Reading Challenge Taken Up

Press, Volume CVII, Issue 31522, 9 November 1967, Page 2

Reading Challenge Taken Up

A challenge—offered in all innocence—by a young man sent Mrs C. K. Smith off to the Christchurch Technical Institute to improve her reading speed. From an initial 200 words a minute, she now “swallows” print at a voracious rate of 1100 words a minute.

When one of the salesmen at her office, mentioned that he was going to the institute’s speed reading course, Mrs Smith determined not to be left behind and joined in August. She emerged from the three-month course the star pupil. In her job as the company’s senior demonstrator in the accounting machine division, Mrs Smith has to keep up with new developments and this means constant reading of long technical reports and research findings from overseas.

Her new-found skill is already proving of immense benefit in cutting down her reading time and enabling her to memorise the relevant details.

“The key to it lies in not reading each word but absorbing the relevant phrases,” said Mrs Smith.

The speed reader trains his eye to travel down the page, not from left to right. In this way he reads each phrase in the centre of the sentence, thus picking up the important facts, she said. “Of course, the eye also takes in more on each side in the same way as you see more than just the object of particular interest anywhere you look.” At each class the pupils are given reading matter, usually three or four foolscap pages. A time is allotted for reading then comprehension questions are asked.

To be successful, the speed reader must have mastered the art of understanding and retaining what has been read so rapidly. "Once you get involved the time goes very quickly,” said Mrs Smith who did not have any problems of vocabulary or poor reading habits to overcome—just "nervousness at first.” Interest and determination to master the techniques are the main requirements for those intending to take the course.

Mrs Smith considers anyone in business would benefit and high school students

should have a course included in their curriculum.

“I’ve got the girls at work very keen and they are going to start In the new term,” she said.