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Would you rather write an essay or give a speech?

Discussion in 'Chit Chat' started by Lawrence, Sep 11, 2015.

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Would you rather write an essay or give a speech?

  1. Essay

    61 vote(s)
    64.2%
  2. Speech

    34 vote(s)
    35.8%
  1. Lawrence

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    Let's imagine that you're at college, and you have the choice to:

    1 - write an essay

    OR

    2 - give a speech in front of 30 people (you'd probably also use a slideshow/PowerPoint presentation)

    Which option would you pick, and why?

    You'd have one week before you hand in the essay or give the speech. Oh, and the subject matter can be one of your fave subjects at school/college/university.

    Personally, I preferred speeches. I found it easier to organise important information in a PowerPoint presentation. I had fun designing slideshows, and I made sure I didn't go too crazy with it. When I was alone, I practiced talking about my subject, until I got a rough idea of what I'd say on the day.
     
  2. RawringSnake

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    Speech, by a long shot. Essays are just more work.
     
  3. Kaiser

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    It depends.

    How long does the essay have to be? If it isn't anything too much, I'd rather write the essay, because it's easy and I could do it respectably quick. Turn it in and leave, go about my day.

    Now, if the question is, which am I best at? Speech, definitely, because I'll utilize tone, hand and body gestures, and even involve my audience. This has lead me to receiving a favorable grade, as I've noticed, even if I were to half-ass it (which is hard for me to do with a speech, because it is a direct reflection of me!), so long as I made others feel good and that they weren't wasting their time, especially the instructor, I'd walk away with a pass.

    Writing, while enjoyable and easy for me, doesn't possess as much life as, well, me.
     
  4. QueerTransEnby

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    Essay by a long shot, especially if it is under 5 pages. That's just a no-brainer.
     
  5. SonicBoom

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  6. Andrew99

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    I write essays all the time. When i have to give a speech I always start cracking up because then I get nervous.
     
  7. Riyuzaki

    Riyuzaki Guest

    Essay definitely.
     
  8. Berru

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    Essay. With an essay, I can edit it as many times as I want before handing it in, while with a speech, no matter how much I practice, I wouldn't be able to hide my insecurity and would probably end up saying a lot of "uhm"s and "err"s.

    Essay writing has always been easy for me, especially when it's about something I'm passionate about.
     
  9. HM03

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    Easily an essay.
     
  10. Gen

    Gen
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    Speech.

    Presentations are easy points.
     
  11. C P

    C P
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    I hate speaking in front of an audience, so it's not a tough decision at all; I'd choose the essay, even though I would rather neither honestly.
     
  12. Aspen

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    I actually enjoy writing essays if the subject is something I'm interested in. Giving speeches terrifies me. It wouldn't be a hard choice.
     
  13. XenaxGabby

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    Write an essay. I'm a fairly good writer so it's easy for me but I get very nervous about speaking in public.
     
  14. waitwhat

    waitwhat Guest

    Public speaking is one of my biggest fears. I can't do it. Even those little ice breakers that you do at the beginning of a semester where everyone in the class says their name and major, kill me. I get shaky and want to cry.
     
  15. RainOnVII

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    Essay, for sure. I'm horrible at public speech, and even my regular speech has stutters.
     
  16. Spartan 117

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    I actually voted speech. I was used to doing bible readings and the like for my mum's church when I was growing up - I guess it got me used to public speaking. I do like a good essay when the subjects interesting though.
     
  17. ThatBorussenGuy

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    I'll take the essay. I hate speaking, and I am much more eloquent when I write, when I have time to think over what I'm saying and edit it if I make an error.

    In contrast, you give a speech and you screw up, and everyone hears it.
     
  18. BMC77

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    Essay, although speech might win in some circumstances. But I think it would be easier for me to write an essay that gets the job done. And I'm not sure I'd be comfortable with public speaking.

    Years back, I took a speech class at a community college. Long story, but I wasn't on any sort of college track at that point, so worries about grades, etc weren't a huge worry. The part I was probably good at was writing the full text speech. I wasn't very good at delivering it--I got a lot of consistent commentary about certain problems that came up repeatedly (e.g. the teacher thought I never seemed very comfortable). I enjoyed a few moments of the speaking part because of something clever I'd thought up. But otherwise, really probably didn't like it.
     
    #18 BMC77, Sep 11, 2015
    Last edited: Sep 11, 2015
  19. AwesomGaytheist

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    Give a speech, but only if it's about politics. I'm a good writer, but I can deliver a damn good political speech. Maybe they'll give me a speaking slot at the Democratic National Convention next year...

    I can dream.
     
  20. mrbuddha123

    mrbuddha123 Guest

    Definitely an essay. I'm a good public speaker, but I prefer essay writing because I can make what I want to express just that little bit more perfect :icon_wink