Selling with the Right Signals 75
Women should wear blouses
buttoned high; at least above the
line where the cleavage begins,
and in public appearances, no slit
skirts or mini-skirts, please. The
people in your audience
shouldn’t be encouraged to take
physical inventory when they
should be concentrating on your
message.
If the room is likely to be
overheated, take off your jacket
or sweater before you enter the
room. There’s something sug-
gestive of a stripper when you
take off clothes in public. The
act of removing clothes also
tends to highlight the curves of
the form and that always calls attention.
Dress up, not down.Jewelry
The same rules apply to jewelry. In social situations, almost
anything goes, but when you’re in the spotlight, your audience
shouldn’t be aware of your jewelry. Anything that catches the eye
(or the ear for that matter) tends to distract and make it harder
for the audience to stay with the message. Your jewelry should be
subdued for professional or presentation situations.
Some women don’t realize that dangling earrings move with
even the slightest head movement. The object in motion captures
the eyes and, fascinated by the side-to-side, hypnotic movement
of earrings, the audience loses sight of what the speaker is saying.
Because we watch the object in motion, the only really appro-
priate moves are speaker moves—gestures and steps taken to vary
the physical position. These should be varied, natural, appropri-
ate, and genuine so the audience isn’t aware of them.
Also, keep in mind that heavy, expensive-looking, glittery, or
ostentatious jewelry that may be appropriate in the social setting
won’t work on the platform.
Bare skin is a no-no.
It stops the message cold.