Who's Speaking in This Election, Anyway?

Have you been following John McCain and Barack Obama's speeches lately? Of course you have!

As the seemingly endless 2008 presidential campaign hurtles toward its conclusion, we are rightly focused on the effectiveness of the candidates' campaign appearances. And though it may be a tough assignment, let's try to get beyond partisan viewpoints and take a look at the contrasting style of each man. At least, let's get a snapshot.

(Full disclosure: One of the hats I wear is as a speech coach to political candidates. I've coached Democrats and Republicans at the state and national levels--in fact, just about in equal measure for each side. Fortunately, both major parties realize that good communication skills are not party-specific, and they don't exclude speech coaches on that basis!)

What's the buzz on Obama vs. McCain regarding their speaking styles?

Mr. Teleprompter vs. The Old Fart? Razzle-Dazzle vs. Tried-and-True? Rock-Star-in-a-Stadium vs. Straight-Flying-and-Talking-Pilot? And for goodness sake, which of these candidates sounds like he really represents change?

Perhaps the most interesting moments we've seen so far in the campaign have to do with UNSCRIPTED remarks by the candidates. (Speaking of which, we might be in for some fireworks when the untested Sarah Palin meets Joe Biden, whose public remarks must often puzzle even himself!) The campaigns are quite expert at displaying the candidates they've carefully groomed behind the scenes. But when "57 states" meets a politician who can't remember how many houses he owns, well, things get a lot more fun for all of us!

I for one am looking forward to the debates, when Mr. McCain and Mr. Obama must untie their lifelines tethering them to their campaigns, and wade out into unchartered waters. We may truly see, at last, how the charismatic Obama handles himself without a teleprompter--not just in incidental appearances, but in the pressure cooker--and whether McCain can marry experience, eloquence, and emotional control. . . . Hey, wait a minute: isn't that last one bigamy?

Stay tuned!