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Speed reading for dentists: phrase reading
reports of councils and bureaus
Speed reading for dentists: phrase reading
C O U N C IL O N J O U R N A L IS M
Because of the growing interest in technics for increasing speed of reading, the Council on Journalism requested The Developmental Research Institute, Inc., to prepare a series of articles on “ Speed Reading for Dentists.” This article is the first in the series. In a recent survey published in this jour nal, high-speed turbine type handpieces were purchased new by more dentists (in the years 1957-60) than any other new equipment.1 But while the need for better and faster machinery is being satisfied, another important need— the need to read more in less time— is neglected. With the barrage of trade journals, magazines, newsletters and newspapers published every day, week and month, many dentists haven’t the time to read all they must. Reading at an extremely slow rate results in a waste of valuable time and a loss of valuable information. T o help dentists double or triple their reading speed, improve comprehension and retention, and make them more alert, more responsive readers, The Develop mental Research Institute, Inc., has pre pared this series of articles for t h e JO U RN A L
OF T H E
S O C IA T IO N .
A M E R IC A N
DENTAL A S
There’s no talent needed to read faster. Anyone can do it.2 T h e trouble is, most people have been poorly trained. They read poorly throughout their lives, wast ing thousands and thousands of hours. Today, the average reader reads about 250 to 350 words per minute— far short of his potential. Yet he can easily improve his speed 100 per cent or even 150 per cent. When these figures are converted into the time saved for more appoint ments, the value o f the gain is evident. W H A T ’S Y O U R S P E E D
T o find out how your reading compares with that of the average reader, turn to the article entitled “ Fiftieth Anniversary of the U.S. Naval Dental Corps” on page 255. Divide the total number of words by the time it takes you to read the article to get your word per minute rate. D o not be surprised if your reading rate is well
148/274 • T H E J O U R N A L O F T H E A M E R IC A N DENTAL A SSO C IA T IO N
below 250 words per minute. Every per son varies, but even the slowest reader is capable of the same increases as the per son who reads at an above average rate now. T Y P E S O F READERS
When you first learned to read, you were probably taught in the following manner: Your class was divided into three or four groups, and once or twice a day you and your small colleagues sat in a circle in front of the room and took turns reading a selection aloud to the teacher. There fore, you learned to read words by seeing them, saying them and hearing them. Unfortunately, this training was not carried any further, and most people today still have to say and hear the words. As a result of this early training, there are three types of readers: The motor reader who forms the words with his lips as he reads. The auditory reader who hears the words in his “ mind’s ear.” The sight reader who immediately gathers information from the printed page without aid of the auditory or vocal senses. The last of these, of course, is the skilled reader. Unhampered by having to say or hear the words, he is capable of reading several words at one time. This brings us to the most important technic used by skilled readers— phrase reading.
If you learn this technic alone, it will save countless hours of wasted reading energy. P H R A S E R EA DIN G
When you read a line of print, you may think your eyes sweep smoothly across the page. But your eyes do not pick up words while in motion, as does, for example, a movie camera. Rather, they have to get a series of “ stills,” starting and stopping across the line. The eye pattern of the average reader might look something like this : 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 If you read word by word, you waste 9 10 valuable time. The skilled reader, however, makes only a few of these stops, and he makes them smoothly. Compare the four stops he makes to the unskilled reader’s ten: 1 2 3 If you read word by word, you waste 4 valuable time. It is not at all difficult to learn to read by phrases. But in order to acquire this habit, you must develop an awareness of phrases as thought units. The phrase circling method is the first step toward this awareness. With a heavy pencil, draw a circle around each two or three words in this column. These need not be grammatical phrases, but simply groups of words containing meaning in
REPORTS OF C O U N C ILS A N D BUREAUS . . VO LUM E 65, AUGUST 1962 • 149/275
themselves as units. In other words, each phrase must comprise a “ thought con cept.” After you have circled a few phrases, mark a small dot or “ x” above and to the center of each phrase. Focus your eyes on this “ x ” and you will be able to see the entire phrase. For example, look at the “ x’s” in the following sentence: x x Contrary to common belief x x comprehension increases with speed. Ten minutes of practice each day will soon have you automatically reading by phrases instead of reading word by word. Comprehension will increase, because if you read slowly, your mind is free to wander. By reading faster, in phrase or thought units, your mind is absorbed, and you read the way you think— in concepts. C O L U M N A R R E A D IN G
You may also improve phrase conscious ness by letting your eyes move down a column of type with only one fixation per line. At first, it will hel > you to draw a pencil line down the o :nter of the column and to follow this w th your eyes. Try to see the first and last vords of each line by looking directly at tl e center. Remember to look at the white space above the line instead of staring at the print itself. M U M B L IN G
The following exercise will tell you whether or not you are an auditory reader (one who depends on saying and hearing each w o rd ). Read aloud, over and over, until it be comes almost automatic, the chant: “ one, two, three, four; one, two, three, four.” Then begin to read while still chanting aloud. If you depend on hearing and say ing the words you read, then the print will seem quite meaningless.
T o become a visual reader, keep up this mumbling practice. You will soon find that you are able to direct your mind to what your eyes are reading, while your auditory and vocal senses are busy with this chant. When this happens, you are on your way to real reading efficiency. IN D E N T IN G
The eye is automatically pulled to the margin or white space on either side of the printed page.
s,
If you are reading properly, by phraiS3: is unnecessary to begin at the very 1•eming of a line or go to the very e: id it. There is nothing in the margin to id and if you are reading by phras 2S, sn it is wasted motion. Start every liihe out Ys inch in from the margin, a. id ish about J /s inch from the end. Swi ig wn to the next line about ]/s inch in, e :c. R E A D IN G E N V IR O N M E N T
Eye fatigue and visual strain account for a large part of distraction. It is taken for granted that you are aware of the value of good lighting. Choose a location where interruptions will be at a minimum when you read. Also, do not become too com fortable. A little tenseness keeps you alert. Finally, as much as your schedule allows, try to make your reading time and place habitual. You will begin to associate the time and location with con centrated reading habits. The next article will discuss further technics for increasing reading speed and comprehension.
1. Am erican Dental Association, Bureau of Economic Research and Statistics. Survey of recent dental gradu ates (1957-1960). I. Dental equipm ent purchased. J.A .D .A . 64:566 A pril 1962. 2. A 64 page book which tells the how, what and why of readinej improvement, plus a self-gauge to determine reading rate, is availa b le from The Develop* ment Research Institute, Inc., Dept. DA, 500 Fifth A v e nue, New York 36. Price $2.00.
Speed reading for dentists: phrase reading
C O U N C IL O N J O U R N A L IS M
Because of the growing interest in technics for increasing speed of reading, the Council on Journalism requested The Developmental Research Institute, Inc., to prepare a series of articles on “ Speed Reading for Dentists.” This article is the first in the series. In a recent survey published in this jour nal, high-speed turbine type handpieces were purchased new by more dentists (in the years 1957-60) than any other new equipment.1 But while the need for better and faster machinery is being satisfied, another important need— the need to read more in less time— is neglected. With the barrage of trade journals, magazines, newsletters and newspapers published every day, week and month, many dentists haven’t the time to read all they must. Reading at an extremely slow rate results in a waste of valuable time and a loss of valuable information. T o help dentists double or triple their reading speed, improve comprehension and retention, and make them more alert, more responsive readers, The Develop mental Research Institute, Inc., has pre pared this series of articles for t h e JO U RN A L
OF T H E
S O C IA T IO N .
A M E R IC A N
DENTAL A S
There’s no talent needed to read faster. Anyone can do it.2 T h e trouble is, most people have been poorly trained. They read poorly throughout their lives, wast ing thousands and thousands of hours. Today, the average reader reads about 250 to 350 words per minute— far short of his potential. Yet he can easily improve his speed 100 per cent or even 150 per cent. When these figures are converted into the time saved for more appoint ments, the value o f the gain is evident. W H A T ’S Y O U R S P E E D
T o find out how your reading compares with that of the average reader, turn to the article entitled “ Fiftieth Anniversary of the U.S. Naval Dental Corps” on page 255. Divide the total number of words by the time it takes you to read the article to get your word per minute rate. D o not be surprised if your reading rate is well
148/274 • T H E J O U R N A L O F T H E A M E R IC A N DENTAL A SSO C IA T IO N
below 250 words per minute. Every per son varies, but even the slowest reader is capable of the same increases as the per son who reads at an above average rate now. T Y P E S O F READERS
When you first learned to read, you were probably taught in the following manner: Your class was divided into three or four groups, and once or twice a day you and your small colleagues sat in a circle in front of the room and took turns reading a selection aloud to the teacher. There fore, you learned to read words by seeing them, saying them and hearing them. Unfortunately, this training was not carried any further, and most people today still have to say and hear the words. As a result of this early training, there are three types of readers: The motor reader who forms the words with his lips as he reads. The auditory reader who hears the words in his “ mind’s ear.” The sight reader who immediately gathers information from the printed page without aid of the auditory or vocal senses. The last of these, of course, is the skilled reader. Unhampered by having to say or hear the words, he is capable of reading several words at one time. This brings us to the most important technic used by skilled readers— phrase reading.
If you learn this technic alone, it will save countless hours of wasted reading energy. P H R A S E R EA DIN G
When you read a line of print, you may think your eyes sweep smoothly across the page. But your eyes do not pick up words while in motion, as does, for example, a movie camera. Rather, they have to get a series of “ stills,” starting and stopping across the line. The eye pattern of the average reader might look something like this : 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 If you read word by word, you waste 9 10 valuable time. The skilled reader, however, makes only a few of these stops, and he makes them smoothly. Compare the four stops he makes to the unskilled reader’s ten: 1 2 3 If you read word by word, you waste 4 valuable time. It is not at all difficult to learn to read by phrases. But in order to acquire this habit, you must develop an awareness of phrases as thought units. The phrase circling method is the first step toward this awareness. With a heavy pencil, draw a circle around each two or three words in this column. These need not be grammatical phrases, but simply groups of words containing meaning in
REPORTS OF C O U N C ILS A N D BUREAUS . . VO LUM E 65, AUGUST 1962 • 149/275
themselves as units. In other words, each phrase must comprise a “ thought con cept.” After you have circled a few phrases, mark a small dot or “ x” above and to the center of each phrase. Focus your eyes on this “ x ” and you will be able to see the entire phrase. For example, look at the “ x’s” in the following sentence: x x Contrary to common belief x x comprehension increases with speed. Ten minutes of practice each day will soon have you automatically reading by phrases instead of reading word by word. Comprehension will increase, because if you read slowly, your mind is free to wander. By reading faster, in phrase or thought units, your mind is absorbed, and you read the way you think— in concepts. C O L U M N A R R E A D IN G
You may also improve phrase conscious ness by letting your eyes move down a column of type with only one fixation per line. At first, it will hel > you to draw a pencil line down the o :nter of the column and to follow this w th your eyes. Try to see the first and last vords of each line by looking directly at tl e center. Remember to look at the white space above the line instead of staring at the print itself. M U M B L IN G
The following exercise will tell you whether or not you are an auditory reader (one who depends on saying and hearing each w o rd ). Read aloud, over and over, until it be comes almost automatic, the chant: “ one, two, three, four; one, two, three, four.” Then begin to read while still chanting aloud. If you depend on hearing and say ing the words you read, then the print will seem quite meaningless.
T o become a visual reader, keep up this mumbling practice. You will soon find that you are able to direct your mind to what your eyes are reading, while your auditory and vocal senses are busy with this chant. When this happens, you are on your way to real reading efficiency. IN D E N T IN G
The eye is automatically pulled to the margin or white space on either side of the printed page.
s,
If you are reading properly, by phraiS3: is unnecessary to begin at the very 1•eming of a line or go to the very e: id it. There is nothing in the margin to id and if you are reading by phras 2S, sn it is wasted motion. Start every liihe out Ys inch in from the margin, a. id ish about J /s inch from the end. Swi ig wn to the next line about ]/s inch in, e :c. R E A D IN G E N V IR O N M E N T
Eye fatigue and visual strain account for a large part of distraction. It is taken for granted that you are aware of the value of good lighting. Choose a location where interruptions will be at a minimum when you read. Also, do not become too com fortable. A little tenseness keeps you alert. Finally, as much as your schedule allows, try to make your reading time and place habitual. You will begin to associate the time and location with con centrated reading habits. The next article will discuss further technics for increasing reading speed and comprehension.
1. Am erican Dental Association, Bureau of Economic Research and Statistics. Survey of recent dental gradu ates (1957-1960). I. Dental equipm ent purchased. J.A .D .A . 64:566 A pril 1962. 2. A 64 page book which tells the how, what and why of readinej improvement, plus a self-gauge to determine reading rate, is availa b le from The Develop* ment Research Institute, Inc., Dept. DA, 500 Fifth A v e nue, New York 36. Price $2.00.