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Iris Reading - Speed Reading Exercises and Techniques

Thumbnail of the video “Iris Reading - Speed Reading Exercises and Techniques”
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Author: Iris Reading
Categories: Education
Tags: education
Views: 2 · Last viewed: 2026-10-16 03:06 UTC

Short Summary

Main recommendation: Practice "speed drills" by reading material at double your normal speed, using a free tool like Accelerator (accelerator.com) or by timing yourself on printed text, to gradually increase your reading rate. The speaker suggests doing this for 5 to 10 minutes a day for a week and observing the effect on your reading speed.

Key Points

  • A speed drill means skimming material you have already read and understood, at about twice your normal reading speed, to get your eyes used to seeing words faster.
  • The speaker compares this to driving on the highway: after going faster, normal speed feels slow, so the drill recalibrates your pace upward.
  • Once a comfortable rate is established, you bump the speed up in increments, so a rate that once felt fast becomes normal.
  • The drill works with printed text too, not only digital tools.

Details Worth Noting

  • Concrete instructions:
    • Open the free speed reading tool he demonstrates, copy and paste a text into it, and click Begin.
    • First read the text at a comfortable speed you can understand (the speaker uses 300 words per minute as an example), then reread it as a speed drill at double that rate (600 words per minute).
    • To change speed, use the settings or the up and down arrow keys, which change speed in steps of 25 words per minute; press R to restart.
    • For printed material, time how long you take to read a chapter (e.g., 20 minutes), then go back and skim it in about half that time (e.g., 10 minutes).
    • Repeat the drill 5 to 10 minutes a day for about a week, then gauge its effect on your reading speed.
    • Gradually increase practice speed: if you read at 200 words per minute, practice at 400; if you read at 250, practice at around 500, and so on.
  • The average reading speed is roughly 200 words per minute, according to the speaker.
  • The example texts were satirical articles from The Onion about NASA, chosen because the speaker's team had recently run a workshop with NASA scientists.
  • The speaker notes that the drill is for practicing faster word recognition, and that comprehension is prioritized during the first, normal-speed read.

Bottom Line

Speed gains come from repeated practice at double your normal pace on material you have already understood, so a short daily drill can move your comfortable reading rate upward over time.