LEADERSHIP: LEADER MUST READ FASTER, ABSORB / RETAIN AND EVALUATE ESSENTIAL INFORMATION BETTER 1. Read the Conclusion First. Go to the End of the Book, Article or Report First, and Find the Conclusion. Any Writer Worth Their Salt Will Provide the Reader with a Neat Little Summation of Their Argument and a Quick Review of The Examples They used there. Reading Just The Conclusion May Be Sufficient Enough to Provide the Illusion That You Know What You’re Talking About. Skip the ‘Biography’ of the author. The ‘Prologue’– usually contains a mere introduction to the book, and rarely contains information that will be of real use to you. Make sure you read the ‘Epilogue’ because it is usually used to sum up the book, and can even provide extra information from later editions. 2. Use a Highlighter (Red Ballpoint Or Pencil). One of the mistakes people make early on is that they give up highlighting, either because they end up marking too many things or were told by teachers that it’s a useless endeavor or spoils the book. ‘Gaining And Retaining Knowledge / Lesson Important Points Is The Primary Objective Of Reader’. The truth is that Highlighting Can Be a Great Tool – If Used Correctly. You shouldn’t use it on everything, and you shouldn’t use it once every fifty pages. Instead, you’ll want to focus your efforts on highlighting the ‘Author’s Summary Statements’. They’ll often ramble on and on about one point for several pages, and provide at the end a neat little bow tie shaped paragraph that definitively states the point they were trying to get across. Highlight this, and when you go back to skim the book, you’ll have everything you need to know ready at a glance. This would help in when you are going back to review a book for a test. 3. Use the Table Of Contents And Subheadings. It often surprises people, often college-aged kids, when they hear that most scholars often don’t read books in their entirety. Instead, what they usually do (and I’ve been told this by a professor) is ‘Check out the Table of Contents, and Read the Chapters That Interest Them or Are Relevant to Their Work’. Or, they’ll Skim through the Book and Stop When They See a Subheading That Interests Them. This Makes Reading Less of a Chore, since you’re Only Reading What You Want to Read. You’ll still get the ‘Gist of The Author’s Overall Point’ as well, since they’ll usually restate it in some way in every section of the book. This is a Great Technique to Prevent “Eyes moving down the Page but Not Processing a Single World” Syndrome. 4. Be Proactive Instead Of Reactive. Transform Your Relationship With Information Consumption Into Something That You Do Proactively, Rather Than Something That Happens To You. Once You Do That, You Can Start Applying Frameworks. You shouldn’t be reading for the sake of reading, or trying to force your way through something that doesn’t speak to you. Even in college, where professors assign readings to you, you can take an active role in what you’re reviewing. One of the ways to do this is to skip the parts that are boring to you, instead ‘Focusing All of Your Attention on Sections That Appeal to You’. Another way to get around this in college is to do your own research. Along with the class readings, find (professor approved) books related to your class that speak to your soul. Reading isn’t something you’ll automatically have fun doing unless you put in the effort to find things you want to read. 5. Don’t Try To Read Every Word. The truth of the matter is that most ‘Non-Fiction Books’ are formatted in a way that makes reading every word a redundant practice. The author only has so much to say, the most significant of which can be found in the conclusion. Most books are filled with evidence rather than profound points, which is good for you since, while evidence is interesting, it’s all proving the same thesis. Therefore, don’t be bogged down reading endless streams of evidence that prove the author’s argument, find a few that interest you and move onto the next chapter. This goes for ‘Fictional Reading’ too. Don’t quit because you get to a boring part in the book. Just skim it until you see something important. Sure, you might miss something, but it’s better that you keep moving than put the book down in frustration. To skim, write down the major points in a notebook. Then review the major points collected and have a pretty good idea of what you need to know. 6. Write Reader Responses. While most people hate writing, it really is one of the easiest ways to retain lots of information in a short amount of time. Remember the key points of a large book were to condense it into a single paged double-spaced reader response. In roughly two paragraphs outline the author’s argument, a few of their interesting pieces of evidence. Like highlighting, writing reader responses provides you with a tool to quickly review the more impactful aspects of a book. When reviewing for a test, it’s much easier to pull up your reader responses than to fervently flip through all your books again. 7. Discuss What You Read With Others ~ Have A Study Buddy, And Discuss Pretty Much Everything Read. Talking to a friend about what you’ve read is a great tool in terms of solidifying your knowledge on that subject. It’s even better if you can joke about it, because then you’re condensing that information into something you find extremely relatable, which only makes it easier to recall in the future. 8. Jot Down Discussion Questions While Reading. Even if you aren’t guiding a class in the discussion of a reading, it helps to keep a notepad by your side while going through a difficult text. When you see something puzzling or disagreeable, simply pause and write down a question related to the issue you are having. The key is to never assume that the author is correct; you want to keep your mind engaged in what you’re reading, and staying critical is an effective way to do this. This works for both fiction and non-fiction books. Basically, you’ll be asking things like this: • Why does the author phrase things like that? • Does this piece of evidence make sense? • Does that paragraph reveal a bias of some kind? • How does that point tie into the author’s overall argument? • What audience are they speaking to? They can become more complicated than these; it all depends on what you’re reading really. To Summarize, Improving Your Reading And Comprehension Skills Is All About Becoming An Active Participant. You Need To Find What You Want To Read, And Make An Effort To Try And Retain Some Of Its More Significant Points. With Luck, You’ll be Speeding Your Way through Several-Hundred Page Odysseys (journey, quest, and trek) in No Time! Review : Read The Conclusion First; Use A Highlighter; Use The Table Of Contents And Subheadings; Be Proactive Instead Of Reactive; Don’t Try To Read Every Word; Write Reader Responses; Discuss What You Read With Others And Jot Down Discussion Questions While Reading. Final Tip: Remember that the most important part of book, report, article, chapter or paragraph is the first and last paragraph or sentence – “Meat (rules, principles)” ~ rest is fillers, examples, procedure, method, etc. And during lecture in classroom – Be Attentative to listen the Speaker / Teacher ‘stresses and repetitions’, mark on side of book page – it is the answer to question that might be in exam paper / test.
Posted on: Sun, 25 Jan 2015 13:20:17 +0000
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