This question was originally asked by my English teacher during one of our classes. At first, I got confused because I wasn't asked ever before to choose between speaking and writing, but then I made my choice and replied, "Writing, of course."
Well, I can say that she was quite surprised when many of us answered that they feel comfortable with writing. She, herself, as I could see by the look on her face, prefered speaking over writing.
She told us that speaking is easier and better because of many reasons. I am listing only a few of them.
- Speaking requires gestures only and you don't have to waste a lot of words to explain you emotions.
- You can shape your words by adjusting them to the mood of your listeners. You can even change your way of speaking to be more convincing. You can defend yourself, whenever required.
- No Punctuation is required.
- You can communicate in two way manner. You can observe the response of the audience to what you are communicating.
- Speech has its own grammar. So, you can be easy at grammar usage. For example, you don't have to use complete sentences at times.
I said that I feel comfortable with writing. Maybe it's because I love writing. I am very shy in formal settings, while I am very confident in informal ones. So in formal setting I can communicate better in writing. I mean I love to express myself through colorful adjectives. I also feel that through writing I can communicate my ideas more effectively, and more confidently.
The best thing about writing is that you don't have to see the faces of your listeners. You can communicate without caring for the response you'll get. Writing makes you more brave. I love that writing has a structure and organization. You may not think before speaking, but you think before writing, so there are fewer mistakes.
It's also easy to settle disputes and say you're sorry through writing. You can say sorry to a friend who doesn't even agrees to talk to you in school by texting her a long and elaborate apology with a lot of plzzzzzz..... Trust me, I have done this before and it is effective.
Writing provides evidence. You can keep copies and do not have to worry about getting trouble for something that you didn't do or say.
But,I do love speaking too. I love speaking in informal setting, such as in friends, class fellows and family. I love making new friends and I usually don't have any trouble doing that. I am also trying to love speaking in formal settings. To express my ideas more confidently and fully.
Although I am a very talkative person, I feel uncomfortable with speaking in formal settings, such as in front of guests, in presentations, etc.
So, till the time that I become confident, I definitely love writing. Although I am good in public speaking, I would like to get better at it.
