How would you like to double your reading speed without taking an expensive speed-reading course or spending months practicing ineffective methods? Most of us spend several hours each day reading for information, remembering and understanding only a fraction of what we should. By focusing on a few high-impact reading techniques you can boost your speed by more than 100 percent, understand more of what you read and remember it later.

1. Quick-skim before reading. The human brain loves introductions to information. Skimming takes advantage of how our brains function by quickly yielding great information about what we are going to read. In fact, skimming can help us capture a significant portion of the content without further reading. The brain is therefore able to build on the knowledge received during skimming.

For articles and chapters, skim by reading the title, subtitles, first full paragraph, last full paragraph and the first sentence of each paragraph in between. For text books and other information books, read the title, introduction, rear cover, table of contents and chapter headings. Also, thumb through the book to look at pictures, graphics, tables or diagrams.

2. Ask questions as you read. Questions stimulate our thinking. Be demanding by questioning what the writer is saying. Start by turning the title and any subtitles into questions. Use the 'who, what, where, why, when, how' method of generating good questions and expect answers! If the answers are not forthcoming, make mental or written notes to look in other places later for the answers. Ultimately, a questioning approach to reading will help you get more out of it and remember more.

3. Read with a pointer. The eye is a spectacular reading machine, but it has its foibles. It reads in a jerky motion and it tends to wander a bit. Amazingly, the eye moves along faster and more steadily when assisted by a pointer of some sort. You can use a finger, a card, a pencil or other make-shift pointer to lead your eyes along while reading. What you might find is that, while it appears to take longer, you will actually be reading much faster and wandering less. Try this yourself.

4. Refrain from skipping back. Do you ever skip back to a sentence or place in a sentence when you read? Most of us do, so it is normal. It is also very inefficient. You can greatly improve your reading speed by reducing this practice. The fact is, you do not have to skip back frequently to understand the sentence or paragraph that you are reading. The mind conceptualizes while you are reading, filling in lots of missed words and phrases. Have confidence. Practice moving forward without skipping back. Your pointing device will also help in this area.

5. Read in larger word groups. The mind is capable of understanding quickly as we read. We do not have to read each word. In fact, we understand more and read faster by reading in word groupings. Rather than reading this sentence word by word, you are probably reading it in groups of two to three words. By practicing, you can expand the size of the word groups to five or six words. Use your new pointer and practice reading in larger word groups. At first, it might seem a bit awkward. With a little practice and confidence, you can master this technique.

6. Undertake a quick review. The value of reviewing what you read can not be overstated. Having invested a lot of time in your reading, why not insist on a return on that investment? The key to solidifying your new knowledge, so that you can recall it later, is to review.

The best review would be done in four 5-10 minute sessions - at intervals of: ten minutes after you finish reading; one day later; one week later; then, one month later. At that point you will have captured the majority of the information and many of the details. At the very least, undertake the first review by using five minutes to recall the important things that you read, followed by five minutes of reviewing your notes or skimming the piece again.

Many of us spend more than a thousand hours each year reading to acquire more knowledge. How well you read can determine how well you perform in school and at work. While speed-reading is not always the goal in getting through information, understanding and remembering more of what you read usually is. Why not spend a little time improving the way that you read? Use these easy techniques -- the return on the time that you invest could be enormous.