JONALYN A.

HIDAL
BSED-IV-ENGLISH
SPEAKING OR LISTENING

What do you think is better speaking or listening?

I know some of you will say speaking, of course, because you will express your thoughts, ideas,
opinion and even criticisms. When someone is speaking are you really listening. I mean real
listening where you focus your attention to the speaker and listen to him attentively, instead of
planning the brilliant thing you'll say the moment the other person finishes speaking?
Funny right, because some of us are doing this. We pretend to listen but in reality we don’t
cared whatever he/she says. Sometimes I think that speaking is like a competition on who will
be the best creator in the end. Yes, you heard it right, the best creator which means other are
sometimes creating this imaginary words, I mean imaginary words because it is just an
imagination, a creation, just to impress his/her listener but there are two result of this either it
is bad or good. As we know the former is always the end of this imaginary words.
As we all know, tongue is full of deadly poison while spoken words could not kill, it could
definitely hurt and destroy yourself. We often hear people say that the more you talk, the more
blunders you commit. In other words, the less you talk, the fewer mistakes you commit. You are
not only committing a fewer mistake but you are also gaining more knowledge and information
from someone. A person who's talking is giving away information--often more than he/she
intended. A person who's listening is receiving information. Who gets the best deal in that
exchange?
How many times have you revealed something and then later wished that you hadn't? Or
expressed a thought you might better have kept until you died? We've all had these
experiences one time or another. The less you say, the smaller the chances your secret will be
revealed.
As late former president Abraham Lincoln said, "Better to remain silent and be thought a fool
than to speak out and remove all doubt." I'm not suggesting you stop talking but it’s too easy to
speak thoughtlessly, with insufficient information, or out of a wrong assumption. That can make
you look like dumb than you are, and you will avoid it if you listen more than you speak.

Now upon hearing this, what do you think is better speaking or listening? The decision is yours.