Winning Practices for Consuming Content
Last year, after many failed attempts, I committed to reading Dostoevsky’s novel, The Brothers Karamazov. Chapter by chapter, I hacked away at the lengthy epic, feeling a sense of personal satisfaction with each turn of the page. Admittedly, I employed uneven and inconsistent reading habits. I would force myself to power through a chapter before bed, or try and sneak in a few pages while Netflix blared in the background. Slowly but surely, I began to approach the end. One evening, after sharing my soon to be accomplishment, my wife asked “what’s happening in the story?” After taking a moment to think, I realized I had no clue. I could recollect some main characters and some spotty plot points, but overall I was at a loss. I had fallen into the common trap – reading to be complete, rather than reading to understand.
For many of us, the last dedicated reading comprehension instruction we received was in grade school. The last time we participated in a reading aptitude test was the SAT or ACT. Despite employing these practices daily, I hadn’t revisited comprehension strategies in over a decade. After failing with Dostoevsky, I committed to improving how I consumed content.
Understand the Medium
All mediums are not created equal. Today, we have access to a variety of formats to ingest and comprehend recorded thought. You can read a print book, e-reader, cell phone, or even listen to an audiobook. Before diving in, it’s worth understanding and taking into consideration the benefits and drawbacks of these formats as you select which content to consume on what medium.
All mediums are not created equal.
A polarized debate rages between the printed book diehards and the e-reader upstarts. With respect to reading comprehension, both of these formats get the job done. Still, if you’re picking up a lengthy novel or historical epic, a hard copy book is a better choice. Print books outperform e-readers when it comes to recollecting chronologies or sequences of events. Physically engaging with the medium is the difference-maker as we link the memory of what we’re reading to where it falls in the book. Not to be outdone, e-readers offer some advantages. Gone are the days of rifling through a dictionary to make sense of Ulysses. Most provide word definitions and online references at a touch. With respect to consuming the written word, the reader’s choice of medium is depends upon the subject and personal taste.
Audiobooks are a different story. The spoken word existed long before the written. As such, common sense dictates that, as humans, we are primed to better absorb the content we hear as opposed to the content we read. Surprisingly, that’s not always the case. The key difference maker is our inefficiency at multitasking. Research shows that, with all things being equal, individual retention of audiobooks and print books is the same. But we don’t read like we listen. I can’t read a book while driving, cleaning, or baking a cake. Most of us consume content while engaged in other activities. This is problematic since the human brain isn’t wired to do two things at once. Another factor is the ability to revisit information. With print, readers can rapidly re-scan a page or a paragraph. With audio, listeners can rewind, but this is clunky. Most press on, hoping to figure it out along the way.
If you’re picking up Tolstoy, the printed word is your best bet, but if you’re in the mood for a light-hearted novel, the spoken word will do.
It pays to be deliberate about the content you plan to read, versus the content you plan to hear. If you’re picking up Tolstoy, the printed word is your best bet, but if you’re in the mood for a light-hearted novel, the spoken word will do.
Understand Yourself
The phrases ‘early bird’ and ‘night owl’ aren’t fanciful, they’re grounded in science. Humans have a genetic predisposition to sleep and be active at certain times, termed ‘chronotypes.’ Understanding your chronotype is the key to understanding the best time to pick up a book. Luckily, the internet offers a variety of resources to determine one’s chronotype. If you’re unhappy with your category, you can’t do much to change it, but as we age our chronotypes shift. Over time, night owls slowly transition into early birds.
In the ‘90s and ‘00s, identifying a student’s ‘learning style’ and tailoring their instruction based on this paradigm was a common practice. As a byproduct, many adults believe they fall into one of four learning categories – visual, audible, reading/writing, or kinesthetic. Often, this results in individuals boxing themselves in, imagining that “I’m an audible learner, reading a book is hopeless” or “I’m a visual learner, only picture books will do.” Surprisingly, science shows that when it comes to comprehension, learning styles are negligible. There is no need to limit yourself based on previous constructs. Consume content the way you want.
Speak and Write
Despite being labeled as an eccentric quirk, talking to yourself pays off. External self-speak offers benefits ranging from improving problem solving to aiding in motivation. We can also leverage self-speak to improve retention. It may feel a little odd, but reading aloud results in better recall than reading in silence. Dedicating time to reflect also improves memory. This can be as simple as taking a few minutes after reading a chapter to ruminate on the content and explore what it means to you. With these thoughts in mind, a winning strategy combines the power of speech and thought. After wrapping up a chapter, a best practice is to bend the ear of a partner or friend to discuss. There’s a reason nearly 5 million Americans participate in book clubs. Aside from providing structure, accountability, and alternate views, they improve retention.
There’s a reason nearly 5 million Americans participate in book clubs. Aside from providing structure, accountability, and alternate views, they improve retention.
The thought of highlighting or taking notes while reading immediately brings me back to college. Following graduation, we tend to ditch these old habits, but this is poor practice. If you want to be a more effective reader, call out important passages, even if you’re not going to revisit the material. If you don’t want to mark up the book, keep a notepad and use it to capture thoughts as you read.
A Winning Strategy
It pays to be deliberate about how we read and listen. When engaging with books and audiobooks, the goal shouldn’t be ‘how many’ but should be ‘how well.’ A winning strategy involves understanding the medium, understanding ourselves, and reinforcing understanding through speech and writing. By employing these measures, we can improve how we consume and retain content.
Jake Conrad is an active duty Army Armor officer serving as a Joint Chiefs of Staff Intern at the Pentagon.
Opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not represent those of the U.S. Army, the Department of Defense, or any part of the U.S. government.