Scan a page of text without trying to read it word for word.
Skim the page top to bottom, keeping your eyes moving. Refrain from saying words to yourself as you see them. Hearing the words in your head, called sub-vocalizing, slows your reading.
Hold the top of the book with your left hand so you can turn the page without slowing your reading. Underline the lines of text with your right pointer finger. Follow your finger and avoid sub-vocalizing.
Practice this method daily to get used to following your finger at a fast rate.
Read the chapter titles and any subheadings.
Read the introduction, sweeping the page top to bottom with your hand as through wiping dust off the page. This technique trains your eyes to take in blocks of text rather than slowly reading word for word. Trust your mind to take in meaning and don't stop to reread.
Focus on your objective in reading the text. For example, for a book on the history of space exploration, ask when the United States started exploring space, when the first manned space flight occurred and how much the U.S. spent on the space program originally compared to how much it spends now. Scan the text from beginning to end as quickly as possible with those objectives in mind.
Read the book from the beginning, moving your finger rapidly under the lines or the wiping method with your hand. Pay attention to what you're reading, searching for concepts and the answers to your questions.
Focus on your questions and make notes when you finish the book to test your comprehension. Speed reading programs aim to improve comprehension as well as increasing reading speed.