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Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!oliveb!hplabs!hp-pcd!daver
From: daver@hp-pcd.UUCP (daver)
Newsgroups: net.consumers
Subject: Re: Advice on Speed-reading Courses
Message-ID: <26400002@hpcvrd.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 10-Oct-85 23:17:00 EDT
Article-I.D.: hpcvrd.26400002
Posted: Thu Oct 10 23:17:00 1985
Date-Received: Mon, 14-Oct-85 03:33:31 EDT
References: <151@ur-tut.UUCP>
Organization: Hewlett-Packard - Corvallis, OR
Lines: 22
Nf-ID: #R:ur-tut:-15100:hpcvrd:26400002:000:1077
Nf-From: hpcvrd!daver    Oct 10 19:17:00 1985

I took the Evelyn Wood course when I was in High School and found that it
sort-of worked but there were three problems:

   1. When I read technical material I have to think about what I've read
      as I'm reading it to follow the train of thought.  I can't do this
      at the speeds that speed reading runs at, so I couldn't use the
      techniques for technical reading (i.e. reading anything requiring thought
      in real time).

   2. When you speed read you take in information more quickly than with normal
      reading.  I found that when I tried to speed read a novel I would have to
      concentrate to get what was coming in, and I found that tiring, so I
      don't use speed reading for pleasure reading.

   3. Speed reading is a skill which must be maintained by use or practice.
      Since I haven't been using it I couldn't just sit down and start speed
      reading now, though I could rebuild my speed with some time and effort.

All in all, I wouldn't recommend it, but I wouldn't consider it a fraud either.

Dave Rabinowitz
hplabs!hp-pcd!daver