Speed Reading Tactics: The Subvocalizer – The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly – Which Are You?
With nearly any material you come across about speed reading, you will find some discussion about the habit of subvocalization. This habit can be defined as the process of seeing the words in print, then saying the words in your mind, hearing the words in your mind, and then it finally leads to your understanding. Nearly all who write or teach about the habit recognize it as limiting your success to speed reading and will instruct you to stop. Unfortunately, they do not teach you how to stop. However, there is a part of the process that is necessary and actually serves the reader to mastering the essential skills of reading fast and comprehending the material. The reason why subvocalization is a limiting habit is that by reading this way you can only achieve speeds up to about 400 words per minute. For some people that might be fast, but I wouldn’t call it speed reading. The “ugly” of subvocalization, according to some writers, is when the reader actually speaks the words with lips mov
