Speech Vs. Essay

Writing a speech and writing an essay are two different experiences. While both the speech writer and the essay writer communicate information to a live audience or reading audience, the steps the writers go through to create the final version require varying methods, such as the choice of diction and dramatic effect.

Tone

Speech writing requires that a writer communicates a specific theme or topic to an audience. She uses a tone in her writing that produces an emotional effect on the audience. A presidential speech, for example, often uses a particular diction, full of patriotic, hopeful, grave or uplifting tones. While an essay also relies on tone for dramatic effect, the essay writer has less of a demand to please all members of her audience than the speech writer. For example, if you write a personal essay about a life-changing trip, you do not need for every person to admire your essay and the tone in which you compose it --- it is more written to make a point than to win over an audience. In general, a speech appeals to a specific audience in a certain place and time, while an essay communicates with a general audience.

Structure

Each essay format --- narrative, expository or personal --- follows a basic structure. It usually includes an introduction with a thesis statement, body paragraphs and a conclusion that synthesizes the information. A speech also has a particular format, with an introduction, examples and a conclusion, but the speech writer will often restate a point at the end of each section of the speech to ensure the audience is "with" him or her. Because the essayist understands that the writer can reread the last paragraph, or reread the entire essay again, he does not need to reiterate statements. Rather, an essay's structure relies on smooth transitions to the next theme.

Giving a Speech

The speech writer "performs" or delivers his speech in a way that gives his ideas, or themes, a particular meaning. For example, Martin Luther King wrote his "Dream" speech in the first-person "I" voice to produce an emotional impact on his listeners. In essay writing, a writer connects with her audience, whether live or on the page, without trying to win them over with her delivery.

Reading an Essay

An essay presenter only needs to look up from his paper every few minutes, while a person delivering a speech must deliver by memorization, only occasionally glancing at the page or screen. While an individual can read an essay either in an impassioned and enthusiastic or a sad and grave tone, the audience, in general, is more interested in hearing the quality of writing and information than the delivery, as they are for a speech.