WHICH IS EASIER, WRITING OR SPEAKING?

Just like I mentioned in my last article, different people have different opinions as regards speaking and writing and different people have different preferences as to which is easier. Today, we would look at it together, and then you would be allowed to comment on which you think is easier from your own end.

Before I start, I need to tell you that despite the differences between writing and speaking, they still have some similarities and the same rules guiding them. They run by the rules of semantics and syntax, and they both use languages to express their feelings.

Skipping introductions, I will go straight to tell you that writing simply involves putting words down. And these words can be for different purposes, but the end result is so they can be read. Writing involves putting nice words together to give a good read, but that is not all. It is not enough to put words together or write down your thoughts. You have to make those thoughts make sense because they are your thoughts and you have the back story behind them.

Anyone picking your writing should be able to read it with the same or almost the same intentions you had when you were writing. Meaning, appropriate pauses, right emotions, right tone of voice and the other things that are communicated while writing. This is where writing becomes a bit difficult. You may not be the one doing all the talking, but your writing must make it possible for the person talking to deliver it properly.

When it comes to speaking, it is a different ball game entirely, and you are allowed to be as dramatic as you want, to vary your words and the tone of your voice, to use your whole body to communicate. But you still have the responsibility of doing a good job because people are watching you. You don’t have the luxury of hiding behind the letters in a paper like a writer.

For some people, working up the right emotions to speak is not easy. All they want to do is speak and go. But speaking blandly causes the real intent of a book or a speech to be lost as the people cannot follow through.

I will give the example of reading a story to children. One thing that keeps the children excited to the end is the way the story is being read. Some of the people that read to children are usually very dramatic, and they make different hand and facial gestures so the children can follow and be properly involved. But in order for the reader to be that dramatic, the writer must have done a very good job of putting the appropriate punctuation and all other necessary things in place.

Another advantage that a speaker enjoys is being able to make eye contact with his audience which is impossible for a writer. The only way it can be possible for the speaker to have eye contact is if the writer has done a fantastic job of writing that the audience could not help but follow till the end. A speaker also has the advantage of talking in a multidimensional manner rather than a writer who just writes in one direction. And a speaker enjoys the privilege of getting responses and reaction from his listeners.

In as much as speaking has its own advantages, it also has some disadvantages like stage fright, bad pronunciation on the part of the reader, speaking colloquially in a formal setting, too much mannerism and excessive repetition.

These differences can go on and on, but some people are still better suited for one of the two while some are comfortable doing the two. Some people would rather work hard at writing to make it make sense rather than being at the forefront of speaking or working up emotions as they speak.

Same goes in the other direction, some would rather be out there speaking, gesticulating, making people keep their eyes on them rather than being the brains behind the written text and struggling with putting words together for it to make sense.

I must also add that mistakes can be permitted when speaking. You can always apologize and rephrase your statement. But when writing, it is almost impossible to correct your mistake once your work has gone out. Hence the extra work of rereading and proofreading to produce the best.

These are not all the different things to note about writing and speaking. There are more things to consider but I believe that you have the basic idea from this write up. Therefore, I would love to know your opinion and what you think about these two subjects.

Feel free to comment in the comment section on which you prefer. Speaking or writing. And state your reason for your choice. Thank you!

“Olamide Omolawal is an avid research enthusiast with interest in creative and content writings”

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Olamide Lawal

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