Spoken communication is more powerful than written communication To what extent do you agree or disagree v.2

In terms of communication, many people believe that it will be more powerful for the information to be exchanged in speech instead of in writing. Personally, I do not completely agree with this idea, and I will explain why. On the one hand, it is true that in various situations, speaking is an optimal way in which information can be transferred energetically and immediately. By integrating intonation, gestures or face expressions, speakers can indicate information enthusiastically with instant effects while written language requires a certain amount of time for readers to read and absorb the content. Besides, in extremely urgent cases, when information needs to be grasped immediately such as emergency evacuation, verbal contact often appears to be superior to written communication because it does not require any writing tools, or when information receivers are people who are not able to read and write like young children. Nonetheless, almost all the important contracts or agreements between individuals, organizations or countries are guaranteed by written papers, and signatures are usually regarded as official confirmation. It is because that without being recorded, verbal language itself is sometimes untrustworthy and fragile, and the deal is more likely to be broken if there is no visible evidence between the two sides. Of course in many less formal situations, oral negotiations are firm enough but generally, people are not legally obliged until the contract is signed. Moreover, writing appears to be more effective than speaking when the information is too complicated or needs to be grasped precisely, namely doctor’s prescriptions, machinery manuals or regulations. Overall, I do not subscribe to the theory that spoken words have a more powerful effect than written words because all means of communication are equally important, depending on our intentions and the circumstances.