322 INTRODUCTORY SPEECHES FOR ANALYSIS AND DISCUSSION
A Heart Worn on My Hand
1 The blistering sun beats on my forehead. I grip my fingers along the red stitching of the
leather softball nestled in my hand. The batter steps up to the plate and I dig the toe of my cleats
further into the pitching mound. As I prepare to pitch, my focus lies on nothing but the catcher’s
4 As you try on my glove, you notice how easily it conforms to the shape of your hand. As
you open and close the glove, you notice that all the individual fingers move together with ease.
This reflects how important teamwork is to me. I was captain of my softball team my senior year
in high school, and I know that to accomplish any major task, everyone must move in the same
direction, together.
A HEART WORN ON MY HAND 323
A Heart Worn on My Hand
Commentary
Clearly organized and confidently delivered, “A Heart Worn on My Hand” is a speech of self–introduction
based on a personal object—in this case, the speaker’s softball glove. Notice, as the speech progresses,
how the speaker does not focus on describing the glove, but on how the glove provides insight into the
speaker herself. The speech is also available online and on the DVD of student speeches that accompa-
nies this edition of The Art of Public Speaking. Below is a synopsis.
Specific Purpose: To introduce myself to the audience by explaining how my softball glove reveals
important aspects of my life and personality.
Introduction: The speaker begins in paragraph 1 with a story that gains attention and arouses curiosity
about where the speech will go next. Her vivid descriptions and specific details make the intro-
duction much more effective than if she had simply said, “I used to pitch softball when I was in
high school.” She completes the introduction in paragraph 2 by stating the central idea, which
lets the audience know what to listen for in the body.
Body: Paragraphs 3–5 make up the body of the speech. If you watch the video, you will notice that the
speaker picks up her softball glove from the table and shows it to the audience as she discuss-