340 INTRODUCTORY SPEECHES FOR ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
Steady and True
1 As you hit the road with your best friend on a trip cross country in an old convertible, you
see so many different sights that it’s easy to overlook the one constant that is always in the same
place and is always there. The lane divider is always present—dead center in the middle of the
thing happened to Beth while she played varsity volleyball in high school for three years—the
competition increased, and so did her level of play.
4 She loves the game and plays with a fierce passion, but she knows it’s not everything in
life. She thought long and hard about whether she was going to play here at the university, but her
thirst for the game was conquered by her hunger to achieve academic success, and so she decided
STEADY AND TRUE 341
Steady and True
Commentary
A brief speech introducing a classmate, “Steady and True” shows how one can use creativity to craft an
interesting first speech. The theme of the lane divider allows the speaker to convey information about his
classmate through a clear, easily understandable visual metaphor. Below is a brief synopsis.
Specific Purpose: To introduce my classmate to the audience.
Central Idea: Beth’s steady and true course in life has carried her into college and will carry her beyond.
Method of Organization: Topical
Body: Paragraphs 2–5 constitute the body of the speech. In paragraph 2, the speaker presents infor-
mation about Beth’s parents and siblings. Just as she was born in the middle, the speaker says,
she usually sticks to the middle of the road when having fun. He continues with the same theme
as he discusses Beth’s other interests. In paragraph 3, he compares Beth’s experience playing
competitive volleyball in high school to the way the lines move faster as one speeds up while
driving down the road. Paragraph 4 carries Beth’s past love of volleyball into the present, explain-
ing how she has balanced her thirst for the game with her hunger for academic success. In para-