Choosing Your Attire

The outfit that you choose for the presentation should depend on the expectations of the audience and the message that you want to send to them. Before you decide what to wear, ask yourself, "What will the audience be wearing?" Choose one of these classifications:

• Very informal: Jeans, shorts, T-shirts

• Informal: Nice jeans, polo shirts

• Business casual: Dress slacks and oxfords, with or without a tie, for men; dress slacks or a skirt and a dressy, casual shirt (sweater, silk blouse, vest) for women

• Business: Dress slacks and a shirt and tie, with or without a jacket, for men; dress or skirt (blazer optional) for women

• Business formal: Suit and tie for men; suit or conservative dress for women

Now, shape your own choice of attire, depending on the impression that you want to convey. To convey authority, dress one level above your audience. Use this attire any time your audience does not know who you are and when you need to establish yourself as the leader or the expert. (Most teachers fall into this category.) For example, if your audience is dressed informally, you should wear a dress shirt and tie (for men) or a skirt and sweater (for women). (If you're female and will be seated on a stage, you might want pants or a very long skirt.) However, you should not dress more than two levels above your audience because it makes them feel intimidated. For example, if you are presenting to factory workers who are dressed in very informal clothing, you should not wear a business suit.

To convey teamwork and approachability, dress at the same level as the audience, or slightly (no more than one level) above. For example, if you are a CEO visiting a factory that you manage, the workers already recognize your authority-you don't have to prove it. Instead, you want to appear approachable, and so if they are wearing informal clothing, you might wear dress slacks and a dress shirt (but no tie) for a man, or slacks and a sweater for a woman.

Avoid dressing below the audience's level. This is almost never a good idea. If you do not know what the audience will be wearing, err on the side of formality. It is better to look a little stiff than it is to look less professional than your audience.