Looking the Part - Dressing for Success
There are some definite “do’s” and “don’ts” when it comes to what to wear when you present. I’ve found that it’s always good to go back to a BASIC look; your Believable Appearance is Simple and your Image is Conservative. You’ll find that the more conservative you dress, the quicker the audience will accept your credibility. The bottom line when it comes to your “dress”, it shouldn’t overshadow your message. Let’s break your overall appearance into distinct sections; the face, accessories and the outfits.
Let’s begin by focusing on your face. The face is responsible for delivering your message through the voice and facial expressions. When your audience looks at your face, they see three different elements: your skin, your hair and any eyewear.
· Ladies: make sure that you put on make-up close to the same lighting that you will have in your presentation venue. If you present under bright lights, make sure that you use powder to eliminate facial glare.
· Men: make sure that you are clean shaven. Unless your beard is extremely close shaved, your facial expressions effects and influence on your audience may be lost with a thick beard.
Your hair must be groomed and not interfere with your facial expressions. Any hair style that you have should not shift focus from your face to your hair.
· Ladies: if you have long hair, pull it back. You don’t want your hair inadvertently covering your face.
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