Where are living in an era where ‘informational obesity’ is the norm. We are surrounded by information that comes in multiple digital forms and from different sources. The ability to speed read becomes a necessity for it can save you some precious time to spend working on other things. The average person, according to Spreed, reads about 200 words per minute, a speed read can enable you to read almost double that number. The trick in speed reading is the quasi-elimination of a process called subvocalization which involves sounding out words when reading them. There are now several web tools and mobile apps that can help you enhance your speed reading skills and become a proficient quick reader. Below are two good Chrome extensions to use for this purpose. Check them out and share with us your feedback.
1- Sprint Reader
‘Sprint Reader is an easy to use speed reading extension. Simply select text on a webpage, right-click and select 'Sprint read selected text' from the menu. This will launch the reader window, the selected text is displayed word-by-word in a fixed focal position. The duration of each slide is calculated based upon a word-per-minute (WPM) setting. This method of reading is known as “Rapid Serial Visual Presentation” or RSVP for short.’
2- Spreed
‘Spreed is a Chrome extension that lets you blaze through online articles, reading them in half or a third of the time it usually takes you. It does this by utilizing a visual technique used by the fastest speed readers in the world. Speed reading hinges on the reader's ability to silence his or her inner voice sounding each word out as he or she reads. Spreed is an extension that trains you to read faster while eliminating this subvocalization.’
