WHAT IS LSRW?

The four major formal communicative skills are known as LSRW.

L = listening
S = speaking
R = reading
W = writing
Listening
In relation to communication listening refers to the ability to understand an oral message.
One is to understand what one hears. Listening attentively as well as assimilating the
information is very important for effective communication. The way one listens reveals ones
attitude. Listener's response to the message (interest, empathy, boredom etc.) is
communicated through the act of listening. The power to comprehend the delivered
information quickly is the need of the hour. Effective listening skill is required for a
professional as it is one of the basic and most important skills needed for activities such as
interviews, group discussions, meetings etc.
Speaking
Which is the most frequently required skill in professional and social spheres? It is Effective
Speaking. Effective speaking is but the ability to express one's message effectively to the
audience through spoken words. The delivery of messages is possible through both face-toface communication and electronic devices. This skill is very much required for
communicating in conferences, meetings, seminars, group discussions etc.
Reading
The act of effective reading requires the skills of decoding and comprehending the written
message. Thus reading is a complex skill. The reader has to develop different skills such as
vocabulary, fast reading, and intensive reading. Fast reading skills include; a) scanning, and,
b)skimming. Intensive reading includes; a) thorough reading, and, b) inferential skills.
Writing
When we write down a graphic element on a piece of paper , it becomes a written document.
This written communication is the second form of communication which is transmitted
through words. Effective writing skills are required to write documents such as reports,
letters, memos and emails. Why written communication is more important than oral
communication? Because it is a permanent record of one's transactions and it can be referred
to at any point of time. Only practice can perfect the writing skill. For effective writing, one
must write, rewrite, and finally learn to edit.

When reading to learn, students need to follow four basic steps:

Figure out the purpose for reading. Activate background knowledge of the topic in order to
predict or anticipate content and identify appropriate reading strategies.
Attend to the parts of the text that are relevant to the identified purpose and ignore the rest.
This selectivity enables students to focus on specific items in the input and reduces the
amount of information they have to hold in short-term memory.
Select strategies that are appropriate to the reading task and use them flexibly and
interactively. Students' comprehension improves and their confidence increases when they
use top-down and bottom-up skills simultaneously to construct meaning.
Check comprehension while reading and when the reading task is completed. Monitoring
comprehension helps students detect inconsistencies and comprehension failures, helping
them learn to use alternate strategies.
Speed reading is a technique used to improve one's ability to read quickly. Speed reading
methods include chunking and eliminating subvocalization. The many available speed
reading training programs include books, videos, software, and seminars.
Skimming
Skimming is a process of speed reading that involves visually searching the sentences of a
page for clues to meaning. For some people, this comes naturally, but is usually acquired by
practice. Skimming is usually seen more in adults than in children. It is conducted at a higher
rate (700 words per minute and above) than normal reading for comprehension (around 200230 wpm), and results in lower comprehension rates, especially with information-rich reading
material.
Another form of skimming is commonly employed by readers on the Internet. This involves
skipping over text that is less interesting or less relevant. This form of reading is not new but
has become increasingly prevalent due to the ease with which alternative information can be
accessed online. Some of the sentences have minor information that might not be required.
Meta guiding
Meta guiding is the visual guiding of the eye using a finger or pointer, such as a pen, in order
for the eye to move faster along the length of a passage of text. It involves drawing invisible
shapes on a page of text in order to broaden the visual span for speed reading. For example,
an audience of customers at a speed reading seminar will be instructed to use a finger or pen
to make these shapes on a page and told that this will speed up their visual cortex, increase
their visual span to take in the whole line, and even imprint the information into their
subconscious for later retrieval. It has also been claimed to reduce subvocalization, thereby
speeding up reading. While this encourages the eye to skim over the text, it reduces
comprehension and memory, and leads to missing important details of the text. An emphasis
on viewing each word, albeit briefly, is required for this method to be effective.
Chunking is a method of presenting information which splits concepts into small pieces or
"chunks" of information to make reading and understanding faster and easier. Chunking is
especially useful for material presented on the web because readers tend to scan for specific
information on aweb page rather than read the page sequentially.

Chunked content usually contains:

bulleted lists
short subheadings

short sentences with one or two ideas per sentence

short paragraphs, even one-sentence paragraphs

easily scannable text, with bolding of key phrases

inline graphics to guide the eyes or illustrate points which would normally require
more words
ADVANTAGES OF CHUNKING

Chunking help technical communicators or marketers convey information more

efficiently
Chunking helps readers find what they are looking for quickly
Chunking allows material to be presented consistently from page to page, so users can
apply previous knowledge of page layout and navigation and focus on the content rather
than the presentation

Speed Reading: 10 Tips to Improve Reading Speed & Reading

Comprehension
10. Read Early in the Day
Many people can double their reading speed and improve their concentration by reading the
material thats important to them early in the day.
9. Prioritize Your Reading
Create three piles for your reading materials important, moderately important, and least
important. Then read the material in their order of importance. Youll improve your reading
speed by doing this, and improve your reading comprehension by getting to the important
material first, when your mind is clear and sharp.
8. Skim Material First for Main Ideas
Speed read for main ideas in nonfiction works like how-to books and educational texts. Scan
the table of contents and first and last sentences of each paragraph. Youll improve your
reading speed and comprehension if you understand a books structure first. This will help
you know which parts of the book to skim and which parts to read more carefully.
7. Form a Question
Improve your reading comprehension, reading speed, and concentration by turning headings
and subheadings in textbooks and other nonfiction books into questions. Then scan the text
for the answers. Your reading speed improves by doing this, and you become focused on your
material.
6. Read in the Proper Environment
Prop your book or magazine using a bookstand angling your reading material at 45 degrees
improves your reading speed and reduces eyestrain. Avoid reading difficult or important
material in bed, where your mind and body tend to relax. Youll stay alert if you sit at a desk
instead.
5. Write a Course of Action on Correspondence
Improve your reading speed and avoid re-reading correspondence by jotting brief notes
immediately after reading each piece of correspondence. Simply refer to your notes on each
piece when youre reading to respond some time later.
4. Avoid Highlighting
Although readers believe that highlighting in yellow (or any other color, for that matter)
improves their reading speed and comprehension, the reverse is actually true. Highlighting
simply means they dont want to bother learning the material right now. The result: They end
up reading the material twice, and possibly not understanding or remembering it either time!

3. Preview Before Reading

Look through material first to get a sense of whats interesting and important to you, and
what you might be able to skip. Then focus on the sections that you need to understand and
remember, and skim or skip the rest.
2. Use a Flexible Reading Speed
Some reading material must be read slowly and carefully: legal contracts, mathematical
equations, and poetry are a few examples. Other reading material can be read at much faster
speeds: newspapers, magazines, and novels. Adjust your reading speed to the type of reading
material and your reading purpose.
1. Enroll in a Speed Reading Class
Avoid on-line speed reading courses and do-it-yourself speed reading software. They dont
work. Speed reading is best learned in a speed reading class taught by a knowledgeable,
experienced, speed reading expert.