Comprehension in reading doesn’t necessarily mean remembering everything you read – just the most important things. Speed reading practice will teach you how to identify the vital information in a text, target the details you need to extract from that text, and focus on remembering those specific items. In order to do this, you need to do two things: first, learn to scan text for keywords and titles; and second, learn to analyze text as you scan it.

Note: These instructions are most useful for nonfiction reading where you have a specific goal, objective, or question. While you can scan through fiction or poetry, you might not enjoy the reading as much – and that’s what “reading for pleasure” is all about. However, if you need to do a book report, or write a summary, or merely get the general plot of a novel, scanning will help you get that quickly as well.

Scanning allows you to skim over a page of text while looking for the keywords that help you identify the information you need from it. If you’re looking for a particular piece of information or an answer to a question, you can look for words related to the question or the answer. For example, if you’ve been given several articles and journals on trends in computer systems development because your manager wants to get facts to back up a new IT development plan for off-site workers, you can scan those texts for terms like “network” and “teleconference” and “virtual desk.”

If you’re not looking for specific information, but need to get an overview of the text, you can focus your mind by asking yourself questions that you want the text to answer. If you have the question in mind, your eyes will automatically stop on the answers. Here are some questions to keep in mind:

Who is the author speaking to?
What is the main point of the text?
Why did the author choose the supporting points they did?
Where did the author source the references?
When was the text written, and have things changed since then?

When you are able to focus but not focus on a text – skimming for important points, keeping a global view of the text rather than reading word-for-word – you will be able to think about the text at the same time and begin to analyze it. At this level, you’re starting to synchronize your mind with the author’s and will be able to anticipate where they’re going with their points, which will help you read even faster.