That’s right, I stripped for my audience and they loved me for it—or at least they seemed to like me a little more. You may think that the demand for middle aged white men with middling physiques to strip in front of business audiences is quite weak. And you would be right.
But here’s the catch. I stopped stripping once I got to the same level as my audience. I was speaking to a group of Fortune 500 executives who were all well dressed, but were not wearing ties. I was in my standard suit-and-tie business getup.
So here’s the problem: while I don’t mind appearing a little dressier than my audience, I don’t like to appear a lot more dressed up than my audience. If they are thinking I’m a stuffed shirt, they are less likely to be focused on my message—and that’s a problem for everyone.
So what did I do? At the exact moment that I put up a new PowerPoint slide and everyone was looking at the screen on one side of the room, I quickly (and I mean very quickly) took off my tie and unbuttoned my top button on my shirt. When everyone turned back to watch me speak a few seconds later, I was all of a sudden more like they were. We had less of a barrier between us and now we had more in common.
Every speaker should strive to attain repertoire with audiences. It takes more than dressing the same as audience members, but that can be a good first step.
Other times I might take a jacket off right before or even during a speech. Now, I never do this in a showy way, but always in a moment when no one is looking.
That way I can strive to have more in common with my audience.
Why is that desirable? Because the more your audience can relate to you, the more they will listen to you without filters or screens.
So if you want to maximize your impression in front of any audience, be prepared to dress up or down at a moment’s notice.
