Reading retention rate is one’s ability to grasp information after going through a particular text or document. How often do you read a long piece of information only to discover that you haven’t understood or remembered a bit? In fact, the degree of success with our academic career is often linked with the reading retention rate.
Studies reveal that we learn only 10% of what we read. Besides this, there are several factors that hamper our reading retention rate such as eating, tapping foot while reading or similar interruptions. If you are able to curb these distractions, then you will experience instant improvement with your reading retention rate.
Reading actively is also equally important over here. You need to self monitor yourself internally so that your sub-conscious mind isn’t thinking about something else, while you are reading. Even without any form of external distractions, this will kill your reading retention rate. Now, let’s take a look at some of the most effective means to increase reading retention rate.
Establish the Purpose
Perhaps, the most basic thing before starting off is to establish the purpose behind reading the content. Once you get a fair idea about the purpose, your mind will automatically fine-tune your thoughts to pay heed to relevant contents as you keep progressing towards the book or document. There are many occasions in life when we see ourselves in a bewildered state of mind simply because we were not able to understand anything from top to bottom, despite reading the entire text. However, we manage to get a fair idea on your second attempt. This is simply because we were able to establish a purpose by the time we started our second attempt on reading. Also, reminding your brain about what you want after reading the text is a great way to train your mind to boost the reading retention rate.
Taking Notes
Taking notes while reading has been one of the age-old tricks, which can still come handy when it comes to improving your reading retention rate. Depending upon your preference, jolt down the important points as you keep reading. This is a great way to summarize things and also recollect it quickly, when you intend to reread it.
Power of Visualization
Visualization is a great way to embark a powerful message. It offers greater accuracy and increased reading retention rate as most people can relate better to images than text. For instance, while reading important contents in a particular book, visualize how it will look as an image. This will help you remember the content, whenever you think about the illusionary image created by you with regards to the text.
Just like everything else in life, increasing reading retention rate is not an overnight process. If you pay heed to the above mentioned pointers, then you will certainly be able to increase your reading retention rate over a period of time. Practice is the key over here to experience significant results for your efforts.