Presentations: What To Wear

"I base most of my fashion sense on what doesn't itch" ~~ Gilda Radner

If asked, most of us would say we want to look our best when we are at the front of a room, presenting to a group of people. However, in the flurry of pulling content together, finishing slides and producing handouts, we don't always give enough thought to the role our clothes play in our presentation.

Now I'm not advocating buying a new outfit every time you give a presentation (although...if you need an excuse...), but choosing appropriate clothing can help you feel more confident in front of an audience and can ensure that your physical appearance is not distracting from your message.

Here are some wardrobe tips to keep the focus off your clothing and on what you're saying.

1. Your image will speak volumes about you before you even open your mouth. Make sure it's saying the right things. Does your conservative suit and muted tie support your creative, innovative image? Does your blouse with the low cut neckline cry senior executive? Certainly different corporate cultures will embrace different styles. But the point is to be sure your clothing is indeed communicating the desired image.

2. Dress for the audience. Dress so they get a visually pleasing picture but not so they're distracted by your array of non-matching patterns, bold designs or heels so high you look like you're going to trip. Your audience shouldn't be more engaged by your clothing than they are by your message.

"Seldom do people discern eloquence under a threadbare cloak" ~~ Juvenal

3. Be the best dressed person in the room. Always dress a notch (but not two) above the standard attire as a compliment to your audience. It adds to your credibility.

4. Wear comfortable clothing. If you are tugging at clothes that don't fit properly or fidgeting with a neckline that's too low, it will be a disruption for your audience and will undermine your confidence. Determine what you're going to wear a few days before the presentation, try it on and move around in it. This also lets you determine if your outfit needs pressing or cleaning.

5. If you have pockets in whatever you're wearing, empty them before the presentation. There are few things more annoying than watching a presenter playing with pocket contents. And if those contents create noise (like coins or keys), it's doubly annoying.

6. Ensure that all your clothing is in good repair. That means hems should be secure, suits and shirts pressed, no obvious stains or rips.

7. Shoes deserve a special mention. In many cases, your shoes are at the audience's eye level if you're on a stage. Shoes should be polished and heels should not be worn down. Shoes shouldn't squeak. And ladies, if the three inch heels that look fabulous are so uncomfortable you can't get your mind off them, you certainly won't be at your best for your audience.

8. Choose jewelry carefully. Jewelry is a striking complement to most outfits, but if it's huge and jangly, it will be distracting. If a bracelet slides up and down your arm every time you gesture, if there's jingling every time you make hand movements, if your earrings are so huge that people can't take their eyes off them, your audience is going to be focused on these distractions.

"When in doubt, wear red" ~~ Bill Blass

9. Hair should be neatly trimmed and in a style which doesn't encourage you to play with it. One of my biggest peeves is women who have long hair and are constantly flipping and flinging it around. It's as if the hair takes on a persona of its own! This is typically a nervous habit and when done obsessively, it is painful for an audience to watch.

10.Makeup is an enhancement for most everyone, particularly if you are speaking to a large group and may appear rather small way up on stage. For women, eye makeup highlights the eyes and makes them more expressive. Guys, you may consider a bit of powder or foundation makeup if you are speaking under very bright lights or have a shiny complexion.

11.If you're traveling any distance to the presentation, try not to travel in the clothes you'll present in. They'll look wrinkled and you run the risk of picking up a stain or a rip during the journey.

Many of these tips just take some attention to detail. If you're not sure what image you convey, a videotape of your presentation can help you analyze what works well and what might need to change.

What other wardrobe tips have worked for you?

Comments

[Pedro Santos]

Nice blog!!!
Keep up the good work...
Thanks

[Mike Stewart]

You got a really useful blog.
I have been here reading for about an hour.
I am a newbie and your success is very much an inspiration for me.
Thanks,
Mike Stewart

[Ben Severson]

Really nice blog...
Keep up the good work!!!

[Miguel]

I think just being soberly discrete and comfortable usually does the job…

[men tuxedos]

This is so true! More often than not, we can't notice that our looks also matter when it comes to presenting, not only the things that we are saying. Thanks for this information.

[JOBS_frend]

You write well will be waiting for your new publications.

[Internet Download Manager rapidshare]

Fantastic, I was actually brought here to your article from a buddy of mine. She suggested it since we were having a conversation about this issue the other day.

[Kathy Reiffenstein]

Lisa,

I'd love to read your post, but the link is broken. Can you re-post it?

Thanks,
Kathy

[Lisa Braithwaite]

Great article, Kathy! I lean toward Adam's opinion on this issue, in terms of being memorable and branding myself, but I don't think you're saying anything in the article that precludes being creative!

I expanded a little on personal clothing discomfort in a recent blog post, after watching Wanda Sykes "sucking it in" on her talk show: http://tinyurl.com/ycjtkkn.

[Kathy Reiffenstein]

Touche, Adam! I like your suggestion and I love your style!!

Kathy

[Adam Lawrence]

Kathy: "However, I think there might be instances where your audience would be uncomfortable with a very "unique" costume...perhaps in the situation where the audience was ultra conservative or it was a very formal occasion. In this instance, the unique attire might create the wrong kind of memorability!!"

I think there is always some way to be unique without offending sensibilities. For a super formal audience - what about top hat and tails? Or formal Chinese wear... Whatever fits the message!

[Kathy Reiffenstein]

Hi Adam,

You make a good point about being unique and using your clothes to help make you memorable.

I would just add, though, that first and foremost, you should think about what will be comfortable and acceptable for your audience. In some situations, and especially if you're Steve Jobs, you can dress in a unique fashion and it very naturally and acceptably adds to your branding.

However, I think there might be instances where your audience would be uncomfortable with a very "unique" costume...perhaps in the situation where the audience was ultra conservative or it was a very formal occasion. In this instance, the unique attire might create the wrong kind of memorability!!

Thanks for stopping by, Adam.

Kathy

[Kathy Reiffenstein]

Hi Lee,

What great advice...on both counts! I hadn't thought about the badge, but you're absolutely right.

Thanks for contributing.

Kathy

[Lee Potts]

I'd like to add to number 5 and/or 8 that you should remove your conference badge before taking the stage. Depending on how the lights are set up, the reflection could either distract or temporarily blind. Also, it might not be a bad idea to pack an extra outfit just in case you run into a problem: http://www.breakingmurphyslaw.com/2008/07/17/the-worlds-worst-wet-t-shirt-contest/

[Adam Lawrence]

Nice list... but a little conservative for my taste. If I deserve to be on stage, I deserve to be remembered - and clothes can help.

Whatever you wear, the golden rule is "be unique": you should not be dressed the same as any one else who appears on the stage with, before or after you. If they are all in suits and ties, go for a turtleneck, bright poloshirt or best of all something unusual that reinforces the theme of your talk.

An example: Steve Jobs is always talking about relaxed simplicity - so his jeans and turtleneck support his message, as well as emphasising his expressive face and hands. (Did you spot the rolled-up dark sleeves? That's an old mime trick.)