So I was doing some online training recently on speed reading. (During which I was looking for a way to speed up the video play speed to get through it faster - I thought this would be entirely aligned with the training aims - but there wasn't a way to do it
). It's something I've tried in the past with limited success.Anyway - the training showed a number of interesting techniques surrounding the whole topic, but also introduced me to a Chrome extension called "Swiftread" to bring the speedreading element into the modern day. And it's pretty cool.
I wouldn't use speedreading techniques to read novels. Unless of course you were paying me to review them, and speed to complete was paramount. I get far more enjoyment subvocalising (reading the text aloud in your head at a similar pace to how you would read it aloud to a room), and soaking in the content with the gaps and pauses that the author intended. But for quickly consuming more technical or just non-fictional text - it's really quite effective.
Install the extension, and any text in Chrome can then be presented within a "swirftreader" pop-up. You select the speed, and the number of words shown (sometimes in more technical stuff it's useful to see longer phrases like "300 MPH" rather than flashing up "300" and then "MPH" as separate words, so you can do so (and drop the speed appropriately so your brain can still take it in). In addition to preventing you from subvocalising, the software eliminates saccades (the movement of your eyes along and down a page to read each word).
Very quick demo shown on the opening page https://swiftread.com/
No affiliation yada yada. YEMV.
