The late Dr. Mike Kneale averaged 150 speeches a year as a keynote speaker over the course of 20 years. When he spoke to educational groups—mostly college and high school administrators—he always got a standing ovation.
Dr. Kneale said, “The secret is to save your best and most powerful story to the end. Have a story that’s just going to knock them dead and save it for the very end.”
His signature story was about a former student of his.
In his speech, Mike Kneale recalled his time as a high school principal. He was the youngest high school principal in Ohio. In charge of the school, he figured he had to get to know as many of the students as possible.
He began spending time with the football team during training camp. It was a big football school.
Early one season, he came across Billy Hawkins, a very small ballplayer and backup quarterback.
Dr. Kneale was quite taken with the young man. Liked his talent. Liked his attitude.
He asked the youngster, “How are you going to do this year?”
Billy said, “Well, I’ll be the starting quarterback.” Keep in mind, this was a big football school. Hawkins was only a sophomore. And he was little.
Kneale figured, “This kid is never going to start here, especially in the 10th grade.”
But, early that season, Hawkins got into a game and ran the offense—replete with complex schemes and plays—with total mastery.
So, a few days later, Kneale started asking questions around the school. “What homeroom is Billy Hawkins in?” he asked.
People said, “Oh, he’s not in this school. He’s in special education.”
See, Billy Hawkins had been told his entire life that he had a mental disability of some sort. For his first 15 years, Billy was labeled by his teachers as "educable mentally retarded." They shuffled him off to special education in whatever school he was attending.
Yet, Billy Hawkins had an aura about him that Mike Kneale liked. “He might not be a great thrower as a quarterback, but he sure has leadership ability.”
Well, the principal did some research, and he "mainstreamed" young Billy almost immediately. The young QB was no longer in special education and he soon became the team's starting signal-caller for the rest of his high school career.
With his schoolwork, Billy caught up with his classmates in no time. He then went on to college and graduate school, earning three university degrees—with a PhD from Michigan State.
But Mike Kneale ended his talks with a story telling how Billy Hawkins called him up one day. Billy—who was by then a coach and school teacher—wanted to hire his former principal to give a talk in his school district.
The point of the story was that Mike Kneale saw the possibilities in young Billy Hawkins. To drive the point home he would say, “Anybody can count the number of seeds in an apple. Nobody can count the number of apples in a seed.”
Later, Hawkins would discover that he was the first black head coach hired in the Lansing Public Schools and that he was the youngest head football coach ever hired in Michigan high school history.
After a few university professorships and some post-doctoral work at Harvard, Hawkins went on to become president of two universities. He retired in 2022, but not after having the student center named after him, which they did in 2020.
The naming ceremony included a clip from 2004 of Dr. Kneale—who died in 2009—giving one of those speeches about Billy Hawkins.
See, Mike Kneale saw those future apples in Billy Hawkins. And in those speeches, when Kneale told that story about Billy, the whole crowd stood up.
Whatever kind of speech you’re giving—whether it is a motivational speech or if it's selling a deal—save a little of your best for last.
Knock their socks off with the last of it.
And never underestimate human potential.
When you find something you are good at, build on the positive.
When you do, you'll build your confidence, and with that confidence comes success.
As always,
Brian
P.S. – You can achieve more of your potential if you find more time to do the things you are good at.
We made a quick checklist that may help you "find time."
