Follow the Finger

 

You must have watched the small kids while they are first learning to read and must have noticed that they use their pointed fingers as a guide. They keep the finger below the word they are reading and move the finger to the next word when they want to read it and so on. As an adult, you must have long discontinued this habit consider it unnecessary.

But it turns out following the words you are reading with a finger, capped pen, or some other pointer is a useful technique even for adults. Many speed reading coaches recommend that this method as a means to improve your reading speed and concentration.

Keeping the finger beneath the word you are reading helps in keeping your attention focused on the reading material. Your eyes can involuntarily move from your book and your attention gets diverted. But a finger kept below the sentences you are reading is not likely to move on its own unless you are direct it. 

A stationary finger will serve as a warning that you have stopped reading so that you can again direct your eyes at your pointing finger and start reading once more. So better concentration and focus results with this ‘follow the finger’ reading method

Many of us are overconfident regarding our reading speed. With the finger moving along with our reading, we get an accurate visual indication of our reading speed. If the finger is moving slower than we are reading slowly. Only if it is moving fast that we are reading fast.  

We can use this method to also increase our reading speed.  By keeping our finger moving slightly faster than our usual reading speed, our brain and eyes will be forced to work faster than usual to keep up with the moving finger. Gradually your brain and eyes may get accustomed to this new faster reading speed. You may then again increase the speed of the finger’s movement to train your brain and eyes to read faster and so on.

Caveat: Although many persons have found this technique useful, not all experts recommend it. So give it a try and find out if it is useful for you or not. In the end, it’s up to you and whatever works best for you.

— ND

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DISCLAIMER: This article is intended only for fun purposes. The author does not promote or recommend any behavior illustrated here or claim it to be useful. Use the information herein is at your one's own risk. Before trying to emulate or follow anything the reader is well advised to take into account ethical, moral, legal, and other considerations. The author recommends that Medical Practice should be of the highest ethical and moral level keeping in mind the interest of the patient as foremost. 

DISCLAIMER: This article is intended only for fun purposes. The author does not promote or recommend any behavior illustrated here or claim it to be useful. Use the information herein is at your one's own risk. Before trying to emulate or follow anything the reader is well advised to take into account ethical, moral, legal, and other considerations. The author recommends that Medical Education should be of the highest ethical and moral level keeping in mind the interest of the patient as foremost and according to MCI and other Board norms.