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There is a very good reason why this is so. When you are meeting someone how you look has more impact than what you say. And first impressions count. It’s sad but don’t try to tell me it’s not true. I thought this was ridiculous as well, but think back to your school years. How many times the appearance of a teacher completely destroyed anything they had to say? How many times have you said “I disliked that person from the moment I saw them”?

I am assuming you’ve done your reading and your presentation is top notch and relevant to your audience. Otherwise go back a step. Appearances can take you far but the substance needs to be there.

Know yourself
Who am I on the day and what am I trying to achieve? This is the step that most people leave out during their preparation. Do I need to be interesting? Professional? Vulnerable (and so not to invite too much hostility)? Do I need to educate? Sell? Involve? As soon as I know who I should be and what I am doing there then the style of the presentation falls into place. And no, when you do this you are not lying and you are not pretending to be someone else. You just accentuate some of the characteristics you do possess over some others. For the love of the Internet – don’t try to be something you are not. It’s just going to go horribly wrong.

Know the audience
Academics, for example, tend to be less interested in what you wear than what you have to say for yourself. Business contacts – especially if you are selling – expect to see a polished and professional image. Think ahead. Who are they and what preconceived notions do they have for me, my company and the subject I am presenting? What sort of difficulties will their expectations cause me? All these questions help me determine the challenges that I will face and I can incorporate them to the presentation and my appearance without waiting for them to pop up as uncomfortable questions or – even worse – negative impressions.

Know the audience’s dress code
I usually think ahead to the dress code of the audience and then take it up a notch. Presenting to a room full of academics in full business suit is, in my opinion, ridiculous. Similarly to a room full of designers, gaming journalists etc. I find that affinity has a lot to do with similarity. So I have worn jeans at a presentation but then again I have worn a dress and a business suit. Match their dress code and you are – up to a point – one of their own.

Show your face
No long hair in front of your face which you have to put behind your ears all the time. It is distracting and some people might understand it as a sign of you being uncomfortable. Put your hair back and make sure it stays there. An open face says “hi, I’m honest”. Similarly, heavy make-up is a no-no. You are effectively creating a mask in front of your face. And if you’ve really gone over the top then you are just distracting people to thinking “how huge can one person’s eyelashes be” instead of “yes, this is an interesting presentation”.

Hide your assets
For me it’s evident but I have actually watched a presenter with a sleeveless tight T-Shirt. I don’t remember anything that he said because I was too busy counting muscles. The presentation room is not the best place to show your bulging muscles, your lovely décolletage or your thighs. Unless we are talking adult entertainment industry keep it under wraps. There is a time and a place.

Don’t jingle and don’t twinkle
This goes for jewellery that is too much (you’re gonna blind someone with that diamond honey) or too noisy. Leave it outside the room. However here is a good tip if you tend to move about too much as I do. I wear a bracelet with one charm dangling from it. It doesn’t jingle all the time but it will if I move my hands too much and for too long. I wear it to remind me to stop.

Invite people in
There are countless techniques to do this but ultimately you have to find the ones that work for you. You can use gestures like opening your hands, or looking around the audience often, or engaging with individuals, or asking lots of questions. This can be scary at times, particularly when you don’t know the audience but it gets you good results. They feel involved and are more prone to participation if they feel you are sharing something with them.

Bonus Tip: Look at the difficult one but ignore them if they are disruptive
There is always a difficult one in the room. In my experience it’s always the guy or woman who’s been there, done it, got the T-Shirt. Initially I mention their name like “so and so will know what I mean”, look at them often (do it as if you are asking permission) and ask them questions slightly more than with the rest of the audience. If after about half your presentation they continue to be disruptive I completely and utterly ignore them. If they interrupt someone who is answering a question or talking I raise my hand in a sort of “stop it” motion towards them but don’t look at them. I find that as long as the rest of the audience is with me they become isolated. After that they either join in with the group – which is what I prefer – or they sit quietly, which at least doesn’t distract me.

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Read On:
HOWTO give a good presentation from walking paper
Presentation Tips from David Lee King
10 common presentation tips from Consulting Pulse
Three presentation tips you probably didn’t know before from joopdorresteijn.com

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