How To Increase Net Speed Of Idea?

I don't understand how speed reading works?

• People claim to read at speeds of 800 wpm to even as much as 2,000 wpm. How's that possible? How are you allowed enough time to process information? When I read at a breakneck speed of 600 wpm I find myself flustered and totally unaware of what I just read. However I have found reading frequently does increase speed gradually, but not forcibly reading faster...or perhaps I'm just doing it wrong? I just can't fathom how a person can grasp all the information in a text containing 800 words in just one minute. In those 800 words, different scenarios are being played out or several different ideas are being proposed while the reader is only given one minute to absorb it all. Naturally, I'm skeptical about all this, as I don't know anyone in real life who has defended its guarantees and promises of actually working, not even teachers. Hell, even my teachers tell me to slow down when we're reading a text out loud as a class. It's just a little far-fetched that reading at a faster rate also improves comprehension. Frankly, when I attempt to read at an increased speed, it's like reading a book of a foreign language, completely useless. I just don't see the logic in it, it just doesn't make any sense whatsoever. If anyone can vouch for it, would you please let me in on the secret. I try and I try and I try to practice these so-called "effective" methods of reading significantly faster, but to no avail. It just really doesn't seem to work, well at least the ones they have online. And the idea of dropping sub vocalizing to double speeds just seems silly to me. When reading a novel, how are you supposed to enjoy it in full without adding voice to the characters, and emotion? You can't do that if you're not sub vocalizing, which is supposedly limits reading speeds to around 200-300 wpm. How does one "visualize" a narrative and experience it in entirety with speed reading? It just doesn't seem to fit to me. I personally think it's all a scam, but then again I'm always doubtful of things that claim to work but don't explain how.

• Answer:

  It's been suggested to me before at school that when one is faced with a long reading assignment, often one can grasp the meaning of it by reading the first and last sentence of every paragraph. I hate doing this, but it works alright. As for reading every word, I think that's something that comes with practice, but I think some people are just naturally better at it.