Monday, October 5, 2009

Writing versus Speaking

Explore either or both of the following: a) What is more important: writing well or speaking well? b) Why are some people better at one versus the other?

22 comments:

MMiller said...

I believe that neither writing nor speaking is more important. They each have a importance in our society. Also they are important in different ways. People are all different, so they are good at different things. Some are good at speaking, and some are good at writing. However, each is important. Writing is a way to express yourself. Many people are too nervous to talk infront of other people. So they go to writing instead. Some people can't write very well, but talking to people is like second nature to them. Both have a special importance in society.
Writing is used in everyday life. Strret signs, essays, stories are all writing. Also, speaking came form writing, so we wouldn't have a language if we didn't have writing.
Speaking is used to tell about writing. We use it to tell stories. Also it is a faster way of communticating.
Although they are very different, they are interconnected. Both are important, and we couldn't live without either of them.

ctino said...

Both writing and speaking are significant to our current society. Each is essential for communication and conveying our opinions. Without either, our life would crumble; this communication is our support system for our world. In addition to the central idea of communication, there are apparent differences. The most obvious difference is that speaking is verbal and writing is recording ideas, opinions, and facts.

In my eyes, writing is more important than speaking for several reasons. For one, while speaking to a friend, colleague, or family member, you can use slang and be informal but you will still be understood since people who know you will understand what you are saying. In contrast, writing is viewed by a very diverse audience who won't understand what you are trying to convey. In addition, you have to be very clear when writing so the readers are able to comprehend. Differently, you can say confusing things, but you are able to explain them, your words aren't set in stone. In conclusion, although I stated that I think writing is more important than speaking, each is an essential form of communication used in everyday life.

mrusso said...

I agree with Michelle that writing and speaking are both important, but neither is more important.It's like comparing apples to oranges, although they have some similarities (both are fruit/both are necessary in sociey), they are also very different from each other.
Speaking is a way of communication that almsot everyone understands, at least everyone that speaks the same language. In places that speaking isn't perfect for cummunication, writing picks up. Someone from Russia (who only speaks Russian) won't understand when someone from the US says something. But there are universal symbols that everyone can under stand such as shapes, drawings, etc. And where writing lacks, speaking picks up. It's very hard to write dialogue that is supposed to be yelling without writing "he/she yelled to them". With speaking, you can physically yell. Writing and speaking are two huges parts of our society and are equally importatn.

Emily said...

Writing and speaking both have strong impact on the way we think, learn, and act and are both equally important. Both writing and speaking is what forms our society today.
Writing is a way people express themselves weather its through poems, stories, or novels. People write about literally anything thats going on in their lives. Good writers don't necessarily enjoy it, but they have a talent that they should embrace. Writing is something that only few people are gifted with and that everyone should use, no matter how good or bad.
As for speaking, we use speaking all day everyday to express how we feel, our emotions, and just for general communication. Speaking is also a talent that the majority of people are gifted with, despite the several that don't have the ability to express themselves verbally.

shuber said...

I believe that nor writing or speaking is more important than the other. Just like MMiller said, they have their own importance in society. Speaking is a way for some people to just let things out. However; writing can do the same thing for other people. Writing is a way to express yourself but on paper, and speaking is in words out loud. There are some people that are better speakers and others that are good writers and some that are good at neither. But, in my opinion, the ones who are better speakers are the ones who read and just like to state how they feel and what they want. And the better writers are the ones who just like to keep their feelings on paper instead of out loud for others to hear. Maybe they get nervous and just like to keep to themselves.
Back to the importance of each, speaking is just another way of writing. It is an easier/faster way of communication just as MMiller said. We all need them both because in our whole life, we use both everyday. It would be nothing without writing and speaking, we couldn't live without them because we are so use to using them each and everyday

cswift said...

Writing and speaking well are both very important to most peoples lives. Most people speak and write everyday. They both make us smarter and more successful people. Weather you are at work, school or at home you are most likely writing or speaking for most of the day. Without these ways to communicate the world would be nothing like it is today.
Even though writing and speaking are both very important, I personally think that writing well is more important than speaking well. Writing can be personal but it can also be public. You can write someone a letter or you can write to yourself as a way of expressing your feelings. Writing can be whatever you want it to be and not what others tell you it's suppose to be. Writing is used everywhere you look. Some people just need to write themselves notes about what they need to do during the day while other people need to write huge essays about science and history. Writing can be as short or as long as you want and can be in many different languages. Writing has impacted the world in numerous ways and I could not imagine life without it now. Without writing, I could not be typing this right now.
Some people are better at writing then speaking while other people are better at speaking then writing. This could be for many different reasons. Some people may be better at writing then speaking because they may read and write a lot. Also because maybe they take writing more seriously and use it for everything such as letting out all their emotions. On the other hand, some people may be better at speaking then writing because they may speak out load to audiences a lot. These two skills are very important to have. Wether you are better at writing or speaking, they both have huge impacts on most peoples lives. We are very lucky to be able to use these skills everyday.

pruvane said...

Speech and writing is a common occurrence in modern day society, so much so one may take them for granted. A question may arise in ones mind while comparing and contrasting speech and writing, which is: between language and writing, which is more important? It is clear that both writing and language is a crucial part in the way our world works, yet, there is one important reason why writing surpasses speech. This is that speech is ether, simply wind through our ears that will fade forever. While writing is indelible, texts can still be read from thousands of years ago thanks to writing. An example of this is the Rosetta Stone. Due to archaeologists ability to read Greek, they were able to decipher the Egyptian language. Although we can all agree that language and writing are important, writing is an ability that outshines language.

Society today is full of people who can generally do two things, that is successfully orate and successfully write. If you were to ask, say, a toddler as to why this was so, they will probably say something along the lines of 'they were just born better at those things.' This is not true. In actuality, life experiences and the choices one makes throughout life determine whether one is to excel between either writing or oration. However, people are born with opinions (specifically likes and dislikes) and these opinions determine what choices they make between orating or writing.

SBedrosian said...

Sometimes, the written word is more truthful than the spoken word. A lot of the time people do not say what they really mean. They sometimes speak out of anger or rage before thinking about what they actually mean. But when writing, one can think about their words carefully before making them permanent. And even when doing so, those words can be erased. The spoken word, once out there, is not something someone can take back. Also, writing is self expression. It often holds hidden meanings and feelings that the author may or may not have intended to include. Writing makes one's emotions visible. Most of what we speak is not relevant, it does not mean as much as it should. But writing if often the unmasking of someone's words. It is harder to lie through writing than threw spoken words. Writing means so much more than the spoken word. It is a more personal expression.

Anonymous said...

Writing well and speaking well are both really important parts of the way we live our lives, and they each play a part in our society. Speaking and writing are our ways of standard communication. I think, however, that speaking may play a slightly more significant role. When you are walking down the street, you would say "Hi" to someone passing you, but you would not normally take out a piece of paper and write "Hi" on it. Speaking is by far a faster and more effective way of communicating. I believe that speaking is more useful because when you read written words, you can only understand it up to a certain extent. People may interpret words on paper differently than others, so you never can be totally sure that everyone reading something will understand it the way you do. For example, when two people are tying back and forth on a computer, and one person says "I hate you", the other person can not tell if the person is being serious or not. If this conversation happened in person, you would be able to tell because of the tone of their voice. Written words can be misinterpreted, but spoken words will get the point across in a faster and understandable way.

galfieri said...

Writing and speaking are both very important in life and society. I don't think that either one is more important than the other. To be successful in anything you have to be able to speak and to write well. Although sometimes I think that if you are very good at one then you are probably not too bad at the other. For instance if you are a strong writer then its pretty likely that you are good at speaking too. As a student you have to be able to do both well because without being good at speaking or writing you can't get far in life. These two skills are the foundation of education.
Some people can be better at one versus the other. You can be more comfortable at writing because it is all your thoughts written down and it is more private. You don't have to directly tell someone what you are thinking. Others may feel that speaking is a way to share their thoughts as soon as possible without analyzing and thinking hard about what they want to say.

ecrespo said...

I think that both are important, but in their own ways. Speaking to me, though, is more important because without good verbal communication skills, where would we be today? We couldn't easily get our thoughts across, do well in job interviews, or even have class discussions. An example for my second point, one who isapplying for a job could have an excellent resume, be a harvard grad with a ph. d in astrophysics but if he couldn't speak good english in the interview, who's going to get the job? Writing is an important part of society but overall speaking is much more important

NJacobson said...

Writing well and speaking well are both very important. One is not more important than another. It is important to be able to write well for school and jobs, but it is also very important to be able to speak well, for example, when you are giving a power point or lesson. This leads into an interesting point however. In order to be able to write well, you have to be able to speak, and in order to speak well (i.e. a speech in front of a company) you have to be able to write well. I guess you could say that they each flow into each other in a way.

Some people are better at one than the other. This is very true. When writing, some people get stressed and the thoughts don't come as easily, whereas when they speak, it come naturally because we speak everyday. Some people may not write all that often, therefor they are not as experienced writers as they are speakers.

Kmichaluk said...

Writing and speaking are both equally important. There are circumstances when a person has to write something to make their point, and some where they need to speak. You can't say that one is generally more important than the other. In society we would be lost without either of them. For hundreds of years people have used writing to communicate. In the old days it might have been more by letters and now we still use writing in emails or even text messages. And why speach is important is pretty obvious, without it we wouldn't know what the person right next to us was talking about. Having good communications skills is an important aspect of making it in todays world. At a job interview if you make no sense and aren't convincing why would you get hired? And if they read your resume and that doesn't make sense, again why would they hire you? Both writing and speaking are very important.

Kmichaluk said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
mriposta said...

I think that writing well and speaking well are equally important, but in different ways. It's important to be a good writer because there are many times in life you will have to write an essay on an exam like the SATs or to get into a graduate school or even to get a job. Being a good writer will come in handy throughout your entire life and in your job. Being a good speaker is important because people admire people that can give an eloquent speech in front of a large crowd and get everyone's attention. It is rare to be a good speaker because many people fear public speaking.

It is very hard to find a person who is good at both speaking and writing. Some people are better at writing because they keep their thoughts to themselves and like to write them down instead of speak them. Also, some people are just better at writing because they're good at making sentences flow and sound poetic. Some people are better at speaking because they're extroverted and are not afraid to speak in front of a large audience. They don't get stage fright and jumble up their words; they are very natural in front of a crowd. It just depends on the person.

Celia said...

I agree with Michelle and believe that both writing and speaking are equally important. Writing it very important because it helps you remember things. It would be very hard to remember our history or things we learn if we just say them and try to remember them. If we write something we know it will be there for a long time. Speaking is very important also because it is the easiest way of communication. If everytime you wanted to talk to someone you would have to write a letter it would be very hard. Also, speaking is important for emergencies. If you are in a scary situation you might not have time to write a note. It would be a very different world if we were not able to speak or write.

EYanowitz said...

-In today's society, I believe that speaking is more important than writing. Although both have their individual merits, it is more advantageous to be a strong speaker than a skillful writer. For one, being a good speaker can help one land a job or get a promotion. Writing doesn't stand out as much as speaking, and a good speaker will leave a better impression. Not to mention, speaking is a much quicker means of communication and it is less likely that someone will misinterpret the spoken word.
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-Also, an accomplished speaker is more persuasive. A skilled speaker will be more able to sway an argument in their favor, or convince someone that their proposal is the best one to go with. When one's ideas are constantly picked, and they are consistently able to persuade others to do what they say, they are bound to be noticed and move up in the bussiness world. Although writing is very important, and is useful for many things, speaking is the more important of the two basic forms of communication.

kpersau said...

I believe that both writing well and speaking well have the same amount of usefulness in this world. Neither is more valuable or more important than the other. While both parts affect different parts of your life, that does not diminish the role either one has. Writing well is needed more than speaking in jobs like being an author, for without it you should probably pursue a different career choice. Speaking well is needed more than writing in jobs like being public announcer, comedian, or jobs that involve standing and speaking in front of a crowd of people.
I think that some people are better at one versus the other because of their personality. If you have a very outgoing and fun personality, you are most likely good at public speaking, as you don’t get uncomfortable when being the center of attention. Then there are the other people who are shy and don’t do well in front of their peers. These types of people would normally good at writing, but not at sharing their ideas to others firsthand. Even so, just because someone has these character traits does not guarantee them to be good at either writing or speaking, but these character traits are probably present in these types of people.

icalo said...

Some people think that writing well is more important than speaking well, but I think both are equally important. No one has be an amazing writer or an amazing speaker. As long as you can talk to someone or write something to someone and they can understand you, you are okay. But sometimes it is more important to be better at one or the other. In some businesses you will be asked to write something, but if your write up isn't business material then that could hurt you. On the other hand, if you are asked to speak in front of a group of business associates and you speak like a middle school student than that could hurt you also. I think it is important to work on both if you want to succeed.

mparker said...

Writing well and speaking well both have different significances in society. If you use both together, and can write well and speak well, then you have the best advantage. Writing well allows the reader, in most cases, to go into a “new place” and create a mental movie if it is written well. If it is then delivered well, then it will let the audience go into that mental movie as well. In my opinion, writing is more important. With writing, you can still communicate, document specific things, copy down ideas etc. Both of these are very important to everyday, but specifically I think writing is more important. Both of these things we could not live without, because it would make it impossible to have a functional society and government.
Some people are better at one or the other for a few reasons. One could just be natural talent. Some people are very good at speaking, and reading out loud, meanwhile some are better at writing. Society needs both of these tools to have it be the way it is today.

Emma said...

For the second part, I think about how directly talking to someone can affect us to a very high extent. When you stop to have a conversation with someone, you have to face them and deal with their immediate emotion and it rules what we decide to say. If someone is crying and you are angry with that person, one might have a much more difficult time trying to convey the anger or true thoughts. Though talking in the phone is much less direct, you still hear their voice and can sense their emotion. Some people are better at saying things straightforwardly and without hesitation, but others need a clear mind to convey their thoughts.
When away from the pressure of keeping someone else happy or not angry, people can be much more honest. They are not interrupted and have a moment to think before they write what they have an opinion on. For some, it is mixed. Sometimes it is much easier to show your love for someone by speaking it but for others they can display it by written words to convey their emotion. It's a mixed bag and usually depends upon the situation and always depends upon the person.

ablanc said...

I think that writing and speaking are both very important. Some people are better at one versus the other, but that doesn't mean that one is more significant than the other in our world. Sometimes thoughts and ideas can translate better through speaking because you can use your emotions, but other people would argue that. Some people would think that you can also show your emotions through writing, and many powerful writers can use this to their advantage. I guess it depends who you are, but both writing and speaking are important and crucial skills in today's society.