Speed reading and skimming

"What is the difference between skimming and speed reading?" It is important to be able to distinguish between the two. Skimming and speed reading are vastly different things, but for some reason, they are often listed as synonyms. Skimming is something you likely already know how to do; you quickly and lightly go over a text without paying too much attention to detail, just so that you can get a general idea of the text. Speed reading, on the other hand, is a much more complicated process. For example, if you want to speed read something, then the proper way to do so involves multiple steps. To speed read most efficiently, the first step is to eliminate all distractions. Step 2, is to get as comfortable as you can. Step 3 is to identify exactly what you want to get from the book. a) you may be able to find words you don't know, which you should look up in a dictionary before you continue.  c) you may become sub-consciously prepared for some important concepts and keywords from the topic.