Episode 31 – What Not to Wear or Do During Oral Presentations
Check out our What Not to Wear Handout.
October 2009
Meghan: The way you dress for an oral presentation has a big effect on your audience, positive or negative. Dressing professionally helps you act and feel professional.
For women, proper dress can include business slacks, button-up shirts, and jackets. Also acceptable is close toed flats or heels, knee length skirts and blouses. Jeans with holes in them, tank or tube tops, miniskirts and flip flops are unprofessional and should not be worn.
Women should also avoid flashy jewelry, big hair, and too much makeup. Makeup should be natural looking, jewelry modest and not distracting, and hair combed or styled and kept out of the face.
For men, proper dress includes slacks and button-up shirts, with a jacket and tie optional, depending on the speech and audience.
Men should avoid t-shirts —especially those with inappropriate graphics — shorts, and flip-flops. Dirty or visibly worn out clothing should not be worn, and hats and sunglasses should be avoided as they can become distracting during a presentation. A clean shaven face or well kept facial hair is also important in achieving the proper look.
The way you act during a presentation can also effect the audience’s perception of you.
Dressing inappropriately may cause you to act in a way that is distracting to the audience. For example: fiddling with your jewelry; tugging at strapless tops; fixing a fallen strap, or brushing hair out of your face are all behaviors that will prevent your audience from focusing on what you’re saying but rather what you’re doing.
It’s also important to maintain good eye contact with your audience. When you engage your audience, they become engaged in your topic.
Proper hand gestures are important. Don’t leave your hands in your pockets; this can make you appear awkward and uninterested. But avoid using too much hand movement; it can be distracting and appear artificial. If you use your hands correctly they can help you emphasize your points and connect with your audience.
Finally, avoid leaning or bracing yourself against the podium, this can appear stiff and awkward. Calm and natural movement around the room is good, but avoid becoming too relaxed and casual during a formal presentation.
Giving a successful presentation is a very rewarding experience. With the proper planning and practice, you can achieve success and engage your audience.
