Often, we meticulously plan what to wear for an interview, head office visit, an office party, a date or even a school reunion with people we never met in the last 10 years and may never meet in the next 5!! But when it comes to planning an outfit for hosting a presentation or conducting training in the office training room, we rarely give much thought.
BUT WHY CARE?
Do you realize the potential of such opportunities? It can contribute greatly to your success, help create positive opinions or change opinions about you, help others realize your potential, take notice of your skill & presentation or be impacted by your confidence in the room. Yes, during a presentation the attention is on the subject matter being discussed, but, you too are being observed!
Lets see 7 tips that can help you look elevated for your presentations :
1) Pre-plan what to wear
First and foremost, pre-plan and arrange your outfit a day prior, in order to avoid last-minute compromises.
2) Invest in wrinkle-free
It is advisable to keep one or two wrinkle-free shirts/tops as a part of your wardrobe selection. These can be very useful for such events that ensure you look crisp before the audience no matter how busy a day you’ve had.
3) Add a Third Layer
If you are at a mid or senior-level position, it is highly recommended to wear the third layer, i.e. a blazer or a matched suit depending on the work environment and position you hold. A third layer adds authority to the wearer. It makes him/her appear credible, official, influential and dependable.
4) Wear Nothing distracting
Avoid wearing anything distracting in your appearance, such as large size prints, unique prints ( as worn by the lady in the pic below )or bright colored prints in your outfit. Even colored shoes or black super glossy shoes can cause the eyes to be drawn away from your face. So while you ensure no distracting sound in the room, also check on keeping visual distractions away. During a session, you want the audience to observe the presentation and maintain eye contact with you accordingly.
5) Draw attention towards your face - Draw attention towards your face with office-appropriate accessories like scarves or subtle neckpieces/jewelry for women, lapel pins on the blazer, tie, tie pin or pocket square for men. Many are the options...
6) Always create dark-light contrasts in your outfits
Clothes with a high contrast of light and dark colors are also a very good choice, as they not only look pleasing but also help convey messages. The higher the contrast the more attention and authority. The lesser the contrast the more approachability. Contrast can be created with a light shirt and dark tie, a light shirt/ dress and a dark blazer, light shirt/top and dark trousers or an outfit with contrasting jewelry for women.
7) Use the right colors to convey authority or approachability
Use color in your outfit to communicate messages. Darker the color of your clothes, the more authoritative, credible and capable you look. Think of a person in a black or dark blue blazer versus a grey or light blue blazer ( refer pic above ). Who looks more powerful? Do you notice how color impacts? Choose your colors based on how you would like to be perceived. Lighter the colors the more approachable you look eg beige trousers vs black trousers. Not just blazer, apply this concept on shirts, tops, and dresses you wear as well.
So the next time you have a presentation or training to conduct, prepare not just on ‘what to deliver’ but also, on ‘how you present yourself’ to deliver. In all the time invested to create powerful content, spare a few moments to create a powerful visual appearance as well. Let your appearance build you up for success!
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