Back in June I wrote in my blog that in the drive for efficiency and speed, the optimization of everything we do (sleep, dieting, working, travelling etc.), meant we are losing the benefit of the "pause" and further how the power of the pause is vital to allow us time to think and reflect. To spend time being instead of constantly doing.
Well I just came across Rapid Serial Visual Presentation. The premise of RSVP is that what slows us down when reading is not the understanding of the words, it is the time it takes our eye muscles to move our focus from word to the next. If you put each word in the same place one after another you can increase your reading speed from approximately 150 words per minute (wpm) to up to (with practice) 900 wpm - yes the optimization of reading!
That's an impressive increase in speed, saving a lot of time for the reader.
But as I practiced (I went to a paltry 350 wpm as a first step) I realized that one of the things I do regularly is pause in my reading, in fiction to savor a word or phrase or decode a plot twist: in non fiction to review my understanding and compare the information with the filter of my own experience.
I'm still experimenting with using RSVP for reviewing lengthy reports, how would you use RSVP?
Here is the same blog post in RSVP format
Comments