Imagine a young man in Seminary planning a career in the ministry. He does well in most classes, earning As and Bs. But then he gets a C in public speaking class.

Oh no! What does this mean? Perhaps he should plan a career as an academic or run a non-profit church-funded relief program. But with such mediocre speaking skills as a full-fledged adult in his 20s, being a primary pastor and having to give a sermon in front of a crowd each Sunday morning didnt seem like an ideal career move for the C-level speaking student.

Fortunately the young man didnt have any modern career coaches whispering in his ear. So he became a minister of a church anyway. His name? Martin Luther King Jr.

According to the June 21, 2006 New York Times, Kings report card and all of his other documents are being auctioned off at the Sothebys auction house. While the C on the report card in public speaking is amusing, what is far more interesting is the sheer quantity of notes King wrote during his brief life.

Selby Kiffer, a senior specialist in the Sothebys book department told the Times, No piece of paper was safe (from King writing notes)We have this image of a great extemporaneous speaker, but its something he really worked at.

A part of the auction will include typed drafts of Kings I Have a Dream speech, including numerous revisions he hand wrote on the back. Kings 1964 Nobel Peace Prize acceptance speech is also on the auction block. On that speech draft you will also find numerous notes, scribblings, and revisions.

So the lesson of Kings genius has been uncovered. It wasnt genetics, it was luck, and it wasnt innate ability.

Why did he succeed as a speaker? Because of pure, hard work.