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For anyone involved in formal learning or continuous development it’s time to learn how to speed read. Here Clive Lewis, Managing Director of Illumine Training, highlights why this technique is so valuable to managers.

Why do we need to speed read?

Don’t we have enough information to absorb at work already? If this is your mindset, then think again. Speed reading (http://www.illumine.co.uk/information-overload.htm) is not about forcing you to work harder. On the contrary, by enabling you to triple your reading speed, it is much more about helping you to handle your time and your workload efficiently. In this article I’m going to address some of the key questions that surround this approach.

How can speed reading help you?

One main driver for speed reading is information overload. Today’s executives are having to take in, absorb and recall more information than ever and most of this data arrives in written form - through minutes, reports, proposals, brochures, texts and emails. Those who recognise that knowledge is the fuel of career success understand that speed reading improves efficiency and provides them with a real edge in a competitive world.

Equally, for those people involved in formal learning or CPD, speed reading provides them with an effective strategy and a set of powerful techniques. Speed reading doesn’t only help students to get through larger quantities of text; it helps with comprehension and recall too.

How does speed reading work?

The essential mechanics of speed reading are these. When asked, most people assume that they read in a smooth left to right motion across the page. However, when we read our eye movements are not smooth at all. Our eyes have to stop at regular intervals in order for us to take in new data and this means that we actually take a series of small jumps as we read across the page. These jumps are known as fixations.

Fixations are the key determinant of our speed reading. If you take a long fixation, reading each line word by word, you will be a slow reader. If you skip back over words or re-read whole paragraphs, as most people do, this will handicap you further. The skills, therefore, are these - to spend less time on each fixation and to learn to take in more words with each fixation.

Two key distinctions

There are two quite separate aspects of speed reading that are helpful to distinguish:

1.Reading better

Speed reading is not only about reading faster, it also helps readers to assess clearly what they are reading. For example, if you are given a report then you might not need to read it all. Speed reading can help you to overview it, to skim it and to scan it. Each of these techniques provides practical ways for you to get at the data you need.

2.Reading faster

The second aspect of this approach is faster reading speed. One extremely useful technique here is to use a guide; such as a pencil, a cursor or even your finger to underline the words as you read. Your guide in this context is your pacesetter and keeps your eyes moving along the line smoothly. People find that this one technique can sometimes double their reading speed.

Beliefs and attitudes

Reading speed is all to do with the way eyes take in information - is that right? When it comes to speed reading, your challenges stem as much from your beliefs as from your physiology. For example, do you believe that you can read more than one word at a time, maintain comprehension when you are reading faster and recall more of what you have read?

These benefits are all within our reach, but they require practise. Changing your behaviour is not just a question of willpower; you need to create a positive attitude towards your subject. If you are in a negative frame of mind, you will find that you absorb very little. If you can engage with interest, enthusiasm and creativity then you can learn fast and recall more.

So should you be learning how to speed read? Is it worth your time? If you are among the 90% of people who feel that they suffering from information overload, the real question to ask is ‘can you afford not to?’

Ref: IT270106

Over 20 million adults in the U.S. are suffering from depression, and many of them have explored the use of antidepressant medication to help alleviate their symptoms. Not all people who suffer from depression choose to use medication; oftentimes, therapy alone is enough to successfully treat the condition. But those who do are faced with a variety of options — including herbal ones.

Antidepressants are more widely used to treat serious depression than mild depression. There are several kinds of antidepressants, all of which work slightly differently. One common type is the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI). This type of medication specifically targets the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is essential in monitoring mood. Commonly prescribed SSRIs include Prozac, Paxil, Luvox and Zoloft.

Another kind of antidepressant is the monoamine oxidase inhibitor (MAOI). MAOIs are usually only recommended to patients with atypical symptoms, and are not usually the first type of antidepressant prescribed to a person. If a patient is not responding to other types of antidepressants, a doctor may recommend an MAOI. MAOIs work by reducing the amount of monoamine oxidase in the brain. Monoamine oxidase is the substance that breaks down neurotransmitters such as serotonin and norepenephrine, which help regulate mood. Reducing the amount of monoamine oxidase in the system can help restore brain chemical balance. Nardil and Parnate are examples of MAOIs.

While prescription antidepressants can work for some patients, they also produce an alarming amount of side effects in many cases. Sexual dysfunction, nausea, diarrhea and headaches are just a few of the commonly reported side effects. Even more disturbingly, these medications can also cause thoughts of suicide, particularly in younger patients.

Many who are fed up with the side effects of antidepressants (or who simply don’t want to risk them in the first place) turn instead to natural remedies for depression. Some remedies have proven to be so effective that they outsell prescription medications in some markets. St. John’s Wort, for example, is one of the herbal treatments for depression that works so well that in Germany, it outsells many major prescription antidepressants. St. John’s Wort is believed to boost serotonin levels in the brain, naturally lifting spirits and alleviating feelings of depression.

There are many other natural ingredients that are effective in treating depression, including passion flower, ginko biloba, and kava kava, among others. You should always consult a doctor before beginning or ending any prescription medication, and if you decide to pursue the option of treating depression naturally, remember to give the medication time to take effect. Whatever choice you make, patience and perseverance in exploring the options on your list of depression medication will ultimately lead you to a happier, healthier life.