Effective Business Reading

Choose the right approach to reading for business. Topics covered include scanning, skimming, using AI, reading deeply, and combining modes. Choose your reading approach to match your objective, constraints, consequences, and required confidence.
Format

Online
Course

Author

Andy Ruth

Duration

Under 20 minutes

Availability

Continuous

About the course

In my work environment, I received hundreds of emails a day with detailed plans in many of them. I had to keep up with the products and technologies we developed and manage the instant messaging interactions. On top of that, I had a job to do.
Out of self-defense, I started learning to speed read and found that it wasn't how fast I was reading, it was how I was reading. This course helps you look at content, set and objective for what you need by investing your time to read it, and create a reading approach that meets your objective.  

Course topics

  • Welcome
  • Why the difference still matters
  • Start with the objective
  • Understand the speed-depth tradeoff
  • Scan: find something specific
  • Skim: understand the gist and relevance
  • Summarize with artificial intelligence (AI): triage, then verify
  • Read deeply: accuracy and nuance
  • Use a purposeful sequence
    Practice: choose the mode
    Knowledge check
  • Takeaway

Practical approach

Each short course focuses on one practical topic. Learners build skills they can apply immediately and leave with a useful takeaway—such as a decision guide, checklist, or job aid—to support them on the job.

Globally oriented

Designed for a wide range of global learners, with keyboard navigation, readable layouts, audio narration, and transcripts.

For your career

Whether you are beginning your career or developing new skills to grow within your current organization, our practical courses help you understand what matters, apply what you learn, and make better decisions at work.

Andy Ruth

Andy Ruth has been in IT and the technology industry long enough to have learned and used vacuum tube theory and assembler language.