In our English class we had to orally tell an embarrassing story to the whole class. We then transcribed our oral story and wrote a descriptive version. Both versions were significantly different from each other in many ways. Our study concerns the differences between oral and written communication. When we speak and write to people, content, style, structure and process are all key factors that determine our delivery. My oral introduction was brief while my written introduction set the stage with details to present my story more formally and substantively. In my oral history I started with where I was and what time it was. In my written version I clearly explained what time it was, where I was, how I felt, and where I was going. For example, "At 3 in the morning I grabbed my skateboard and backpack and left my friend's apartment..." As I spoke to my audience I could see their facial expressions and I knew they understood and I felt they didn't it was necessary to delve into those details. This is precisely where the structures of written and oral delivery differ. I can gauge my audience's reaction in real time: their reactions to my story are instantaneous and visible to me, the speaker. Using audience reaction, a speaker can choose to incorporate or leave out certain details that are, perhaps, inevitably characteristic of a written story. This is not to say that reactions to written work are not instantaneous, because they are, but those reactions are invisible to the author and can only be received in the form of critical or evaluative communication after the fact. My oral and written body paragraphs tell exactly what happened; however, the written version incorporates the details. My oral version was quickly explained, for example: "About mmm 30 seconds later I just lined my clothes from behind." My written version is very detailed and informative, missing minor details of the experience. For example, “They had funny looks on their faces, like they weren't quite sure why they were talking to me.” Of course, my written version is more detailed because my audience wasn't there and I couldn't engage in this sort of ongoing process of perceiving delivery and readjusting. The oral version of the story ended abruptly while the written story ended with everything that happened after the event.