
Personal Appearance
How to dress to impress for your next presentation.
What a speaker looks like should never over-shadow what he or she has to say. A speaker’s appearance, however, can help make the message more convincing. Keep these points in mind as you prepare for a public appearance.
- Dress conservatively.
- Wear a dark suit with a solid color shirt or blouse (preferably light blue). White tends to reflect light onto the face of the person wearing it.
- Socks for men should be knee length. Hoisery for women should be seamless, with nude toe and heel.
- Do not wear flashy jewelry.
- Keep jacket or dress free of lapel buttons or pins.
- There should be no bulky items in pocket.
- For major appearances use powder, professionally applied. A dusting of powder on your face will help avoid shine often caused by bright lights. It will also mask any tendency men have toward “five o’clock shadow.”
- Do not wear light sensitive glasses or sunglasses.
- When seated, keep jacket buttoned but pulled straight to avoid wrinkles.
- Make sure collar and tie are straight, shirt tucked in, blouse neat.
Where in the World is Anthony?
Gave opening conference keynote this afternoon in Las Vegas. Social media tip 8: Sometimes less is more. Go on vacation. Don't post. Have real-world interactions with strangers. It'll make you a more interesting person and help with small talk.
Gave opening keynote this morning in St. Louis. Team presenting tip 7: Know in advance who will address specific topics or questions in Q&A. Be prepared!
Spoke today at two different events in Phoenix. Crisis tip 17: Don't do news interviews directly in front of the crisis scene. The news media want to show you in front of the "trainwreck." Resist!
Spoke in Ohio the past three days. Crisis communications tip 3: There are 12 audiences to communicate to in a crisis. Employees are no. 1 on the list.
Spoke at two events today in and around Austin, Texas. Tip 112: ChatGPT (and other AI) now makes everyone a great writer. So the future of differentiation in the workplace and marketplace will be VERBAL communications. Are you and your company prepared to TALK in this new world?