Reading Smarter – Consuming Information more Effectively

1. Reading Smarter – Consuming Information more Effectively

2. Course Objectives What is Reading Smart? The 5-step reading system Reading quickly and intelligently Speed reading Concentration Memory Prepare to read Finding the main idea Finding the framework Connecting logic patterns Organizing details PRO and study - outlining Skimming and scanning Read critically

3. Introduction Henry is a 2nd year MBA student at Ideal Business School. Right from the beginning, Henry has been a brilliant student and a university topper. While his classmates spend 8 to 10 hours regularly reading lots of materials, Henry hardly spends 2 to 3 hours reading his subjects. The other students started wondering how it was possible for Henry to outshine others even though he spent less time. This is because of “SMART READING” done by Henry. Let us see how he reads his study materials

4. Introduction Unlike others, Henry follows a system where he: • Analyzes for what purpose he reads the book • Goes through the Table of Contents and glossary • Finds out the keywords All the above steps had made him an outstanding student • Reads the first and last line of paragraphs and understands the meaning Let us now learn about Reading Smart in this module. CLICK HERE • Groups the information according to the logic • Does active and selective reading

5. Reading Smart Smart Reading is a balanced and comprehensive approach to literacy which increases thinking, sharpens the mind, and helps the learner to develop and retain complex content in the entire curriculum. It is highly motivating and easy to implement. It has been designed to instill a passion for learning and the confidence level increases as the learner gains competence by using this system.

6. The 5-step reading system Step 1: Preparing Reading could be frustrating due to one reason - lack of concentration. It has to do equally with your thoughts and surroundings. Tension is one of the serious distractions that people face while reading. When you start reading large volumes, especially a new topic, tension might arise. The key purpose of the preparation step is to create a framework over which you can fit the things you learn when you read. Such a framework can consist of facts or questions.

7. Did you know? If you do not know anything about a subject before you start, it is almost not possible to remember the information you read. The five steps therefore enable you to create a knowledge framework, helping you to retain and recall information easier.

8. Learn how to study different materials Magazines and newspapers Scanning the Table of Contents or Index and proceeding directly to interesting articles is the most effective strategy to absorb information from magazines. If you find a useful article, cut it out and file it in a folder dedicated for this purpose. This way you can build up a set of related articles useful in explaining the subject.

9. Increasing your reading rate • We read slowly because of the following two reasons: • We get distracted by what is there on the page and by what is going on around us. • We read using our ears instead of our eyes.

10. Let us do an experiment Find someone who is willing to take part in an experiment. Ask him to draw a circle in the air using his eyes. Notice the movement of the eyes. It will not be smooth but jerky. Do they create a full circle or something short of it? Next, ask them to draw another circle in the air using their own finger, and follow their finger and their eyes. Now, watch their eyes. This time, do you see that their eyes are moving in a smooth, quick and deliberate manner?

11. How to use a pacer? • First, place your pacer on the first word of a line and move it across smoothly till its end. Then, move on to the next line. In the next slide, use your pacer to go through the boxed paragraph. First, place the pacer on the dotted line, and then move it along the line in a smooth manner. Read the paragraph again and again till you get the rhythm of the action fast and smooth. In addition, move the pacer a little faster than you read.

12. Skimming and scanning Let us look at an example and then understand what is “skimming” and “scanning” Scenario 2 Nick is a final year law student and is preparing for his examination. Instead of going through the entire “Company Law” textbook, he concentrates on reading only the main sections within a passage and gets an overall impression of the content. Scenario 1 Barbara wants to purchase some household articles at Smart Shoppee, a big shop which is situated just 2 kms from her residence. Since it is a public holiday, she wants to check whether it is open or closed. She searches for the shop’s number in the telephone directory. SCANNING Barbara SKIMMING Nick Find out who is “Scanning” and who is “Skimming”

13. Joseph works as an Operations Manager. Tomorrow he has an important meeting with a new client, and he is busy preparing the agenda and notes for that. He is working to create the final draft, but is unable to focus on the job due to various distractions: Example Desk phone rings Mobile rings Visitors/guests Joseph Noise from adjacent rooms Unorganized room or his cabin

14. Tips for improving your concentration Break the routine Taking a break improves your concentration, memory, ability, and mood and helps you to continue your work much longer than you would without a break. A break from what you do at present will give you an opportunity to re-evaluate your work and think of new ideas as well as approaches. It will ultimately enable you to be more productive and decrease the level of stress.

15. Tips for improving your concentration Breathing Proper breathing relieves you of a number of problems like tension, stiffness, irritability, headache, depression, and fatigue. Good breathing habits significantly contribute to your ability to concentrate and also to reduce your stress levels.

16. Types of Memory Intermediate memory • The information present in this type of memory is retained for a few hours. • Information essential for the time being is stored using this system. • It is discarded when no longer required. When you forget people’s names, this is what happens in your mind. • You remember them when you meet them once, but you might not think of them for sometime after this. As a result, when you meet them next, you will be unable to recollect their name.

17. How does memory work? Memory acquisition There are a few ways to implement memory acquisition. They are: Be active Be interested Plan Pay attention 1 2 3 4

18. Techniques for remembering what you need • Indexing: • Draw a line at the middle of a number of A5 cards. • Write “concept” on the left hand side and “definition” on the right hand side. • As you read and come across the key concepts, write a few keywords which summarize the ideas or concepts. • File the cards under the subject headings. When you read another book on the same subject, use the same set of cards and add to as well as expand the information which you already have collected. Linear Linear Mind- mapping Mind- mapping Indexing Key words Keywords Margin reading Margin reading Context- mapping Context- mapping

19. Do you know? If your reading speed is less than 200 to 250 Words Per Minute (WPM), it means that you are reading word-by-word. The focus is on every word in a line. It means, instead of ideas, you read separate words. That is, you use only about one-half to one-third of your potential reading speed.

20. Four logic patterns Time Sequence and Process are two logic patterns. They are so similar that they often get confused. Both of them use chronology – the order in which something happens. They also use much of the same transitions or clues like first, second, third, and last. While a time sequence tells or narrates a story, a process explains how something can be done. Time Sequence and Process

21. This is a DEMO Course On – Read Smarter. • Register Today and Get Access to 5 FREE Courses. • What Do you Get: • View All Courses Online. • Download Powerpoint Presentation for Each Course. • Do the Knowledge Checks for Each Course. ManagementStudyGuide.com