"It is more difficult to keep the attention of hearers than of readers"

This quote by Lascelles Abercrombie talks to the difficulty of engaging an audience when speaking. It suggests that it is more difficult to keep the attention of hearers than of readers. This is most likely due to the fact that when speaking, the speaker must rely on their own capability to engage the audience, whereas when composing, the reader can take their time to absorb the material. Furthermore, when speaking, the speaker should be aware of the audience's responses and change their delivery accordingly. This can be hard to do in the minute, as the speaker needs to be able to read the audience and change their delivery appropriately. Moreover, when speaking, the speaker needs to be able to keep the audience's attention for the duration of the speech, whereas when reading, the reader can take breaks and come back to the product. This quote speaks with the challenge of engaging an audience when speaking, and the value of being able to adjust one's shipment to keep the audience's attention.