There are many different levels of reading – quite apart from the physical speed of our reading. There is ‘defensive’ reading in which we skim through just to check that everything is as we assume it to be, and with the hope that we shall find nothing in what we read that might change our views. We just have to read through the material in case there is something of significance in it. Then there is what we might call ‘gist’ reading in which we try to work out the general thrust of what we are reading. We appreciate that this may have to be expressed in details but we are only interested in the broad picture or the final conclusion. Then there is ‘atmosphere’ reading in which we read through a piece to get the general feel or mood of the piece, though we are neither interested in detail or even in the broad gist of what is said. For example, we may read through the comments of a financial journalist in order to get the mood of the market.

Finally there is ‘information’ reading where what we read has been designed to bring to us the information that we want. Here it may be a matter of sorting out the linking material and the tone-setting material from the actual information. It is perfectly legitimate for facts to be framed in certain perspectives. After all a set of sales figures may have to be put in a number of frames; against a background of recession; in spite of re-organisation in the department; as compared with the sales of competitors; as compared to target sales. It would be somewhat easier if the communicator were to indicate in a formal manner the appropriate frame rather than indicate it in a roundabout way – which always sounds like an excuse. A communicator could state: ‘these are the facts’ and ‘these are the frames.’

Because of the huge amount of information available and the considerable amounts that need to be read it helps to be clear about the appropriate reading mode: dense for implications; dense for inferences; defensive; overall picture; for atmosphere; for information.