hey everyone and welcome to top think today we're gonna learn about five ways to look smarter than
you actually are now let's begin you don't need to be intelligent to convince other people that
you are by adjusting how you move and speak you can transform the way the world perceives you you
can sell them a confident intelligent version of yourself a version of you they can believe
in a version of you that knows exactly what you're talking about even if you really don't
to control their perception you don't always need definitive proof so just think of it this way you
see a chair sitting in the middle of the room and you want to know if it's a solid object how would
you figure this out well you could touch it and get definitive proof but most people never get
that far they may be convinced that the chair is solid just by looking they see that it takes up
space they notice the grainy texture of the wood their brain uses all these little clues to tell
them that something is what they think it is we assess intelligence the same way people look for
and analyze clues that tell them whether or not you're smart capable or trustworthy the actual
content of your speech is just one of many ways you can influence how they perceive you now just
like you assume the chair was solid other people will assume you're accomplished and proficient
if you give them enough clues you can get anyone to believe you're smarter than you actually are
number one the power of simplicity it's tempting to change the way people perceive you by showing
off isn't that how you're supposed to prove yourself hmm to convince them you're strong
you lift something heavy to prove that you're funny you make them laugh but showing off your
intelligence can have the opposite effect when you're trying too hard to sound smart people
assume that you're not it's sort of like a paradox smart sounds dumb hard sounds easy unless you
really are an expert on the subject people won't see big words and complex concepts as a marker
of intelligence all they'll see is arrogance and security and hint of desperation so put down the
thesaurus and keep things simple whether you're writing an essay or giving a speech simplify your
ideas and language so that anyone could understand you this is a part of intelligence that few people
really pay attention to let's say for example that you had two science teachers the first rambles
on and on without really explaining anything he uses so much scientific jargon that his students
barely understand him the second teacher on the other hand explains the same subjects in a way
that students connect with and they learn from now who would you say is more intelligent we
often recognize the smartest people for their ability to make something difficult sound easy
they don't just understand the concepts they're creative and efficient communicators who want
other people to share their knowledge they keep things simple and meaningful while letting their
intelligence speak for itself now on a smaller scale simpler language can increase the impact
of everything you write or say simple sentences naturally communicate assertiveness and power
they're short and sweet structure loses confidence you sound direct without imposing any boundaries
or qualifications your messages are bold and straightforward they stick in people's heads wordy
me enduring sentences lose their punch people end up lost in your 10-cent words and clauses
your attempts to sound smarts will leave them irritated and confused so you can change their
perception and have a lasting impact by dumbing yourself down number two expressive speech vocal
expressions are another subtle clue we use to judge intelligence volume speed and pitch are
the most diverse ways to adjust your speech each can heighten emotions flippa sentences meaning and
completely change the way people react to start volume often translates into enthusiasm or energy
take this sentence I like dogs if someone were to shout it I like dogs you'd think they were
extremely excited or borderline obsessive probably wonder if they like dogs a little too much by
contrast whispering tells you they're scared or ashamed I like dogs hmm ideally you want to raise
your voice just enough to show some energy but not so much that people think you're crazy the speed
of your speech says a lot about your intent when you go too fast you show that you're nervous or
impatient they'll think you're rushing because you either aren't confident or aren't prepared taking
your time gives your words wait the clear spaces between each word make them sound calculated you
show how much you value your own message which convinces other people to do the same finally
pitch conveys certainty and authority you can for example add believability by lowering the pitch of
your voice at the end of a sentence normally we raise our pitch to end a question or something
that we're not sure about it gives the other person a hint that we may need a little help when
you're trying to sound smart you don't want the pitch of your voice undermining your message most
people don't put too much thought into their vocal expressions they're often products of habit if you
want to sell your most intelligent self don't just pay attention to what you say focus on how you say
it number three visual cues not all cues related to intelligence are auditory we rely on all of
our senses to make assumptions about the people around us sights sounds tastes smells and feelings
all contribute little pieces of information that you use to conceptualize the world when judging
intelligence visual cues are especially important you primarily use them to analyze emotion and
meaning imagine someone's telling you a sad story to understand the gravity of the situation you
aren't just listening you're watching their body language to see what you're supposed to
be feeling you might notice watery eyes and a lowered gaze they might drop their shoulders or
put their hands on their face this body language tells you to mirror their emotions you react with
sadness because you perceive sadness but what if they smiled wouldn't that completely change
how you react visual cues work the same way for intelligence if you want to reinforce that you're
a smart person you need to align your body with your words open your chest arms and legs to show
confidence you might wave your hands while you speak to grab people's attention in general all
kinds of motion make it easier to rope people in many speakers walk around the stage for the same
reason the activity keeps people's eyes busy while showing that they're confident enough to
take up space no matter what gesture you're doing it's best to keep them small but firm you want
to communicate confidence without going overboard this simple change will persuade people to believe
in you and you'll have an easier time believing in yourself you'll unconsciously act more capable and
self-assured when you put yourself in a powerful physical position number four compound names your
name is often the only thing people know about you it's how you introduce yourself it's how you leave
your mark on a project and like any of the cues on this list it can change how they perceive you
imagine you're publishing your first paper your name will be the first and only thing everyone
reads about you so the assumptions start right here your name becomes a two-word summary of
everything you stand for yeah I know it leaves a lot to be desired but that's just the way people
think so how can your name leave a bigger impact on the people who read it well a 2014
study tested this exact situation researchers asked participants to evaluate three academic
papers the first was written by an author with no middle initial the second had one initial and the
third had two initials could this tiny change really affect people's evaluation of the entire
paper absolutely people rated the second paper significantly higher than the first even though
the middle initial was the only difference and if that wasn't enough the third paper scored even
higher than the second adding that initial made each author seemed more intelligent and credible
than the last initials lead us to conceptualize the author differently that one extra letter
takes advantage of your preconceived notions you're used to seeing middle initials in formal
academic contexts so when you see it anywhere else you can't help but associate it with higher
social status and credibility after you make that assumption it affects everything you do from there
on in the back ear mind you'll spin the whole paper thinking the author is more intelligent and
they actually are number five the glasses effect sometimes seeming smart is as easy as putting on
a pair of glasses if you might think I'm joking but a 20-18 study found that wearing glasses made
people seem more intelligent they had participants look at photos of different politicians and choose
who they would vote for based solely on appearance turns out politicians with glasses got the most
votes they were rated more capable and trustworthy than their counterparts all because of one little
piece of clothing so why do glasses make such a big difference well like adding a middle initial
we've developed certain stereotypes around people who wear them over sixty percent of people in
the u.s. wear glasses yet we associate them with intelligence and introversion you still see nerdy
characters in movies wearing glasses it becomes ingrained in our culture outside of the US this
stereotype doesn't really exist another study ran a similar test with a new set of politicians in
India sure enough the glasses didn't make a difference so if you're ever choosing
between wearing glasses and contacts before an interview go ahead and take advantage of this
common misconception it might give you the little boost you need to lock down the job thank you for
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