How to improve reading skills?

One trick to prioritize your reading is to scan the table of contents, the index, and the headlines. You’ll pick up two important ideas:

(1) do you have an interest in the contents? and; (2) what desirable information will you get from reading the book, magazine or article? If it fits into your reading plan go for it.

Your reading environment should be comfortable, you’ll read faster and comprehend more. Of course, there are times, like carrying reading material in your car to read when waiting is the exception to the rule. Once you start reading read it straight through, with books being the exception. With books try and read in chapter bites. If you have questions, take notes and go back and get the answers or do further research.

Reading skill depends on the format of the content such as

• On different format such as,News paper, journals, periodicals of different sizes, Books, Pamphlets etc.
• Fonts of letter used & color of the paper / letters(pleasing to aggressive color)
• Paraphrasing of content with section's head highlighted
• Pictorial description for understanding / drawing to illustrate
• Physical weight of the content to be used on hands( thinner to volumenous)
• Style of presentation of the contents
• Physical lighting arrangements & reading facility furnished etc.

Once reading skills is improved by presenting the contents in different format suiting to the age group, in presentable formats with nicely decorated colors to captivate one's attention quickly, reading becomes easier.

This skill is to developed gradually from slow reading to fast reading. The phase in which the individual desire to read depends on the skill he developed over the years. Appropriate section head, subject heads to highlight the content that they are going to read , help the reader understand the concept quickly & proceeds further to the section head.

I find this alone most pragmatic way to improve reading skills.News papers are handy and head lines will catch your attentions.Once this habit forms,you will notice a change in your reading attitude and will prefer other periodicals.

I attended a day long workshop of World Memory Champion DAVID THOMAS and picked up the true style of reading and memorizing.

During our childhood the teachers and parents used to teach lessons/ alphabets and used to insist the student to move finger underneath the alphabet, he is reading. That practice is applicable and very effective. During the workshop DAVID THOMAS emphasized on moving first finger below the line you are reading. Really it worked well and to my surprise it improved my reading practice a lot. It was not only reading but memorizing, too. When you are holding a book in front of you, you can read a page of 30 lines (about 260 words) in 90-100 secs and memorize 10%, if you move a pencil under the line you are reading you can read it 70-80 secs and memorize 25% but if while reading you move your first finger under the line you can read it within 50-55 secs and memorize more than 50%. This is known as Speed reading and Improving Your Memory Skills.

Why don't you try before commenting on my views? 

Start with the topics of in which you are deeply intrested , this will make you a good reader. after becoming a good reader you don't need to choose topics.Because it will become an addiction.

first choose the subject in which you are interested in. then choose an author of repute in that subject then go for fast reading like looking at important topics whether they are dealt in an easy and understanding manner, then grab the book and go for detailed reading.