Mentally, quickly fill in the blank of the following statement with a word or words that best describes your reading ability:
I am a __________ reader.
Your response will most likely fall into one of two major categories: negative or positive. Some negative terms I typically hear from people in my workshops include “slow”, “lazy”, “overwhelmed” or “frustrated” while the more positive ones include “good”, “avid”, or “voracious”.
Whatever your attitude, it makes sense that those with a more negative attitude typically read less and find reading to be more boring and a chore. Those with a more positive attitude then Read More...
Many people learn how to read by sounding out words and hearing them in their head. This works well for learning words but not for reading faster. Once you have a solid sight vocabulary, you do not need to read every word.
Pure subvocalization, also know as mental whispering or hearing all the words in your head as you read, slows down your reading speed. An average untrained reader has an average reading speed of 250 words per minute; however, mental whisperers average only 100 to 150 words per minute. We CANNOT GET RID OF this talking but we CAN REDUCE it.
While subvocalization is useful when reading things like poetry or plays or while studying or memorizing, it slows you down with your other reading.
Try these 10 Read More...
Looking for a great read? Pick up a personal development book and invest in yourself and future.
Do not think you have time to read? Check out our Reading Smart workshop where you will learn how to read faster and increase your comprehension.
Top 10 Personal Development Books
There are tons of personal development or self help books out there. Some are good, some are terrible. So how do you tell the good stuff from the mediocre?
This list will be a great starting point, as it lists and briefly reviews ten of the best personal development books out there. These books cover a wide variety of sub-genres within the personal development area, but all of these can help you Read More...
Have you ever read something but don’t know when, or if, you will ever need to actually use it? And if questioned a few weeks later about the subject, is your memory vague, at best?
Myth – I can’t, nor will I, be able to remember everything I read.
Truth – You will remember what you choose to remember!
There are two factors at play: 1) When you are reading, you don’t usually know when you’ll need the information again. 2) You probably do not use any intentional, conscious, or active strategies to keep your memory fresh.
So what can you do to engage your Read More...
So I’m at a party and someone asks me what I do. If you’re like me, you could say many things! But when I choose to say “I teach speed reading,” the reactions vary though the most common is something like “Wow, I could really use that! Can you tell me how to do it?!” So I’ve gotten pretty good at condensing down the content of my books and 20 years of experience into a very short synopsis. I thought you might have interest, especially if you have always wanted to know a few “secrets” about speed reading.
Your Reading Stick-Shift
I begin by saying that readers really do have a reading stick-shift that consists of five gears with gear one being very slow up through Read More...
By creating a reading list, your reading will automatically become more directed, focused and intentional. By simply creating a list, you stop reading randomly, and start reading with intent. This alone will increase your enjoyment and comprehension.
1. Ask yourself this question: what do you want to know more about? It could be sharpening skills for your professional career, a trend in your industry or a personal development topic. List all the subjects you are interested in.
2. Review your list and pick the top three subjects.
3. Now just for fun, add two more categories – fiction and biography. Why? Because all work and no play makes jack a dull boy. This makes 5 categories.
4. Read More...
The Freedom Team had a very difficult time narrowing down all of the books that were submitted for the Best Business Book Contest. There were so many great ones to pick from AND a ton of great recommendations I know our team will be reading this summer.
I complied all of the entries so you can have an easy to reference ”to-read” list. One aspect of this list I found interested was that not all of the books submitted would be found in the business section of a book store, but the information in the books can be directly applied to your professional life.
The Best Business Books as Voted by our Read More...
As a company, we are all voracious readers and always on the look out for great books. We believe that the books you read have a tremendous impact on your attitude, success and quality of your life.
So, for this month’s contest, we want to know:
What is your favorite business book AND what is one thing you learned from it?
To enter, post your answer as a comment below. Feel free to enter as many books/insights as you would like.
Winners will be based on the quality of the insights they learned from the book.
If you want to Read More...
When was the last time you had any training to develop or polish your reading skills?
For most people, the answer is grade school. With the mass amounts of information available today from the internet, books, emails and magazines, many people feel overloaded with the material they have to read.
What would you do if you could read 2x or 3x faster than you do now?
Imagine the impact on your life, business and growth if you had the time to read more books, industry journals, newspapers or simply get through your email inbox!
Freedom Personal Development is excited to introduce the free Start Reading Smart Read More...
