If there’s food involved at an event you’ll attend, try to dress to minimize any spillage or other accidents; if you can’t, take a pass on the pasta.
A food accident can have a direct effect on your communication skills , as I saw at a high school debating competition, a day-long event that included lunch. You can imagine my consternation when I discovered that lunch, for competitors and judges alike, was spaghetti.
Now, we can say many good things about spaghetti. But, it’s about the worst for splattering. I’m sure we’ve all risen from a meal of spaghetti to find those maddening red stains on our clothing. We can only imagine how many student competitors felt a little less competent after lunch, as they stood up sporting red blotches. As a result, their confidence fell, making them less effective communicators.
No doubt you’ve heard of dressing for success, but you should also dress to avoid disasters when there’s food involved. Perhaps it’s a presentation after lunch, or an after-dinner meeting with an important client. No matter the occasion, our goal should be to emerge unstained. But, stuff happens.
By dressing appropriately, we can offset such problems to a certain extent. Generally, you’re safer with dark-colored clothing than with light-colored. And, of course, business attire with a busy pattern is safer than clothing with no pattern at all. And, clothing that has some staining resistance gives additional protection.
Nevertheless, food accidents can’t be the sole driver of your business attire choices, so choose your food carefully, too (if you can). Anything that poses a risk of dripping, dropping, or splattering should be left for another day. As I try to remind myself, business meals are never about the food.
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