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Super Reading Secrets

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Devised by the man recorded in Guinness as the world's fastest reader--80 pages per minutes--this is the only program that combines the most up-to-date learning techniques and psychological discoveries with proven speed-reading methods and ancient tools like meditation to significantly improve both reading speed and comprehension.

256 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published September 1, 1992

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Howard Stephen Berg

23 books14 followers

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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
Profile Image for Prakhar Prateek.
67 reviews59 followers
June 3, 2021
I think this an book not just for speed reading rather it is for learning; how to learn or how to study. It gives an comprehensive guide and easy to do steps for different kinds of books (mainly non fiction though) and for different level of learning or mastery. It is a decent book but as of now I'm not buying the tall claims made by the author. It is obviously effective but I'm not just sure how effective.

Summary

A text can contain three level of meaning –
1. LITERAL - everything stated in the book
2. IMPLIED - author must process the stated text to reach here
3. INFERENTIAL - scrutinize the text like an expert. You have to question, probe and challenge the opinion and statements of the author.

Schema allows an reader to understand difficult material with ease. Schema is developed throughout our life.

During speed reading your hand coordinates your eye movement, this primarily prevents your eye from jumping to an unfamiliar place. It also allows you to read at your visually rather that auditory(i .e eliminating the need for sub-vocalization)

As an exercise read at your best comprehension rate, then read two line of text together and after that read four line of text together and finally read a paragraph all together. Use a non fiction book for this purpose and time each step the exercise for 3 minutes using a stop watch.
Use this primarily for skimming, I doubt that this kind of speed can be achieved in a short period of time. Take a non-fiction book, read a page in 5 seconds then read one in 2 seconds. Do each step of the exercise for 3 minutes.
First read at your best comprehension rate for a minute then double it, then triple it and finally quadruple it.
Test your new natural speed. In three exercises comprehension is not an issue, they would force you to read at a speed higher than your natural speed. you can slow down to comprehend important schema like noun, verb, topic sentences or new information.

Asking the key questions (who, what, where, when and why) helps in comprehension of the text. Further, you should search for negative words (no, not, can't, shouldn't, etc.) or conditional words(if, could, should, etc.). These words change the meaning of the entire sentences.

When reading text in a a narrow column such as a newspaper, magazine, etc., one should use the I hand movement. Read the top two lines and bottom two lines with left to right hand motion and the rest with keeping your finger in the center and moving it downwards. The top and bottom lines helps in getting the schema of the text.

Common reading Problems
1. Visual Regression - going backwards to understand something difficult or something you missed. It is not necessary to understand every word you read and you mark the part of text you don't understand to read it again later.
2. Visual progression and distraction - the habit of jumping forward or getting distracted by text ahead or somewhere else. To overcome this use hand movement, this help you focus on what you're reading.

Take a new non fiction book, analyze the information given in foreword, date of publication(relevance and reliability of information), introduction and jacket cover. then answer the following questions - Reliability, who, what, where, when, why and influences. Also analyze the table of contents carefully. It gives you an idea about the book (it's pattern) and find information that may help you comprehend difficult parts of the book. Skim through the acknowledgement to find familiar names in it.

Ask three kinds of question literal(specific), implied, and inferential. If you can't ask these question then you have not achieved mastery of the text.

If you encounter technical graphs or tables then you should not attempt to memorize them, instead look at them and mark them if you need to memorize them and do so later on. Memorization is a different step from reading.

Use summaries and abstract to ascertain what the text is about and whether it's worth your time or not. Read the index and glossary in five minutes. I t would give you an notion about your level of familiarity with the text.

In the first read skimming through the material( use your hand to go through the page quickly), giving only 2 to 5 seconds per page and mark the important areas in the margin. Give special important to text that is highlighted, bold, italicized or different than the normal format. If it is a large book then skim a few chapter and go to second reading. After that in the next reading, read at your best comprehension pace and mark areas that are to memorized or that you did not understand. Finally, in the last reading focus just the areas that you marked and memorize them now. Use a straight line (-) to say you did need more time to understand the text and an asterisks to denote that you need to memorize it.

Do not do productive skimming for fiction as it is for one's own pleasure that one reads fiction. Just read it at your best comprehension speed. Sometimes authors give large descriptions to read that is annoying. Rather that slowing reading the the description of a throne room for a paragraph, skim and know it is an large and well decorated throne room.

Organize information in your mind while reading by putting them in different sections. For hobby or special interest reading, focus on that is important to you.

In case of studying, the information is not learnt for a lifetime but for test. But when mastering information you should spend 10% of time reading and 90% of time studying. For extra fast reading, read double or triple your normal pace. Check out old question paper for examinations, see which level of learning is required for which topic. Analyze how much time the professor spends on a topic and which level of learning he expects for what topic.

Four levels of learning information :-
1. Awareness - just skim and then read at your best comprehension speed
2.Familiarity - skim, read at best comprehension speed and mark key points. Then come back to the highlighted passages of text.
3. Knowledge - skim, read at best comprehension speed and mark important and confusing text. Then come back to the points.
4. Expertise - total recall of all subject matter. It requires aptitude in the subject. skim, read at best comprehension speed and mark important and confusing text. Instead of reading, spend 90% of time with the highlighted material. Rapidly scan the old chapters before reading the new ones. This allows you to associate the two.

When studying you need not study for expertise levels always. Just study at a lower level and increase it's level if needed.

"Before starting to study, I asked myself, why am I reading the text? What is my purpose?Was it to learn about educational psychology? No! I was taking the exam to get four college credits in order to keep my job. Passing the test was my purpose, not learning the material. With this in mind, I knew that important information about educational psychology would not appear on the exam, so I could safely skip studying any items that were on an inappropriate learning level along with any extremely hard or easy material. Also, information that wouldn’t fit into a multiple-choice test would be missing. If my purpose was to learn about educational psychology, the focus of my reading would be quite different than the focus I would need to pass a test on educational psychology.

Skip topics that are too difficult and spend time in doing the easy topics.

Create schematic maps to not only remember the information but to understand there relationship with each other.

"It is easy to train your other senses to retain information if you make a mistake about a concept or definition written on one of your index cards. Take a legal-size writing pad and write the concept or definition that you incorrectly identified 25 times. Saying the concept or definition aloud while writing it down has a profound influence on many regions of your brain.
The visual region of your brain records the information, but you are also storing the information in other regions that previously were ignored. The motor centers connected to your writing hand store the information. Speaking the information aloud stores the information in the motor centers connected to your vocal chords, tongue, and lips, as well as stimulating your ears and the regions of the brain controlling hearing. More regions of your brain will actively store important information when using this technique. Place any index cards you have incorrectly identified on a pile separate from the index cards that you have correctly identified. When you have finished testing yourself on each index card, return to the index cards you have incorrectly identified and shuffle them. This ensures a new random order to these index cards. Again, test your recall of these index cards. If you make a mistake, again write down the correct answer 25 times while speaking it aloud. Place the index cards you have correctly identified on the completed pile, and practice repeatedly the meanings of the other index cards until you can correctly identify all of them. Using this technique, you eventually will remember the most difficult concepts and definitions."


Try to visualize information as if it is happening. Use the senses of of sight, smell, feel and taste. For example When studying American history, visualize George Washington crossing the Delaware River. Feel the gnawing cold, smell the water, and taste the air as it bites into your face.

Like Greek senators link information to your body parts - feet, shins, knees, thighs, rear(ass), stomach, heart, breast, shoulder and head.

The authors recommend Baroque music that has a natural rhythm of 60 beats per second. One of the finest Baroque composers was Mozart. To memorize information play this in background. Say the information first four second and then stay silent for the next four seconds. This tricks the brain into thinking it is remembering lyrics to a new song.

'Turn your study session into a creativity session by making up songs, poems, and jingles using your key information in their lyrics. Your stimulated mind will actually enjoy learning the information, though the data you must study remains the same.'


Create abbreviations to remember things.

Use an envelop to cover the answer and test your knowledge and expertise.

Take a break every 1 hour, it helps the brain in transferring information from short term memory to long term memory.

Body positioning for focus - sit on a chair, back straight, feet flat on the floor and place your palms on your lap.
Preparing to focus :-
Exercise 1 :
1. Take your right hand and place your thumb on the right nostril.
2. Using your thumb, pinch the right nostril closed.
3. Slowly and gently inhale through your left nostril while counting six seconds.
4. Pinch both nostrils closed and hold for six seconds.
5. Using your ring finger, gently pinch your left nostril closed and exhale for six seconds through your right nostril.
6. Pause for six seconds.
7. Using your ring finger, continue to pinch your left nostril and inhale for six seconds through your right nostril.
8. Pinch both nostrils closed, and pause for six seconds.
9. Repeat steps 1 through 8 for five minutes.

Exercise 2:
1. For stimulation of the mind, inhale through both nostrils while imagining the air is colored either red, orange, or yellow.
2. For relaxing the mind, inhale through both nostrils while imagining the air is colored green or light blue.
Of importance to you is the fact that thinking about colors can replicate the psychological
effects of seeing them. To stimulate your mind, visualize the colors red, orange, or
yellow. Green and light blue are soothing colors that can relax you.


Exercise 3:
1. Find a comfortable chair and assume the position used for mental focusing.
2. Close your eyes and begin to think of the number one.
3. Focus upon the next number as soon as you are aware that your mind has wandered from your
number.
4. Continue this exercise for a total of 30 minutes.
Christian monks focused their mind upon a single object, but instead of using a number, they focused upon the object of their devotion.

Exercise 4:
1. Focus your eyes upon the second hand of the watch.
2. Allow no thoughts to intrude into your mind while focusing your eyes.
3. Attempt to gaze at the watch for a total of five seconds without any intruding thoughts.
4. Each day, add five seconds to the length of time you can focus your mind without interruption.
5. Strive to develop the ability to maintain your mental focusing upon the second hand for a full ten
minutes without letting anything distract you.

The focusing exercise works best when it is repeated at the same time each day. Do not eat before mental focusing. Eating diverts blood to your stomach and intestines and away from your brain.

Music can help you overcome the draining effects of many negative emotions. Ideally, your music should contain no lyrics and should remind you of positive experiences from a more joyful period in your life. Many of the lullabies you enjoyed during childhood are perfect choices. The other alternative is to pray.

While taking standardized test then analyze the test. If you find easy sections, complete them quickly so you can spend more of your time answering the difficult test questions. Do not spend more than two to five minutes analyzing the test.

While solving reading comprehension or case study, always read the questions before reading the essay. Use your visualization skills to create a picture about the question being asked. While reading the essay you will recognize the portion of text containing the answer to the question.
Profile Image for Antonio Gallo.
Author 6 books55 followers
October 7, 2019
Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested; that is, some books are to be read only in parts; others to be read, but not curiously; and some few to be read wholly, and with diligence and attention. Some books also may be read by deputy, and extracts made of them by others; but that would be only in the less important arguments, and the meaner sort of books, else distilled books are like common distilled waters, flashy things. Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man. And therefore, if a man write little, he had need have a great memory; if he confer little, he had need have a present wit: and if he read little, he had need have much cunning, to seem to know, that he doth not. Histories make men wise; poets witty; the mathematics subtile; natural philosophy deep; moral grave; logic and rhetoric able to contend.

Alcuni libri devono essere gustati, altri masticati e digeriti, vale a dire che alcuni libri vanno letti solo in parte, altri senza curiosità, e altri per intero, con diligenza ed attenzione. Alcuni libri possono essere letti da altri e se ne possono fare degli estratti, ma ciò riguarderebbe solo argomenti di scarsa importanza o di libri secondari perché altrimenti i libri sintetizzati sono come l’acqua distillata, evanescente. La lettura completa la formazione di un uomo; il parlare lo fa abile, e la scrittura lo trasforma in un uomo preciso. E, pertanto, se un uomo scrive poco, deve avere una grande memoria, se parla poco ha bisogno di uno spirito arguto; se legge poco deve avere bisogno di molta astuzia in modo da far sembrare di sapere quello che non sa. Le storie fanno gli uomini saggi; i poeti arguti; la matematica sottile; la filosofia naturale profondi; la logica e la retorica abili nella discussione.

Fancesco Bacone: Essays, or Counsels Civil and Moral, 1625. It. Saggi civili e morali
4 reviews
October 13, 2013
Have you ever felt that reading a book just takes too long. It just feels like somethings preventing you from reaching your highest reading potential. You may be staring at a book for who knows when, and you still can't understand what the text is talking about.
Well, there's a solution!...
Read Super Reading Secrets by Howard Stephen Berg. It is an amazing book that teaches you how to read faster than ever before...I mean really fast, at least 20 pages a minute, or a page in 3 seconds, and still with incredible comprehension!!! By reading this book, you will learn from the world's fastest reader (who can read an incredible 250,000 words per minute), as recorded in the Guinness Book of World Records, 1990 edition. Even better, the book is very digestible and the steps to learning how to achieve your super reading goal are very simple and easy to do. Included in the book are ways to practice your newly learned skills and methods to measure your ever developing speed. Unlike most other programs, "Super Reading Secrets" trains not only your motor physical and motor skill, which are crucial to success, but psychological aspects as well, which is also equally as important. Along with reading superbly, you will also learn to cultivate a powerful memory that will enable you to memorize even complex information quickly and effortlessly, decrease study time, and much more.
Before reading this book, it took me FOREVER to read a long book...like days, and days, and day. After only about two months after reading this book and with barely any practice everyday, it only takes me about 30 minutes to read a 200 page book. (That's about 7 pages a minute!) Even more, I'm still getting faster every time I read!
Right now, read Super Reading Secrets to achieve your best and fastest reading speed.
9 reviews
May 19, 2008
I have read many speed reading books, but this is the most comprehensive. Howard Berg is recorded as the fastest reader in the world. His advice and techniques are pretty standard, but he presents them in a more practical way. It is good to read through the first time, ignoring the scripts. Then if you are serious about improving your reading speed, do the scripts.
Profile Image for JD Shaffer.
175 reviews4 followers
March 22, 2016
Just to be honest, I skimmed through the last 1/3-2/5 of this book. The author has some very good and practical suggestions and exercises. I believe following the suggestions and exercises as he prescribes will, indeed, increase your reading speed dramatically, but probably not to the level he achieves. *smile*
Profile Image for Shawn.
1 review1 follower
January 24, 2013
Wished I could have super speed read it. To be fair, the little i learned did improve my speed + comp. Minutely.
Profile Image for Tommy S..
142 reviews34 followers
October 18, 2021
Howard Berg is known as a gratest speed reader with place in the Book of Records. He can read with speed almost 90,000 words per minute it means he can read almost 60 pages/minute. How did he do that? Answer is on one magical word: pracctice. And practice makes the master!
Great book!
1 review
January 18, 2022
It's a quite best book but it takes some patience to read

It's one of the miracle book with simple memorizing techniques, speed reading, and some more interesting information.
I do recommend this book for students and who want to become more intelligent
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews

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