13 Ways to Make Yourself Appear Smart in Meetings

#8. Ask questions about everything.

Nothing makes a person at a meeting look so smart than by asking questions.

#9. Be original. Especially at a corporate lunch or dinner.

Ask the waiter for a recommendation because asking for advice makes you appear smart. Then turn around and ignore it completely by ordering something not on the menu.

#10. Make various faces during meetings.

Exhibit expressions ranging from a frown to a puzzled face to a wide smile to make it look as if you are actually taking everything everyone is saying at the meeting seriously.

#11. Scribble important looking figures on the whiteboard.

From random pie charts and stick figures, x and y-axis graphs, and words like “front end,” “back end,”, “strategy,” “money,” “data,” and “action plan,” make it seem like you know what you’re talking about.

#12. Shout out some clever phrase, like “Ship it!”

In the middle of the meeting, when everyone is pitching in ideas, yell out “ship it!” to make it seem like you have the authority to make the final say in any decision.

#13. Shut down background noise by telling colleagues to “Mute it.”

Make like a true business leader by shushing talking co-workers with a succinct, “could you please mute yourself?.”

Now go kill it at the next meeting.

H/T: Buzzfeed