Standing, however, isolates an speaker and contributes to anxiety about public speaking. The section on anxiety suggests ways of coping. A speaker needs to project authority over the subject matter, not over the audience. In a perfect world, such authority would be determined merely by the integrity of the speaker's argument. We do not, however, live in a perfect world and it is a mistake to delude oneself that only one's ideas matter, particularly when one is speaking to a audience of strangers.
Strangers have very little to go on initially in determining whether to pay attention to a speaker.
There are some basic rules of presence, most of which our parents told us about. First, wear your favorite formal clothes. Never wear anything with which you feel less than comfortable, and wear something that suggests care and attention. Do not wear anything that will divert the audience's attention or set you apart further from the audience. Second, always stand up straight.