Speed reading

Course summary

Do you often lose your concentration and forget much of what you have read? Spend many hours reading from your computer screen? Want to save two hours a day?

By attending this course in Speed reading, you will at least double your reading pace, sometimes even more, and retain more - not less, as your brain works better at faster reading speeds. The reverse happens when you read from a computer screen. You slow up, take longer and lose concentration more easily. But you could improve dramatically. Most people are likely to see an improvement of going from reading approximately 230 words per minute, to reading 500-700 words per minute by the end of the course and retain between 20-30% more. You are tested throughout the course on speed and retention to ensure optimum improvement.

The course has been run successfully for many years for a wide range of people, from the professions, manufacturing, local government and many more.

Course dates and location

We can deliver this course virtually for your organisation, on a date and time that suits you. If you have four or more people who would like to attend this course then group training could be the most cost-effective option. Contact one of our Training Coordinators on 020 7490 3030 or email for more information and a quote.

If you would like to attend this course then register your interest with us. Currently, this course is run on request meaning that a date will be scheduled once we have at least three people interested in attending this course. 

  • There are no dates available at the moment.
  • Course outline

    Special guest trainer, David Aylwin runs this intensive one-day training course in Speed reading, which covers:

    Improving the mechanics of reading

    Course objectives and initial tests:

    • course and individual objectives
    • tests to measure delegates' current reading performance

    Current reading problems and how to overcome them:

    • current reading habits; how and why they cause problems
    • controlling regressions (re-reading words, sentences and paragraphs)
    • 'chunking' - reading in groups of words
    • controlling sub-vocalisation - the internal voice

    Improving concentration, comprehension, retention

    How to improve concentration:

    • causes of poor concentration - 'just what was all that about?'
    • 5 practical ways to concentrate better for longer
    • reading on-screen/off-screen - how concentration can be affected

    How to improve comprehension:

    • effective previewing and skimming techniques; using PASS©
    • peripheral Reading© - the ‘zig-zag', ‘diagonal reading', ‘ski-reading'
    • key purposes for reading, and how they should affect the pace of reading
    • varying the pace to get the comprehension you require

    How to improve retention; noting:

    • memory improvement exercises; using READ© to remember more
    • when and when not to make notes; principles of noting

    Final assessments:

    • final assessments, comprehension tests and eye control tests
    • practice required for long-term reinforcement - optional access via username/password to the Reading Transformations' website for follow-up exercises.

    Reading performance is measured throughout so as to ensure maximum comprehension at most efficient reading speeds. 

    All our training courses are delivered virtually. The webinar systems used do not require software download.

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  • Who is this course for?

    The course is for anybody who has a lot of reading to do, in any profession or type of job, or whose leisure reading often takes them too long. If you are student with a huge work-load, if you do research and have to read densely written documents, if you have to keep yourself up-to-date in a fast moving industry, this course is for you.

    If you have to read tedious minutes of meetings, if you are in local government, the civil service, the NHS, this course will help you. If you need to influence others, the more briefed and knowledgeable you are, the more likely you are to achieve that influence.

    The Centre works with people from all sectors including the public sector, voluntary sector, corporate sector and private sector.

  • What will this course help me do: learning outcomes?

    This course in Speed reading would permanently double, perhaps even treble your reading speed and improve your retention. It is likely to save you two or more hours per day, and allow you to be better briefed and more informed. You retain more, as our brains work better at higher reading speeds. However, the course teaches how to read at the correct speed for what you are reading and why.

  • Other courses to consider

    The Centre runs a wide range of courses in reading and writing, including Proofreading.

  • Course fee
    • £589 plus VAT not-for-profit price (applies to charities and all other not-for-profit organisations, including public sector and housing)
    • £654 plus VAT standard price (applies to all other organisations)