One way to sound smarter is to say less.
The less you speak, the lower your odds of saying something stupid.
Two examples.
When I was working a corporate job and was in meetings with higher up executives, I would often make a point of not speaking up in meetings unless I knew exactly what I was talking about.
This lowered the chances of me saying something ignorant or stupid, and it meant that when I did talk, people listened. My words carried more weight.
A second example comes from the financial planning work I do with clients these days. An easy mistake to make is to be in a rush to present people with solutions or to be too eager to demonstrate knowledge, when often the best approach is to just shut up and listen.
By listening first, you’re able to gather more information and be a lot more thoughtful about what you’re going to say and how you’re going to say it. People want to be heard and to feel heard. And they don’t really want to hear about your knowledge or solutions until they know you care about them.
In both cases, reminding myself to say less has been super helpful.
When I’ve managed to come across as intelligent to previous bosses or current clients, it’s because I haven’t said countless stupid things that popped into my head.
I’ve sounded smarter, because I’ve said less.