Every communicator must possess two basic skills thus; reading skills and speaking skills. In our previous lesson, we got to know about the terminologies in communication and the four language skills. We discovered the four language skills reading, writing, listening, and speaking. This, therefore, leads us into considering the subject matter and developing reading skills in communication.

What is reading?

The Longman Contemporary Dictionary defines Reading as perceiving a written text to understand its contents. There is a saying that readers are the masters. Anyone who possesses reading skills possesses a skill that surpasses many. We read in our daily lives. Reading is part of us but do we love it at all? Some read because they are forced to do it in various institutions, especially schools. You are not a freak or wrong when you despise reading; reading skills are acquired and sometimes given by birth and so you are not at fault when you are a reading phobia. However, as the world progresses and technology advances, and so does education; there are various methods one can follow to acquire exceptional reading skills and this article will reveal all those methods to you.

Key elements in reading

From the brief introduction and explanation provided above, good readers can deduce some key elements of reading from the piece. What are the elements in reading then?

Reading is a skill

Reading is a skill and skills are practiced or learned to acquire. One must learn to read to be a reading scholar. When someone can read a couple of books within a short while, it is not magic but hard work is the key. The more you read, the more you acquire skills.

Reading is done to decode and understand a written text

If you aren’t someone who reads more, this information provided right here would be of no use to you. Why? You won’t be able to decode the texts and even understand them. This is one huge importance of reading especially for elites.

Reading is an ongoing process

Others perceive that reading is only done in schools but it is a very huge mistake to assume such. It is everywhere. Sometimes readers never get lost even if they are supposed to. The signposts on our roads communicate to us but if you aren’t a reader, how would you understand whatever the signpost may be communicating? Reading comes our way every day. We do always have an encounter with reading in our daily lives.

Is reading important?

The question can be answered easily from the discussions so far. Have you ever thought about how handicapped you may be without the possession of reading skills? Just reason and you would understand why reading is so much important even in our daily lives.

Reading has made many academia successful in their fields. University students in particular benefit a lot from reading. There is no single activity in the university which doesn’t require reading skills. The final project work needed for graduation does require reading skills. In the basic aspect of it, students read and understand examination questions so they can answer and pass very well.

Reading creates room for learning. Anything relating to learning is due to reading. Even mathematics is supposed to be read to understand. Writing, speaking, and studying all require the basics of reading.

Readers always discover new words. Most readers are successful speakers. They can articulate vocabulary well in their speeches. They adopted the habit of reading and by so doing, new vocabs were introduced to them. Reading helps in discovering many unknown words.

Forms of reading

There are two forms of reading. Reading aloud and reading silently. In other words, Oral reading and Silent reading.

Oral Reading/Reading Aloud

As the name implies, this form of reading is done orally to sometimes the hearing of others. This is sometimes done on some occasions like the delivering of a speech or a presentation in class. Since it is done to the hearing of others, such reading is normally practiced before delivery. It is not always reading out to an audience but to yourself.

Silent Reading

Everything about this form of reading is done silently. It is a form of reading which is normally done internally. The reader reads though but it is not heard by anyone and not even the reader. There are two other categories of silent reading. They are Intensive and Extensive reading.

Intensive Reading

This form of silent reading carries other names such as academic reading or close reading. This reading is done for academic purposes only. The reader can have mastery of whatever information a text may be conveying. It requires more concentration and attention. An example is reading preparation for the examination.

Extensive Reading

This form of silent reading is quite similar to oral reading but there is still a difference. This reading is also done silently but without any academic purpose. It is just done to widen one’s knowledge about particular information like newspapers, magazines, and others. The period to practice this kind of reading is normally leisure time.

Reading is therefore part of us even in our day-to-day affairs. You can’t leave it out, especially the elites. You can’t call yourself an educated fellow and be a reading phobia. As time goes on with our reading lessons, you would get to know about some strategies you can apply to aid you in grabbing the basics of reading. Readers are always the masters, keep reading. Read any piece you chance upon, and improve your vocabulary by reading more. These are just the basics of developing reading skills in communication.

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