Find a stopwatch and an easy-to-read book. Use an index finger or a pen and point to the words as you read them. The goal is to move the finger or pen faster and develop a smooth, quick reading habit, according to Rin Otori. Try to read more than one word at a time. At the end of the page, check your time. Keep practicing the technique to improve your timing.
The goal of this exercise, according to Otori, is to improve comprehension by learning to read large blocks of text at a time. To do so, take an index card with text on it and practice reading three lines at a time for five minutes.
Read for one minute and count how many lines you've read. Then read for another minute and read two more lines than you did the first minute. Continue the exercise, adding two lines of text each time, until you are unable to comprehend what you just read. Stick to that level until comprehension improves, and then speed up again.
Some speed readers use computer software to improve, according to Robert Kokoska. Most programs are designed to be fun and interactive to hold the attention of the user and to facilitate steady progress. Blockreading.com also offers an online tutorial with speed reading exercises.
Practice reading without paying attention to comprehension, according to Kaizer Kaizen. Practicing this way loosens up the eyes. Comprehension, Kaizer says, eventually catches up.