If there is one skill definitely needed to succeed in academics or work-from-home jobs, it is a sharp reading skill.
It doesn’t just involve reading what’s in the text, it involves understanding the meaning behind it, and what the message could mean for you and anyone who reads it.
There are many techniques for improving reading skills. This improvement gives rise to various other benefits like better writing and communication skills.
Here are a few hacks which will help you in improving your reading skills!
Read With A Clear Mind
In general, doing anything while your attention is diverted from the task leads to poor results, and more so when reading.
To completely understand the intentions of a text and its writer you must give your full attention to what you are reading.
Sit in a place with minimal distractions and take note of all the writing nuances used in what you are reading.
You should be fully energized if you intend on engaging in focused reading. You may be trying to give your full attention but if you are too tired and/or sleepy your efforts will be in vain.
Make sure you are always well rested, if you have trouble sleeping then solve that problem first.
Read Out Loud
It’s an age-old hack, but if you listen to what is written you may notice some different details from the text as compared to reading in your mind.
Reading out loud puts your entire focus on the text you are working with, giving you various advantages based on the reason why you’re reading.
For example: if you are an editor then you might notice some grammar inconsistencies when reading out loud.
There are some other benefits to this too, the main one being that your pronunciation and spoken language skills improve much more if you read aloud.
Implement The Types Of Reading
There are four main types of reading which you can engage in depending on your purpose:
- Skimming: This involves brushing over the contents of the text to get a gist of what it is about. Typically used to decide on what you wish to read, etc.
- Scanning: This involves looking for a specific portion within a text. More commonly used while using dictionaries, directories, and other utility books.
- Intensive: This involves an in-depth understanding of every bit of language used in the text. Typically used for analyzing books and stories.
- Extensive: This involves reading in large quantities but not with as much attention to the finer details of the language. Used for reading for pleasure.
Depending on your purpose of reading, implement one or more of these reading styles, though try not to mix all of them into one short project.
Read The Same Topic From Different Writers
Sharpening your reading skills doesn’t just mean having a large vocabulary, or reading fast. It also requires vast knowledge and a diversified perspective so that you can catch onto the references made by different types of authors.
This skill is crucial for higher studies and Ph.Ds.
When you want to be an expert on any topic you have to review the work and research of many other authors.
In fact, writing on a topic can give you a better direction for study and research. That’s why we recommend you to be one of the authors as well.
Before you write your own piece, find a piece about the same topic or hire the services of dissertation writers.
Conclusion
You may wish to improve your reading skills for several reasons, maybe to understand the world and all of its ideologies, or to improve your writing and speaking skills.
As you have decided to dedicate yourself to this improvement, make sure to diligently apply these methods.
They are easy to follow and do not require you to change the kind of setting you typically operate in. Just a bit of focus and genuine effort, that’s all it takes to develop a habit or improve it.