Barack Obama and his wife are great communicators and wonderful speakers. I like them both. But for the love of hanging chads, could somebody, PLEASE, tell them that “I” can not be the object of a preposition? Last night on CNN Michelle Obama said “for I” and then this morning on the Today Show Barack Obama said “for I.” What they said after that I couldn’t tell you because my teeth were still hurting so much. Come on, you are both Harvard Law grads. It is “for me, for me, for me!” It can never be “for Michelle and I” or “for Barack and I.” Now, me glad me got that off my chest.

According to the New York Times today, “Nokia, based in Finland, said it surveyed 9,000 consumers last year and concluded that by 2012 one out of every four consumers will create, edit or share entertainment with friends, instead of getting it from traditional media outlets like television or movie studios.”

The significance? It means the ability to speak–on camera–is going to go from being seen as a luxury skill to a basic, essential skill. 35 years ago, an executive graduating from a top law or business school who knew how to type was viewed as having a special, obscure talent. These days, anyone graduating from any school who can’t type is considered an unemployable fool.

Will the ability to speak clearly and confidently in front of a video capture device some day be considered as basic a skill as today’s typing?

Absolutely! So you better get used to it.

I just attend a BNI business networking event this morning in Rockefeller Center here in Manhattan. This is an opportunity for business people and entrepreneurs to network and give their elevator pitches to a room full of 35 colleagues. Here is a list of the three most common blunders:

1. Starting off with “good morning, my name is…” This is boring and you were already introduced.
2. Listing educational and certification credentials. No one cares that you spend 90 hours on a mortgage broker study course.
3. Ad slogans don’t work in a 30 second into—leave those for your brochure or business card.

Here are three tips on how to be more effective at elevator pitches:

1. The first thing out of your mouth should be about how you help people who are just like the people in your audience.
2. Give specific, concrete examples.
3. Offer to give away a free special report, video, handout or something else of value to people so that they will approach you to learn more about what you do.