What to wear on stage? It’s a ridiculously important question because it shows how much you care.

Yes, exactly. It shows how much you care—about yourself, about your meeting host, about the audience you serve, and the audiovisual (AV) team with whom you collaborate.

Why would your audience care about your clothing? Why would your client or meeting host play any role in choosing your stage outfit? Who are they to judge? These are all profound questions you have the right to ask. However, keep in mind it is neither the meeting host, nor the audience attendees, nor the AV team that picks your clothes. They are not responsible for making sure your clothing is stage-compatible. That is on you. So before you walk onto your next stage, before you conquer your upcoming TED talk, or before you crush your next corporate annual meeting, keep the following in mind:

• YOU matter (probably the most). Confidence is your best designer. You should feel as great as possible, and be as authentic as you can be on stage. If you wear something that is just not “you” or doesn’t make you feel like the superhuman you are, you likely will not perform well.
• YOUR MEETING HOST matters because you represent her or him and their choice to book you. You want to make them look good as much as you want to look good. You should have the mind-set that it is a privilege to represent your host and work hard to make them the star of your program.
• YOUR AUDIENCE matters, for many reasons. When you take to the stage, your audience will examine every detail of you the same way they might examine a work of art. After they scan the “visual” you, you want them to immediately focus on your message. The moment something you are wearing jumps out at them, you lose their attention and therefore have done something wrong. Instead, you want your appearance to communicate that you deserve to be heard, to be paid, and to be respected.
• YOUR AV TEAM matters because you want to make their job as easy as possible. Great sound and visual coverage matter as much to them as it does to you. They will know if something is not working right—everyone in attendance will know too. There are no do-overs at live conferences. I strongly believe that the more understanding and collaborative you are with the AV team, the more effective your presentation will be.

First, do your homework—always.

Preparation is key, and studying the environment in which you will be presenting should be your first task. Reach out to your meeting host and ask practical questions. This will demonstrate how much you care about doing your best job on stage. For example, ask, “Which backdrop will be used during the presentation?” Obviously, you should always wear a color that contrasts with your physical background. However, the color of the backdrop will also affect how the color you are wearing appears for the audience and how it translates on camera. For example, colors set against a bright backdrop will appear brighter, while colors set against a dark backdrop will lose intensity.

Find out the height of the stage, as well as how the audience will be seated and positioned in reference to where you will be speaking. A front view is probably the most forgiving and safe option for any speaker. However, keep in mind while your audience will rarely see your back, they will likely see you from the side. Fit issues are often more obvious from the side than they are from the front. A stage that is positioned either higher or lower than the audience is a particularly difficult situation for female speakers. Short dresses or skirts become challenging when viewed from below, much like deep necklines distract from a top view. In addition, depending on the viewing angle of the audience patterns, cuts, accessories, and shoes, look bigger than they actually are. It’s a simple visual “side” effect.

Don't trade in your authenticity for approval.

You can always ask your meeting host what the specific conference dress code is and how the attendees, the leadership team, or other speakers will be dressed. However, here is the reality: What are you going to do if their answer is on the opposite spectrum of your personal style choices?

I don’t think that there is a golden rule or a one-size-fits-all formula. Just because you perform for an audience in a more traditional industry doesn’t mean you have to wear a boring suit. In fact, many speakers develop a “signature look” that breaks all the rules and makes it look as if they never worry about what to wear. However, the reality is that speakers usually put more thought into this signature look than you might think. Over the years, they have earned their unique persona who may walk onto the stage in cowboy boots, sneakers, a man-bun, or rainbow hair. Their “look” is part of consistent brand development. That is why the meeting host knows what they and their audience will be open to. However, if your unique appearance or signature look is an issue for your client, you have the right to respectfully decline the speaking engagement because you may not be a great fit for this particular audience. Alternatively, you may want to consider making slight adjustments to your signature look, while still staying true to yourself. It is a personal judgment call.

You don’t need to share the same style with your client or audience. But you need to be respectful.

Confidence is your best designer.

On stage, your level of self-confidence can show in so many ways: in your behavior, in your body language, in your voice, or in the volume and pace of your speech. Your visual appearance is just one factor that will affect the way you feel about yourself which, in turn, affects how the audience will feel about you. It’s like the armor you wear to battle. It’s what lets your audience immediately know that you’re prepared for anything and ready to take on today’s program. Wear whatever makes you feel like the superhuman you are.

If it looks bad to your eye, you can bet it will look bad to the audience and even worse on camera.

There are some simple things you can do with your wardrobe that can influence your confidence on stage. These have nothing to do with vanity, but all the more to do with technical challenges that emerge when stage lighting, camera lenses, and one hundred pairs of eyes hit you. For example, choose a color that flatters you. Colors worn near your face can either highlight your best features or drain your complexion.

• Jewel tones like purple, teal, emerald green, or sapphire blue are highly saturated colors. They always look great on stage and on camera, and they work with most skin tones.
• Pastels can be an alternative palette when presenting in front of dark backdrops, but they can be more challenging for certain skin tones. If you look at the inside of your forearm (near your wrist) and your veins appear greenish, chances are pastels are not for you. If your veins appear blueish, your cheeks are pink, and your face easily burns in the sun—go for it!
• Neutral colors across the entire palette, from white to black, are challenging unless you have a professional makeup artist and a highly experienced AV team. Black, for example, can create dark circles under your eyes, making you look tired and having an aging effect. Don’t believe the myths that black makes you look thinner, frames your silhouette, or goes with everything. The opposite is true. If you really want to wear a dark color, navy blue is a safer choice. White, on the other hand, is a challenge because the eyes of your audience and the camera tend to be drawn to the brightest object in view; therefore, the white you are wearing will stand out even more to them. Ideally, you want your audience to focus primarily on your face, which is why an outfit that is darker than your skin tone is best.
• Sunset tones from yellow to red have often been banished from the stage for “bleeding” on camera (e.g., they have a slight halo effect). Despite improvements in technology, sunset tones are still tricky colors to wear for many people.

When combining colors, keep in mind that colors with high contrasts (e.g., navy/white) are more difficult for lights and cameras to effectively capture than low contrast combinations (e.g., navy/light blue). Visually, layers with no contrast are the most difficult to light and film.

You have probably heard that the camera adds several pounds. That is true. If you are conscious about your weight (or height), I would advise you to stay away from clothing that is baggy or tight. Perfect fit is crucial, and clothes should follow the natural contours of your body. Keep it simple and think in terms of lines. Clean, vertical lines will make you look thinner and taller. As you will see in following images, horizontal lines can make you look wider and shorter.

Avoid distraction at any price.

The reason is simple: you don’t want anyone to notice your clothing. If the audience starts to pay attention to something you are wearing, they aren’t listening to you.

Beware of shiny items that easily reflect light. Big, bright jewelry, enormous belt buckles, or fabrics like silks, satins, or sequins reflect in the lighting every time you move. In contrast, heavy fabrics like velvet, suede, wool, or velour will have the opposite effect and make you look dull.

Moving fabrics, jewelry, accessories, or a lanyard are the usual suspects for sound challenges. Empty all your pockets. No one needs to hear jangling keys or change or see a big bulge of a wallet when you are on stage.

An often-underestimated, yet big noise distraction, is footwear. Squeaky soles or noisy heels can cannibalize your audience’s attention every time you take a step on stage. When you go for your sound check, wear the shoes (and possibly even the outfit) you plan to wear when it’s “showtime.” Also, test your stage outfit for sitting, walking, jumping, running—basically any physical activity you plan to do on stage. How will it look when you sit with your meeting host or audience before and after the presentation? Is the outfit too tight, too short, too uncomfortable, or does it uncover parts of you that your professional reputation prefers to have covered?

Stick to your own style, yet be careful with patterns. Big patterns can easily become very distracting. Remember, the focus should be on you, not on your outfit. Alternatively, small, tight, repetitive patterns like pinstripes, herringbone, houndstooth, polka dots, paisleys, or fine checks tend to “buzz” on stage and on camera, creating an unpleasant “moiré” effect.

In general, heavy fabrics are never recommended because speaking is a physical activity and, in most cases, you are under hot lighting. The last thing you want to do is be dripping sweat on stage. Sweating will make you uncomfortable and possibly make your audience think you are nervous. Stick with breathable, lighter fabrics, such as cotton blends.

Stage lighting is a real thing. Makeup matters.

Stage lighting tends to “flatten” your face and eliminates any definition. The bigger the stage, the more lights involved, the more you need to think about makeup. This consideration is not just for those who identify as women. Just like any female speaker, males present under sweat-provoking lights and are visually captured with unforgiving flashes. No matter your gender or identity, any speaker should invest in stage makeup, not just regular makeup. Because mainstream makeup products are typically oil-based and will make you look and feel shiny. Water-based makeups, on the other hand, can fade and run quickly under stage lighting.

Apply stage makeup more intensely than your daily makeup, otherwise it will look muted on stage. That means the shade of concealer, foundation, or powder you wear daily may also be different from what you apply for the big stage. When performing in smaller venues go for just a slight exaggeration, and do not overdo it.

Be sure to apply makeup to areas besides your face. Your neck and décolleté will also be under the lights. If you neglect these areas, you could look like you are wearing a mask. In the minutes before you walk on stage, “seal the deal” with makeup setting powder and/or sealer sprays. This entire process will ensure your face stays picture-perfect throughout your performance.

If you don’t typically wear makeup, the stage is not the place for your first trial (and error). Instead, you can limit your products to translucent powder and blush or consider hiring a makeup artist. These professionals can assist you with an “invisible makeup” look or offer you natural products if you are concerned about chemicals.

Think ahead as to what type of microphone you will be using.

Will you be standing behind a podium or holding a microphone in your hand while you present? Perhaps you will present hands-free using a lavalier or earset microphone. The latter options require you to consider not only the best placement of the microphone itself but also how you will attach the microphone transmitter to your clothes. Often this is an easy task for male speakers because they have a variety of pockets or a belt where the transmitter can be comfortably attached.

As a woman, you must consider not only what you are wearing but also the physical actions you will make during your performance. Many women’s outfits do not have pockets or are made of delicate fabrics. The sheer weight of the microphone and its transmitter will pull on your outfit, dragging it down and out of place. The best option is to clip the transmitter to the back of your bra, or attach it somewhere on your body with surgical tape. Yes, I’ve done that. And don’t forget about the cord and where to hide it. Most speakers run the cord up inside their shirts/tops, and bring it out at the collar.

Stay humble in the spotlight.

It is a privilege to share your stories in front of dozens, hundreds, or thousands of attendees eager to hear from you. While I certainly hope these tips will help you be the rock star you are on stage, keep in mind that looking good is great, but never enough. The way to win your audience’s heart is not solely based on your appearance, but by treating them respectfully and delivering the best performance you can—every single time.

Always assume that your audience wants—and deserves—nothing but the best.

P.S. Know someone who dresses outstandingly well on stage? Have additional tips or questions? Please share them with us in the comments section. 

Keynote speaker and corporate trainer Sylvie di Giusto, CSP takes audiences on an entertaining and engaging journey that reveals how others perceive them and thus perceive the value of their abilities, their services or their company.