BEXLEY, Ohio — During his three-minute chat on Tuesday with the man introducing him to 3,300 supporters at a campaign rally here, President Obama achieved four must-dos in every politician’s instruction manual.

Display Familiarity: “Steven!” Mr. Obama called out, striding into the holding room where a nervous Steven DeBusk, 26, awaited, clutching his opening remarks. “You’re a BMX cyclist? I’ve been watching those guys on TV during the Olympics.”

Display Arcane Knowledge: After Mr. DeBusk said that he does not race around the track like in the Olympics (although he has, he said, learned to fall on his shoulder instead of his rump), Mr. Obama nodded. “Yeah, you ride freestyle,” he said, stunning the Capital University senior with his apparent knowledge of the difference between street BMX and the track runs.

Use Available Prop: Seconds later, Mr. Obama turned to his body man, Marvin Nicholson. During the Olympics, “they were falling all over the place, weren’t they?” Mr. Obama said. Mr. Nicholson nodded vigorously.