Your organisation is in the news and the communications team has put you forward as the spokesperson for a television interview.
You have had your media training, are well briefed and feeling confident that you can deliver the key message.
Your organisation’s crisis media management response seems to be going well.
But do you know what to wear for television and what clothing you should avoid?
We spoke to Joan D’Olier, who runs the image and style consultancy House of Colour in Chiswick, Barnes and Richmond to find out how to dress for a successful interview on the small screen.
She said: “I think the most important thing is that you are dressed in something that makes you feel comfortable and confident. When we are confident in what we are wearing that confidence comes across in what we are presenting.
“You should also be wearing something that reflects who you are – a man in the banking or legal worlds would normally wear a suit and tie, whereas an architect would probably wear something more relaxed.
“Dress smartly, but wear the style of clothes you would normally wear. Don’t try to be something you are not.”
Joan recommends that narrow stripes, checks and small patterns are avoided as they can cause a strobe effect and look to the viewer as if they are moving. Instead, choose solid blocks of colour for the best impact when you are on screen.
But avoid bright white as the camera will pick it up and make everything else seem much darker by comparison. “You can wear softer types of white”, says Joan. “Choose and oatmeal or cream coloured shirt instead.
“The two extremes of colour, black and white, are not ideal. Instead of black, you could wear navy or charcoal grey coloured suits in a formal interview.
“A woman who wants to come across as being tough should wear red as it is a very dominant colour.”
The larger man who wants to wear a jacket for an interview should have it buttoned up with one button. “This will hide the tummy and you won’t have a large expanse of shirt or T-shirt showing,” says Joan.
“And a woman with a larger build will look better if she is all in one colour so that you get a line. If she has a top that is in contrast with her skirt and trousers it will cut her in half and will make her look shorter. You don’t want horizontal lines going across, such as where the top meets the skirt.”
A key for Joan is to avoid anything that will distract the viewer from the messages you are delivering. So, shiny or long, dangly earrings should be avoided and hair should be tidy so that it does not have to be regularly flicked from the eyes. Men should stay clear of shiny suits and those with little hair should use powder on their heads.
She said: “Anything that distracts is a bad thing. You don’t want a woman to be constantly flicking back her hair from her eyes or tossing her head back or wearing jewellery that moves around all over the place. People pick up on these little ticks when they are watching and will stop listening to what you are saying.”
Joan’s top 5 tips:
1 Be yourself. Dress for who you are as well as what you are. This will increase your confidence.
2 Pay close attention to grooming.
3 Avoid distracting the audience with dangly, jangly jewellery or over-enthusiastic gestures.
4 Solid colours look better than patterns.
5 Keep your look clean and uncluttered.
You may also find some of the advice in our ‘Getting your personal branding right’ blog useful.
Media First are media and communications training specialists with over 30 years of experience. We have a team of trainers, each with decades of experience working as journalists, presenters, communications coaches and media trainers.
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