Advanced Reading Techniques to Enhance Productivity and Efficiency in the Workplace and Personal Sphere

Dubai-UAE: 25 September, 2011 - Executive Skills Training, an organization specializing in corporate and individual training, offers 'Power Reading' courses in the Middle East which enhances and improves the skills required in both reading speed and comprehension, for professional as well as personal benefit. 

The typical employee reads, on average, for about 1.5 to 2 hours at work, while the executive spends around four hours per day reading. However, traditional reading habits - reading word for word, sub-vocalization and re-reading sections of text that we already read - a result of the mind wandering off - are time consuming and significantly reduce the level of motivation in employees.

Musa Al Sadoon, Owner, Executive Skills Training, explained: "The Power Reading concept was developed more than 40 years ago in by Dr. Stan Rodgers, an industrial psychologist and launched in the U.K. and Australia. This skill is a necessity now and in the future and is scientifically proven to work. Based on our experience over the past eight years in the region, the starting reading speed in English for an adult is on average 155 wpm (words per minute) with a comprehension rate of 55 per cent, giving an Effective Reading Rate (ERR) of 85. ERR is the result of multiplying the reading speed by the comprehension rate and is used in order to measure and track progress. Upon completion of the course, participants manage to more than triple their average ERR to above 280. Over 95% per cent of people that have taken the course said that they would recommend it to other people. Furthermore, they have also begun to enjoy reading, making it now a pleasant hobby than a time consuming chore."

A crucial factor in this dramatic increase in ERR is 'Chunking'. Instead of reading one word at a time and seeking individual meaning, the course trains the human eye and mind to 'Chunk' several words together into larger units of meaning, resulting in higher levels of concentration, speed and comprehension.

According to ProRead, Power Reading raises productivity in corporations. Individuals who improve their ERR by only 50% save twenty  working days per year and have more time to perform other tasks more effectively. As a result, several companies and service providers use effective reading rate as a criterion for recruitment.

An employee from one of the several companies that took the course in the region, said: "I took the Power Reading Skills five months ago, after which I followed a plan recommended by Al Sadoon for my family and myself. This plan ignited the reading power inside me - you will not believe when I tell you, never in my life have I read books like I have since then. Another interesting result of this program is that my daughter who is three years of age, now won't go to bed unless her mother reads to her. Upon completion of the Power Reading Skills course I have bought more than 50 books for my three kids to read, and have read many myself."

Power Reading offers courses for both corporations and individuals. Companies can choose 'In-House Courses', which are customized to meet the needs and requirements of employees within the organization, or, they can select 'Business Courses' which specifically target managers and consultants that focus on reading reports, drafting contracts and various reading tasks. Individuals also have the opportunity to receive a more focused and personal training with the 'Premium Courses' being offered.

The courses are structured to eliminate old habits and develop dynamic eye processes that significantly improve reading efficiency. As a result, 60 per cent of the course consists of practical exercises, with individuals monitoring their own progress.

Regional and global corporations that used and benefited from Power Reading courses include KPMG, Procter & Gamble, Deutsche Bank, the European Parliament, Saudi Aramco, du, Etisalat, Emirates NBD, HSBC, ADGAS, Dubai Petroleum, and others.

Founded in 1972 by Dr. Stan Rodgers, the international Improved Reading Intellectual Property is owned by IISE Ltd. - International Institute of Social Economics - with its head office in the UK. Improved Reading courses have been held in over 25 countries around the world over the last four decades, with over three million successful course participants confirming the effectiveness of the program. The course is taught in numerous languages around the world.

ProRead is the only global organization that provides an academically sound and individually measurable program in the reading efficiency field. Universities and corporate enterprises in many countries around the world have empirically analyzed ProRead and confirmed the effectiveness of the courses. 

Executive Skills Training offers the Power Reading Program in the Middle East, especially the GCC countries. 

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© Press Release 2011