watch tHe skies

Cynics stop here. You are not going to like this post. All gone? Good, then I will begin. Some of you may have read previous posts on the subject of photoreading. Well, I continue to practice it and I’ve gotten some good results to date. I’m still getting through 3-4 books a week, not bad considering the time I have to read. I’m also photoreading a lot of work material and the quality of my attention and comment on documents that I have to approve has gone up considerably.

Now one of the interesting things about Photoreading is where you get the information from. Photoreading engages much more than just the left side of the brain, it is a two-way interaction with your conscious and unconscious. (more…)

Ok ok so I’ve done the 5 day test and now I’m busy photoreading everything I can get my hands on. Is it going in? Yes, definitely, it’s certainly boosted my enthusiasm for reading which is always a good thing, and already my desk is tidier and I have mind maps coming out of my ears.

On the subject for the final time in a while, I’ve found a little site that very concisely explains the principles of photoreading for those too lazy to buy the book and read it. I also think that his view of photoreading is spot on. So if you are intrigued and confused, head over to http://www.improve-iq.com/photoreading.html for a simple and honest view of the system.

So this was the last day of the 5 day test to see whether photoreading actually works. To recap, I chose “The Art of Speedreading People” by Paul Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger. This book aims to give the reader tools and techniques for quickly assessing a person’s MBTI (Myers-Briggs Personality Type Indicator, a development of the original Jungian typological system), and then suggestions on how to deal with that person more effectively.

I have attempted to read this book before in the conventional way. Now, 2 1/2 hours later, I have thoroughly analysed this book using the tools and techniques detailed in Paul Scheele’s “Photoreading Whole Mind System”. So, I hear you ask, does it work? (more…)

So day 4 comprised of prepare and photoread. I’d adjusted my questions to be specifically around understanding the hierarchy of the four temperaments (SJ - Traditionalist, SP - Experiencer, NT - Conceptualiser and NF - Idealist => see it’s working I didn’t need the book for that!) and how they work with the sub-types.

And as if by magic the first thing that popped in to my mind when I woke this morning was the image of the NT pyramid, and I seem now to be able to draw out any one of the temperament pyramids from the images and rules in my head. During the super read I was directed to the rules around the sub-types, that aren’t actually explicitly stated, but I found them very quickly.

So on to day 5. How much of the book do I know now? Hmm perhaps 50-60%. Not bad considering I didn’t really know what I was doing to start with on this approach. My aim on day 5 will be to know the key characteristics of each of the temperament types, and I will probably need a day 6 and maybe day 7 to get the individual characteristics of each of the 16 types. I don’t consider this bad going as so far I’ve spent no more than 2 1/2 hours on a fairly content-heavy book.

So yesterday involved a preview, followed by a full photoread and 30 minutes of rapidreading. The book is certainly locking in and I am getting a good feel for the content.

Now when I woke up, something odd had happened. Yesterday I couldn’t remember the four temperament types. I could get three of them, but the fourth eluded me. As per the book I made a conscious effort to recall the missing temperament type.

Off I went to bed and this morning I picked up “The Art Of Speedreading People” to find the elusive temperament. However as I skipped through the pages describing the ones I already knew, I suddenly realised that I had gone through all four without seeing one — I didn’t know. Somehow I knew that information without knowing how I knew it. So it seems that this system works a bit like osmosis! Is it working? Well it seems to be but I need to keep going through the full five days to see. The photoreading book and the forum have been helpful in reminding me that the system works differently for everyone depending on their reading background.

Update:-

Well I posted a question on the learning strategies forum about whether this was a sign. It would appear that it is. It is a very wierd concept to know something that you didn’t know without knowing how you know, but at least I now know I know it works… Bonza! Anyway on with the next session.

but I have decided to mind map my knowledge of the subject during postview to try and get more out. I’m also conscious that my “purpose” was probably a little lame for a first try. “To absorb the tools techniques and information so that I can apply it second-nature with people to enhance my dealings with them” has been replaced with a more specific goal “to understand the characteristics of the 16 personality types”. I’ve also included the 16 MBTI personality types in my list of trigger words (ENTJ etc) and I will use them as the key points in my mind map.

My photoreading experience today wasn’t quite as strong as yesterday. I found it harder to direct conscious thoughts, they kept wandering. I’ve found that with self-hypnosis too; the first time you try something it is easier to stay focused, once you start becoming aware of the process and it’s purpose, the mind wanders.

Following postreading, a process that I think i understand now - to establish curiosity and ask questions, I am starting to get a real feel for the structure of the information and the fact that it’s not about learning the characteristics of 16 types, but about the four different human natures and how they influence who we are. So my questions are now around:

What are the characteristics of the key human natures?
What are the clues that point me towards a person’s personality type (appearance, demeanor, job, occupation)?
How do the types see each other?
What language do I use to improve communication?

These have been generated using a mind map, a method I use for work purposes all of the time, but something I haven’t applied to books that I read for my own personal interest.

I must say that today I feel that by the end of the 5 day test I will have nailed the contents of this book. Will I have inwardlardly absorbed all of the relevant information? Not sure, but there is a surefire test, as this book contains a set of short assignments that I can use to see how far I have come.

I’m sure you are asking how much of the book have I actually “read” in the conventional sense? The answer is hardly any so far, a few headlines, the contents page and the names of the four human natures. You can find my mind map to date here.

Now I am instructed to put the book completely out of my mind, to hopefully let my questions ferment, and allow the answers to osmose in to my conscious mind. We shall see…

I went to WHSmith last night and had to really resist the temptation to buy a load of books that I’ve been meaning to read. I am very excited about this working, and the potential that I offers me, although my bank balance may disagree…

Ok so I did give photoreading another go - this time on a 26 page report I needed to review. I followed the process of previewing, photoreading and postviewing, and then I ran through the document and marked it up. In total it took me around fifteen minutes, plus a break between the reading and commenting, and I picked up a lot of problems that with normal levels of concentration I would have missed. Are these attributable to my not-conscious mind? Not sure, but I certainly benefited from the state of mind afforded by the process.

Well today I took my first photoreading step, and fully previewed and photoread “The Art Of Speedreading People”. Photoreading Speedreading? Hmm maybe not a great idea but there we go.

The book suggests a five-day programme to lock-in the photoreading skills:

Day 1 - Select book, prepare and photoread.
Day 2 - Prepare, preview (< 2 minutes) and photoread. Postview for 15-20 minutes. Jot down trigger words and questions to stimulate the activation of the content.
Day 3 - Prepare, photoread, superread and dip in to the book for 30 minutes.
Day 4 - Prepare, photoread, superread and dip in to the book, reviewing questions and revising them.
Day 5 - Prepare and photoread. Review the table of contents and browse specific sections that you have become interested in. (more…)

Okay so following yesterday’s post I am a little more enlightened on the subject of photoreading. In principle, it isn’t reading at all in the conventional sense, but effectively the opening up of the not-conscious part of the mind the absorb pages of text. This allows the much more powerful part of the mind process it. It also utilises right-side brain processing, by functioning on the “space” between text, rather than the text itself, which is processed by the left side of the brain.

Then, information about the text is extracted from the not-conscious mind using activation, that is, prompts and triggers in the conscious mind. A good way to extract the relevant information, apparently, would be to mind-map the content that you have photoread.

Now it doesnt appear that it is common not the refer back to the text - it does depend why you are reading it, of course, and what level of information you wanted to extract. But should you return to the text consciously, you will be familiar with it and be able to access the information you require quickly. If you are interested, check out My photoreading mind map.

So, my next challenge is to photoread a book and see if it works. I’ve chosen “The Art Of Speedreading People“, by Paul Tieger and Barbara Barron-Tieger. The book suggests practicing on the same book for five days to get acquainted with the tips and techniques. So, if in five days I am swallowing information like a giant swallowy thing, then it works!

So my latest book is “The Photoreading Whole Mind System”, by Paul Scheele. The system was invented by Paul Scheele to help people read books rapidly, and designed as an adaptation of speed reading, which Scheele described as requiring much practice and being tiring to the mind. The distinguishing feature of PhotoReading is that it is claimed to make use of the unconscious mind to rapidly absorb material, as opposed to conventional reading or speed reading, which utilises the conscious mind.

PhotoReading is divided into five main steps:

1. Defining your purpose for reading
2. Previewing the book
3. Photoreading
4. Activation
5. Rapid reading

In the first step, the reader defines his or her purpose for reading the material he or she wishes to PhotoRead. After that, he or she “previews” the book by reading key headings and subtitles to get a feel for the book. The third step, which can be considered to be the key of the system, is the actual PhotoReading step, in which the reader adopts a style of reading the book which is purported to allow the information to flow directly to the unconscious mind.

The idea is then to “activate” the information, allowing the conscious mind to extract information directly from the unconscious photos of the book. Is it bobbins? Well, I don’t know, I’m still reading step 2, but I’ll let you know if it works. It is actually based on some fairly simple NLP presuppositions, that the unconscious has a far greater ability to absorb and process information than the conscious mind has. Quite whether the difference is 25,000 words a minute remains to be seen. But even if it doubled your reading and comprehension speed, it would be very useful in today’s world of information overload. Given the number of books I seem to be reading simulataneously, a book in ten minutes would be very, very handy