10 Ways to Look Smarter Than You Are

4) Speak Expressively

It’s easy to allow yourself to fade quietly into the background, especially if you’re feeling a little fatigued or bored and have little interest in the meeting or social event you’re attending. But it’s proven that the more you contribute to conversation when in company, the smarter you’ll appear. You can’t just mumble and ramble on about any old nonsense though, your speech must be eloquent and expressive for it to have the desired effect. That doesn’t mean you should falsely elaborate, or BS to put it less politely. On the contrary, you should ask questions and admit ignorance when the conversation starts to go over your head. As long as you speak in an engaging tone, alter your pitch when needed and speak with confidence, you will automatically look more intelligent than if you just stay silent and let the conversation go on around you. When done well, simply speaking can make you seem smarter.