How is Your Attire?

Recently in our Cottonwood Toastmasters club we had an evaluator tell the speaker that he liked  her state of presence, it drew him to her. Concerning this comment, he was referring to her attire. Have you considered that the way you dress, the jewelry you wear, and the way you present yourself have an effect on others?

One of the things my mentor told me when I first began my speaking moments in Toastmasters was to leave my name badge off  because it would distract from my speech. She also mentioned to avoid wearing loud jewelry and distracting clothing, clothing that would be too busy and colorful, or too immodest. 

In an article titled "Who Am I Now" by Karen Hudson CL, Karen states the following:

How Do You Choose the Garments?
Always consider three important guidelines when choosing what to wear for a presentation:

1. The clothes should not take focus from you, the speaker.
2. You need to be able to perform comfortably and effectively in the costume and accessories.
3. The costume should not tell more story than you have time to present.

Karen states that there are many ways your clothing and jewelry choices affect your presentations. She challenges us to look in the mirror and ask "Who am I now...What is my story? Am I projecting the image of a person who is qualified to speak on this subject...Do I convey the story I want to tell?"

This is a great article and worth taking the time to read. Karen is the founder of the Mindful Communicators Club in Woodland Hills, California. She is a retired costumer in the film and TV industry.

Have fun and remember who you are!

Laina Lloyd ACB, CL
VP PR
Area Governor N5

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Cottonwood Toastmasters meets every Monday 12:00 to 1:15 at the Cottonwood Village, 201 E Mingus Ave. Guests are welcome. For more information call Laina at 928-300-8638 or Dave at 634-6540