Communication Skills
Reading Writing Listening Speaking Communication Skills Reading Writing Listening Speaking
The cognitive process to understand a written word Reading The cognitive process to understand a written word
Reading Vast amount of reading & not enough time to read everything line by line This means not wasting time and using your eyes and brain together well. To do this, you need to read purposefully and interactively. General efficient reading strategies are such as scanning to find the book or chapter, skimming to get the gist and careful reading of important passages (Wallace, 1980, pp. 9-51)
Techniques/styles of Reading 1. Skimming FOR GENERAL PURPOSE, to get a gist of something. To read the document quickly to get the main points or the central idea and skip the details. Going through a newspaper/magazine To preview a book or passage before reading in detail While buying a book
Skimming is used to quickly identify the main ideas of a text Skimming is used to quickly identify the main ideas of a text. When you read the newspaper, you're probably not reading it word-by-word, instead you're generally skimming the text. Skimming is done at a speed three to four times faster than normal reading. People often skim when they have lots of material to read in a limited amount of time. Use skimming when you want to see if an article may be of interest in your research. There are many strategies that can be used when skimming. Some people read the first and last paragraph using headings, summaries as they move down the page or screen. You might read the title, subtitles, subheading, and illustrations. Consider reading the first sentence of each paragraph.
2. Scanning Fast reading technique Where you search for SPECIFIC INFORMATION, (names, dates or the key words) Scanning can be used to look up a phone number, read through the small ads in a newspaper, or for browsing TV schedules, timetables, lists, catalogues or web pages for information
Tips for better scanning. 1. Don't try to read every word. Instead let your eyes move quickly across the page until you find what you are looking for. 2. Use clues on the page, such as headings and titles, to help you. 3. Dictionary or phone book, use the 'header' words to help you scan. You can find these in bold type at the top of each page. 4. If you are reading for study, Have some questions in mind that you want to answer. 5. There are many ways to practise scanning skills. Try looking up a favourite recipe in the index of a cookbook, search for a plumber in your local Yellow Pages, or scan web pages on the Internet to find specific information.
Difference between Skimming & Scanning Both scanning and skimming are information-gathering activities. But they don't work the same way, and they don't serve the same purpose. “You're on the wild and woolly Western frontier. Your trusty horse crests the hill. Before you is a vast expanse. You don't know if there's danger out there. You look around. A thicket to the left... a lake in the distance... a tendril of smoke drifting above a small rise... a wooden fence near you on the right. Your "scan" suggests things look pretty safe. So you spur your horse to a trot.” “Passing the fence, you notice a piece of paper nailed to a post. It's a "Wanted Dead or Alive" poster. You dismount, get closer, and "skim" the text for the most salient facts to help decide if you'll bother with the fine print.”
3. Reading between the lines Means to interpret or read what is implied but is not literally expressed on the surface. To perceive/ detect an unstated or unexpressed meaning Offer of Dinner. “Thanks. But I have to wash my car this evening”
4. Reading beyond the lines When you read a material, you expose yourself to different ideas and then add your own concepts to it. Reading the author’s message and then applying it to other areas When you read a poem and then try to perceive the emotions behind it