleasure and career advancement, allowing us to develop new skills on a part-time basis. The fact that many of us can also work online, either in our own businesses or as telecommuters, means we can live almost anywhere in the world, opening up the possibility of a completely new lifestyle, in terms of activities, hobbies, interaction with different groups of people and education, as well as location. This could involve learning a new language, studying for qualifications online, learning new skills and sports – all of which will include reading, and that isn’t just browsing a few web pages, it includes reading books, articles and journals.

If you have to absorb huge amounts of new information on a regular basis, you need techniques which will speed up the process. Speed reading is one way

ion, as well as location. This could involve learning a new language, studying for qualifications online, learning new skills and sports – all of which will include reading, and that isn’t just browsing a few web pages, it includes reading books, articles and journals.

If you have to absorb huge amounts of new information on a regular basis, you need techniques which will speed up the process. Speed reading is one way in which you can deal effectively with the volume of knowledge required to live successfully in the 21st century.

One of the first things you need to decide is why you are considering reading a particular book or article. It’s never just to gain knowledge, it’s what you intend to do with that knowledge that matters, as this will enable you to work out which sections of the book or article are most important. Let’s say you’re thinking about moving to France and are browsing through half a dozen books on the subject. You need to determine exactly what information you need and then read selectively. For example, if you have (or plan to have) children, the sections on education will be a priority. If you don’t have children, or they are grown up, information on French schools is probably irrelevant to you.

Once you’ve decided which chapters of the half dozen books you actually need to read, there are two main elements you need to consider: speed and comprehension. Clearly reading faster is of little value if you don’t understand the material. To ensure that speed is increased without losing comprehension, you have to develop new skills. This does take practice and commitment, however, speed reading can be learned surprisingly quickly and speeding up your reading will be extremely beneficial if you want to take advantage of the opportunities which today’s easy access to information provides. If you need to absorb a lot of information, for any reason, you need to increase your reading speed.

© Waller Jamison 2007