THE FOLLOWING NEWSPAPER ARTICLE IS FROM AN EDITION OF THE CHARLESTON GAZETTE ON MONDAY, APRIL 13, 1998

KIDS CAN TELL I CARE ABOUT THEM

BASKETBALL SKILL LED TO SOMETHING BIGGER FOR MOTIVATOR ARCHIE TALLEY
 

Archie Talley owns one of the best-known faces in West Virginia. Now it’s even on the cover of Listen, an international magazine. He’s best known for his celebrated basketball career at Salem Col­lege, the razzle-dazzle ball tricks, the All-America honors, the national scoring records, his Harlem Globe­trotter stint; the fling with professional basketball.

Today, still fit and trim at 43, the basketball whiz from Washington, D.C., is making a new name for himself as a professional motivational speaker. He makes his living traveling to schools across the country, incorporating basketball antics into eloquent; passionate speeches imploring young people to believe in themselves.

He promotes his “Ingredients of Life” program with classy posters, fliers and free personally auto­graphed photographs. Piles of fan mail tell him students are listening. He acknowledges every letter thou­sands of them.

Speaking qualifications include a master's degree in education, and a Dale Carnegie personality. A dynamic whirling dervish, a walking, talking exclamation mark, he oozes enthusiasm and sincerity from every pore.

God gave him two gifts, the first as a foundation for the second.

Growing up, I didn’t have any specific thing I wanted to do. I just knew I would be successful. I’ve always been positive. I never thought there was anything I couldn’t do.

Athletics came naturally to me, so that was a natural progression. I never needed anybody to entertain me. I hung with people when I wanted to, but I didn’t need to. I could go off by myself and play basketball. Even when I was real small, I would do things nobody taught me, spinning the basketball, throwing off my knee. I could always do tricks. I know people who take lessons their whole life and can’t do it, so it’s a gift.

“In high school, people started reacting to me. You’re in the newspapers, on radio and TV and I’d walk down the street and people would say, ‘Hey, that’s him.’ And kids would start wanting your autograph.

“The speaking thing just evolved. When I was in college and doing well, people would call and want me to speak. I was afraid to speak in front of people. I would go with my coach, Don Christie. He would give a speech and I would answer questions.  He told me something that shaped me to not be nervous. He said to remember when I'm in front of people at a banquet that I'm an expert on what I'm talking about, so why should I be nervous? I'm confident now. Now I have an agenda, but I’ve worked on this for 15 years, so I know what I am talking about.

"Young people look up to entertainers and athletes. you don't have to be a famous person to help shape young people's lives, but it is a powerful vehicle if you don't misuse it.  Young people came up and told me, "You are my role model." When I saw in their eyes, "You are the guy I'm going to listen to," that's power. So I thought this is not only power; this is a gift from up above. 

 “That’s why I was given the basketball talent. I thought I was one of the best college basketball players ever to pick up the ball. But that's not the big picture. A lot of people tare given the gift to be great at something and are not given the second gift.

"The basketball things is integrated into my presentation only to relax kids and break down the communication channels. I don't care how great a speaker you are, if you do not have young people's attention and trust, your message will not get through. My message not only gets through, I help shape lives. They tell me that in thousands of letters. 

 “Kids can tell I care about them. It comes out in my eyes, my voice, my expression. Kids see through many problems in schools with kids you like glass. They’re smarter than adults. We just reason better. We can they don’t have self-esteem. We act like we’re listening and be polite. We're adults. We know how to do it. If kids don't think your sincere, it doesn't matter who you are, you aren't going to touch them. I hear it from kids all of the time. You are the first one we thought ever really cared about us.  You would be surprised at what the word care means to young people.

"one of the reasons we have so many problems in schools with kids going crazy and shooting is because  they don't have self-esteem. We have to stop downing these young people. And we have to be accountable. A guy came up to me one time and said, ‘Young people today are just terrible, not like when we were coming up. They’re smoking and drinking; I wonder where they get it from?’ He had a drink in one hand and a cigarette in the other I said, ‘They get it from you. Do you expect them to do some­thing different from what we’re do­ing?’

“Sports writers used to ask me why I sign so many autographs. I almost write a letter to the person, the message to stay in school, that they’re valuable. I thought if they cared enough about me, I should believe enough in them and take the time to sign something they would remember, not just my name.

“I’m one of the only profession­al motivational speakers who give away these type of pictures. For most speakers, it would be $15 at least for them to sign. I would never charge a young person for an autograph.

“if you write me a letter, I don’t care if it takes me a month, I will write you back. I’m not going to stand up there and tell you that you are important and how much I care about you, and then have you write to me and not write you back. Some celebrities say they can’t write everybody. I say there’s no excuse.

“Most national speakers have big sponsors that pay all their expenses. Agents have asked many times to sponsor me, but I want to promote myself. I will not let a company that represents tobacco or alcohol sponsor me. They told me everybody has a price. I don’t. I could be rich now if I were to succumb. I pay for all these posters and fliers. They’re expensive, if I send cheap paper, that’s what they’ll think of me.

“If I had a sponsor, I wouldn’t have to worry about any of this. Say a sponsor comes in, say Wal-Mart or Kmart, which I would love, they can say they’d like me to speak to 500 schools this year and they will give me $500,000. All I have to do is get on the plane. But if I control things I know what's going on.

"Most people have manufactured images. My image is real. You can’t put a price on that. When you hear my name, the first thing you think is good  kids and basketball. It’s taken me 43 years to establish that, and it’s worth any materialistic thing you can give me. You can lose your reputation in two seconds with somebody else in control. They can compromise your integrity and stan­dards and you may not even know it.

“I make a decent living. I would do it for free, but I have a motiva­tional speaker’s motto: Be careful about not changing for your services. People do not value what they do not pay for. You can do things for free, and people will pat you on the back, but they won’t value you.

“But this isn’t just about money. I don’t just like what I do. I love what I do. I love helping to shape young people’s lives. I could do this the rest of my life. Most of my pro­fessional friends are wealthy. They can’t spend their interest. I do not have a lot of materialistic things, but I am rich, because I have my health and I have an education and I love what I do.”