5 Ways To Talk Like A Very Smart Person

                                 

Sometimes, especially when talking to those we deem smarter than ourselves, we long for a heightened level of intelligence in order to contribute more meaningfully to the conversation.

While some may be content to use their existing knowledge and hope for the best, others may wish to take things a step further and try to sound smarter than they are.

To convince people you’re smarter than you really are, you’ll want to ensure you come across as if you know what you’re talking about.

Furthermore, the way you carry yourself and express your opinions are also an important factor when attempting to sound smarter.

To begin with, confidence is key. If you look and act as if you know exactly what you’re talking about, you’ll likely be perceived as so. To do this, try avoiding blank, filler words such as ‘um’. It’s perfectly acceptable to pause if you’re not sure how to proceed.

Talk slowly, remain calm and think before you speak. Before you know it, you’ll have everyone believing you’re the smartest person in the room.

Another technique is to emphasize the facts you already know. Over exaggerate the information you have, placing more importance on each fact than it may really deserve. Your enthusiasm will get the conversation moving and you may find you’re able to learn from other peoples’ contributions.

To end the conversation, make sure you slot in a meaningful last word. Getting the final word means your comments will remain fresh in the minds of your peers. If you reiterate your ideas to sum up, they’ll remember the facts, making you sound like you know just what you’re talking about.

There are a range of different ways to enhance your speaking manner in order to sound like the real deal. Some suggestions may be more effective than others, but there’s a way for every pseudo intellectual to jump on board the smarter bandwagon.

Pick Up a Few Foreign Phrases

People who speak several languages are, of course, known for being rather intelligent, however you don’t need to be fluent in order to reap the benefits and attention given to skilled polyglots.

Learning a few simple phrases, even from a vacation guidebook, in a number of different language will help you come across as smarter and more cultured than your peers.

Just don’t try it on anyone who speaks more of the language than you do, as your cover will quickly be blown! To avoid this, try learning phrases in an obscure language. Many people speak a good amount of Spanish, French or German, yet you’re not as likely to meet someone fluent in Khoisan – a language still spoken today in remote areas of Central Africa, despite it being one of the oldest language on the continent.

Okay, so you picked up that intriguing new fact from a fictional TV show, but your friends don’t have to know that!

By choosing not to tell them where you picked up each nugget of information, you may be able to fool them into thinking you spend your time researching topics in depth.

Read Book Reviews

This one may be cheating a little bit, but it could certainly help if you find yourself at a dinner party with a number of intellectual guests.

By reading book reviews online, you’ll not only get the gist of the story, but also be able to ‘borrow’ someone’s opinion, which you’ll be able to repeat if you’re ever asked what you think of the book or author.

Drop some Names

Dropping the name of a famous author or philosopher is an obvious, yet surprisingly convincing way to show off your knowledge, especially if you have a basic grasp of his or her work and why they’re so influential and worthy of your respect. Similarly, you may wish to memorize a few thought provoking quotes from famous 

 figures in history.

 Answer each Question with a Question

You may remember this technique from your time at school or college. Teachers often use it to encourage students to form their own conclusions and opinions.

While it may look like you’re trying to plunge deeper into the conversation, it’s also a great way to cover yourself if you really have no idea what the answer to a question is.

Finally, you may come across more intelligent by broadening your vocabulary. You may not sound as smart if you’re constantly re-using words such as ‘like’ in every sentence.

The Huffington Post conducted a survey through their Facebook page, asking fans to suggest words that they thought sounded smart.

The results were varied, leaving the following as the ‘smartest’ words to add to one’s vocabulary.

Paradoxically (Def: a statement or situation that may be true but seems impossible or difficult to understand because it contains two opposite facts or characteristics)

Oxymoron (Def: a phrase or statement that seems to say two opposite things, as in “jumbo shrimp” and “agree to disagree”)

Ennui (Def: a feeling of being bored and mentally tired caused by having nothing interesting or exciting to do)

Beleaguered (Def: having so many difficulties that you feel as if you are being attacked from every direction)

Exacerbate (Def: to make something that is already bad worse)

Didactic (Def: intended to teach, or to improve morals by teaching)

Anathema (Def: something that is considered completely wrong and offensive)

Logistics (Def: the careful organization of a complicated military, business, or other activity so that it happens in successful and effective way)

Quixotic (Def: having intentions or ideas that are admirable but not practical)

Non Sequitur (Def: a statement that does not relate in a clear, reasonable way to the previous statement)

Verisimilitude (Def: the quality of appearing realistic or true)

The running theme throughout these suggestions seems to be that they are, for the most part, fairly long words that are not commonly used in everyday conversation. This means that when they are suddenly dropped into a conversation, they may take the listener by surprise and ensure the speaker looks and sounds smart due to their wide vocabulary. Overall, it’s obvious there are a number of techniques you could use to make yourself sound smarter. All it takes is a quick search online and a little extra research, and you’ll be sure to be stating facts like a pro before you know it.

  Source:  Psychologium