BAZAAR Academy Masterclass Series: How To Pitch And Present Yourself With Confidence With ONE FM 91.3 DJ Angelique Teo
Never fumble during a presentation again.
Harper's BAZAAR Singapore is privileged to partner with Chanel once again in nurturing fashion students with the knowledge needed to succeed in the business of fashion.
The second session of the BAZAAR Academy Masterclass Series sees us with ONE FM 91.3's DJ Angelique Teo (@angeliqueteo) and Senior Beauty Editor & Social Media Manager Arissa Ha (@arissa.ha), where they chat about how you can present yourself with confidence, equipping the next generation of fashion talents with presentation skills that will give them an edge in their next pitch.
Related article: BAZAAR Academy: Social Media Star & Entrepreneur Irene Kim On How To Stand Out From The Fashion Startup Crowd
With over 22 years of experience as a host and radio DJ, Angelique Teo is no stranger to speaking in front of a large crowd. Public speaking is one of the most common fears but it's an inevitable part of fashion, especially when you're pitching a merchandising plan or presenting a new collection.
As a presenter who hosts large-scale events (pre-Covid, of course), Angel suggests taking deep breaths. "When I’m on stage, I don’t picture everyone naked, like it's often advised. I look beyond the crowd, just above everyone else’s heads," shares Angel. "And when it looks like I’m looking into the crowd, I blur my vision so that I don’t lock eyes with anyone. As for on-air, I was taught to just speak to one person, a best friend, and not pay attention to the number of people tuning in."
On the importance of self-care and what it can do for your confidence
"Our appearances are our first impressions. They make up part of who we are—the parts of us that we want to share with the world. While our appearances don’t make up our entire identity, they play a huge role in how we’re interpreted—by ourselves and by others," said Angel. "Developing healthy habits is a great start like washing your face every day, using sunscreen, making sure you wear deodorant and clean clothes."
Arissa adds on by saying that makeup can be a tool to help gain confidence, no matter what your gender is. "Chanel has the Boy de Chanel range. The “BOY” is actually an abbreviation for “Be Only You”, essentially makeup that helps you put your best face forward. With the rise of Korean beauty, all your male K-pop stars are putting on makeup, and male celebrities are endorsing beauty brands. Makeup is not just a realm for females anymore. "
On how to take on a presentation with confidence
"Know your stuff," Angel said. "Being well-versed in what you’re trying to “sell” is the only way to be confident when presenting. Live, breathe, eat and sleep your presentation so you can do it backwards. Once you know it inside out, you’ll be able to fully convince your audience of what you’re trying to put across." Essentially, practice makes perfect and in order to be able to deliver your message or pitch across, knowing everything you need to know about the subject is the best way to feel confident when you're speaking about it.
Tell us 5 important tips that anyone can groom his or her way into confidence and success.
Good grooming - That means keeping your hair neat and clean, along with your nails. If you can’t grow your nails long for whatever reason, keep them short and clean. Have your basic building blocks in place, starting from a good skincare regime that promotes well balanced, hydrated skin is essential as the foundation to good grooming
Neat dressing - It's not about how much you pay for your clothes but about how well you put yourself together. Having good self-esteem means that you will always look like you put in effort before leaving the home.
Exercising - Keeping active and fit is an economical way of looking and feeling good.
Eating well - Cut out junk food, eat fresh food and make an effort in finding out where your food comes from. Trust me, especially with a pandemic, people are paying more attention to what they put into their bodies. If you’re constantly facing skin issues or even digestive problems, look into the food that you eat.
Positive attitude - Waking up in the morning and celebrating the fact that you have a roof over your head, clothes in your cupboard and warm food on the table. And if things don’t seem to be going so well for you or you feel you’re in a slump, go back to that happy-trigger and always remember to focus on the things you can change and not worry about the things you can’t. Attitude is everything. If someone says something to you that you don’t like or agree with, there are two ways to react: get angry and spoil the rest of your day, or take a deep breath and walk on. Sometimes you must react but think of the way you react and kill them with kindness.