I was at a conference of almost a thousand people a few years ago. From the moment the third speaker walked on stage, people started checking out. Less than 10 seconds into his opening people were checking their phones and starting to gather their things to walk out.

His content was great. He was polished and had a great stage presence.

He was also wearing ripped jeans and a t-shirt. The conference was for executives and high-performance sales coaches, many of which were wearing suits and top-line outfits.

Now, I usually don’t care what a speaker wears. For me, I usually wear a nice pair of dark jeans, button-down shirt, and a sports coat when I speak, but not always.

As speakers, we set the tone for our audience even before we step on stage. Maybe your brand is ripped jeans and a t-shirt. I recommend adjusting your attire to better match your audience. It shows you value their standards of attire enough not to let your standard be a distraction from your message.

If you’re not sure what to wear while speaking for an upcoming event, look at pictures from the previous year’s event. They’ll include pictures of the attendees and of course, the average attire of each person in attendance.

If you’re still going to wear what you normally wear, it’s okay to call it out from stage. It acknowledges your audience’s expectations while giving you a chance to share your message without too much of a distraction.

The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing is presented by Jon Cook, founder of Keynote Content. Jon and his team help thought leaders, namely speakers, coaches, and consultants, craft and share their messages to better serve their audiences. Connect with Jon and his team at Keynote Content by visiting keynotecontent.com. You can subscribe to The Keynote Clarity for Thought Leaders Flash Briefing by visiting bit.ly/KeynoteClarity and enabling it there. Then, all you have to say is, “Alexa, what’s my flash briefing?”