Rating the Speaking Skills of the Candidates

I coach people and teach workshops on how to make presentations. [There is even a modest book on the subject that should be on every manager's book shelf.]

It would be unreasonable to expect me to resist evaluating the speaking skills of the presidential and vice presidential candidates. For what it's worth, here's my take. Keep in mind that I'm addressing delivery and not substance.

• Barack Obama. Set speech delivery usually runs from Good to Excellent. The delivery of the on-the-stump and informal talks is Mediocre and sometimes even Poor. I cannot understand his frequent use of the teleprompter. He does not use that tool well and it frequently causes his body language to resemble that of a spectator at a tennis match.
• Mitt Romney. Set speech delivery is Good to Very Good. I've heard him give one speech that I'd put in the Excellent category but his delivery tends to be more workmanlike. Slightly better than Obama at the use of a teleprompter, but that's not saying much. Both of them should scrap it.
• Obama and Romney are rather reserved. When they try to be otherwise, it just doesn't ring true. [By the way, I deduct points whenever a highly educated speaker starts dropping "g"s. That is an insult to the audience.]
• Joe Biden and Paul Ryan. I'd rate both of these gentlemen above Obama and Romney when it comes to delivery for one reason: Their delivery, both in manner and body language, comfortably matches their personalities. [Each delivered better speeches at their party conventions than their running mates.] Unlike Obama, Biden's informality comes across as genuine and not forced. The same could be said of Ryan vis-a-vis Romney although whereas Biden turns loose a combination of ward politician/regular guy persona, Ryan unleashes his inner nerd. You half-expect Biden to pour you a drink and Ryan to whip out a calculator and start scribbling on a napkin. That's good because it seems to fit who they really are.
• Overall advice to each of them: Drop any technique that creates a barrier between you and the audience. Don't be afraid of letting people know you, not in some Oprahesque disclosure but in the sense of giving them a reasonable idea of what you would be like if they spent some time with you. For all of their time on the public stage, they seem to revert to their previous respective occupations; law school lecturer and management consultant. Those jobs are their comfort zone.
• Debate suggestion that will not be adopted: Have the presidential and vice presidential face-offs in a living room setting where they just talk about the issues for three hours. No questions from moderators. They are given a broad topic and then can be as vague or as specific as they choose. I believe that would be very revealing with regard to depth and personality.
• Updated on 9/2912.