Spoken vs. Written Language
A speaker who writes an oral presentation as if it were an essay and merely reads it risks losing the audience. Such a presentation may seem “canned,” impersonal and lifeless, stilted and insincere. The language may be so technical and unfamiliar or the sentences so dense that the listeners have trouble following without the text in front of them.
Spoken Language
- Use of personal pronouns
- Shorter thought units that are easy to follow
- Greater repetition of words and phrases to emphasize ideas
- Colloquial words and contractions create a lively, conversational tone
- Familiar words used to ensure audience understanding
- Fewer references to previously stated information, i.e. “as mentioned above”
Written Language
- Infrequent use of personal pronouns
- More complicated sentence structures
- Repetition of ideas through precise and varied language
- Formal tone and infrequent use of colloquialisms
- Rich and precise vocabulary used, regardless of audience
- May refer to previously stated information, i.e. “as in the former”
Both Spoken and Written Language
- Logical structure
- Cohesive, fluid argument
- Rich and varied evidence
Contact
Office / Department Name
Oral Communication Center
Contact Name
Amy Gaffney
Oral Communication Center Director
