328 INTRODUCTORY SPEECHES FOR ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
The Rare Phobia
1 Everyone in the world today suffers from some kind of fear. However, about 4 to 5 per-
cent experience a more severe form of fear known as phobias. Some of the most common phobias
are claustrophobia; agoraphobia, which is the fear of public spaces; and arachnophobia, the fear
of spiders. Then there are the more uncommon phobias—such as peladophobia, the fear of bald
people, or geniophobia, the fear of chins. There is even a name for the fear of Friday the 13th—
paraskevidekatriaphobia.
2 According to the latest count, there was a total of 530 named phobias. However, my par-
ticular phobia is so rare that it doesn’t even have a name. It is simply called the fear of baseballs.
That’s right, you heard me, the fear of baseballs. I know it sounds stupid, but it’s true. I am terri-
fied of baseballs. Even holding one in my hand sends shivers down my spine.
3 People don’t understand this. They do not understand that this is a real fear. I know it’s
been said that the only thing to fear is fear itself. But that’s not true. I’m not scared of being
scared of baseballs. I’m scared of the ball itself—the hard, round object that is usually flying fast
through the air.
4 But some people will fight to the death with me about this. For example, just this week-
end I was at my friends’ apartment and they found out that I have an extreme fear of baseballs. So
what do they do? They decide they’re going to help cure me of this fear by playing catch with the
THE RARE PHOBIA 329
The Rare Phobia
Commentary
Delivered with strong eye contact and vocal variety, “The Rare Phobia” is a creative, entertaining speech
of self-introduction. Below is a synopsis.
Specific Purpose: To introduce myself to the audience by explaining my fear of baseballs.
Central Idea: While most people are scared of something, my particular phobia—the fear of baseballs—
is so rare that there is no technical name for it.
Method of Organization: Topical
Introduction: Consisting of paragraphs 1 and 2, the introduction is at once playful, informative, and atten-
tion–grabbing. The first paragraph arouses the audience’s curiosity and pulls them progressively
into the speech, while the second paragraph reveals the specific phobia from which the speaker
suffers. This would be an outstanding introduction even for a speech presented much later in the
term.