What is your secret mojo when you have a big meeting or presentation or interview?
Mine depends a little. If it’s a meeting with regulators, I make sure my nail polish looks good. No one can see my toes, but I know they look good. Plus, I wear at least one piece of clothing that I couldn’t have afforded when I was a regulator, just to remind me that I CAN. That I got my job because first I was the best at doing their job.
If it’s a meeting with the men who run my company, I wear matching bra and underwear that generally are more scandalous than I otherwise wear. I don’t know why, but it makes me feel like I’m rebelling.
I had a friend who was an Army Intelligence officer who used to wear pink socks inside her combat boots. She said when some asshole senior officer was yelling at her, she could always think “haha, f you. I’m wearing pink socks and you have no idea!”
I've taken public speaking classes and training on how to make a great presentation/slide deck. Plus, I'm in marketing. So when someone asks me to pull together a presentation, I nail it from a design standpoint. So usually my mojo is using a presentation clicker and standing up to talk it through. I don't like to sit down and present around a table, I feel like it makes me less powerful.
When I used to go pitch clients and present at conferences I would always wear heels for the meeting. I'm tall, so heels make me that much taller and make me stand up straight. I don't do it now in my office because it's such a casual space. But maybe I should...
I dress professionally for big meetings, including heels, and stand to present. I dress business casual for important but not big deal meetings. That sounds pretty normal except - I work from home full time so no one can see me.
I led a speech apprehension lab and taught public speaking courses and I use some of the student favorites from there - most notably, banging a pool noodle on a chair while beginning my speech to get the nerves out.
I have to feel comfortable in my outfit. Not causal but confidant. I never wear a new outfit for a presentation. I do a workout the morning of and that let me get out of my own head. Nails are done, make up is done, hair is blown dry or straightened.
I’m generally presenting to boards of trustees once or twice a week, so nothing special. I like to have gotten in a workout and have a hair blowout that’s as recent as possible for important meetings. I do always wear a heel - though usually just a comfy wedge - since I’m only 5 foot 3 on a good day.
Maybe I need some secret weapon though - since I had a big meeting with a prospective client last week and I don’t feel like I was on top of my game. Luckily they decided to come do some on on-site due diligence on my firm at our headquarters in Boston in a couple weeks, so I’m excited to get a do-over.
I give presentations to executives and directors a few times a month to get deals approved. I don't do anything special. I know my deals inside and out, don't use notes, and usually, get complimented. For director level, I usually dress a bit more professionally, but that's about the only difference.
Post by traveltheworld on May 14, 2019 8:43:47 GMT -5
I wear my really expensive suit and one of my very feminine Rebeca Taylor tops. I'm frequently in meetings with a room of all male i-bankers and oftentimes the only other women in there are PAs or analysts, so I like to distinguish myself. It's vain. I also make it known really early on that I'm not just the lawyer, that I out-rank most of the members of my team in that room and we don't have a deal unless I agree. I really quite enjoy the look on their faces when that realization dawns on them. Again, rather vain of me. 😝
I introduce myself as Professor or Dr. PhDMomma. I'm only 32, and tiny (5'1"), so often get mistaken as a much younger graduate student. Clothing depends on the audience, sometimes it's a group of farmers, so jeans are more appropriate than a business suite. Sometimes it's a ton of engineers, and then I should wear the suit. Either way, I like to have on fancy underwear and have my makeup on. It makes me feel more put together, regardless of what I am wearing on top.
I wear something that is professional, but something that I know is flattering. I don’t want to look or feel uncomfortable.
I never practiced presentations. I made sure I knew my material and could talk about any aspect, covered in the presentation or not. I found that I was much more comfortable talking without notes. I would put notes together in case I needed stats for a question or something, but otherwise I’d just talk.
I wear my really expensive suit and one of my very feminine Rebeca Taylor tops. I'm frequently in meetings with a room of all male i-bankers and oftentimes the only other women in there are PAs or analysts, so I like to distinguish myself. It's vain. I also make it known really early on that I'm not just the lawyer, that I out-rank most of the members of my team in that room and we don't have a deal unless I agree. I really quite enjoy the look on their faces when that realization dawns on them. Again, rather vain of me. 😝
Post by mustardseed2007 on May 14, 2019 9:19:05 GMT -5
Lately I’ve taken to wearing heels more often. I’m short and it helps everything. But I hate wearing heels so if I wasn’t in the situation I’m in right now, I wouldn’t do it.
Also, throwing on fresh lipstick before I go into a room.
I have a special song that is completely outside my usual music taste that I listen to before I go in to the meeting/interview/event. It just happened to be on the radio before I walked in to take the LSAT and I remember walking in feeling like a badass, so I made it a tradition. It has helped me through the bar exam, job interviews and countless board presentations. Luckily my OB/GYN is as goofy as me and laughed when I played it during my inductions.
I don't do a lot of presentations, but when I do I need to wear something I feel confident wearing. In my previous job, I pretty much only did PowerPoint presentations and didn't have to present them, just prepare them.
Post by honeydew1894 on May 17, 2019 4:32:29 GMT -5
Slightly different as a middle school teacher, but if there is a day when I am not really feeling it, I listen to the Trolls soundtrack. It really pumps me up! Wow, that sounds so male, but it's true!