By not managing perceptions you are doing yourself a disservice. Throughout my life I have encountered this issue with perception. As an undergraduate student I was a young, silly and vivacious blonde…no one took me seriously, I enjoyed life, partied on the social scene and participated in many activities while pursuing an education in the sciences. No one wanted to be my lab partner, but when the first exam results came in, I left my exam out for everyone to see…104% (thanks to the extra-credit)…The mean was a 68% and this was in physics…I didn’t change my ways, and those that overcame the perception of the dumb blonde were truly in awe that I was so “good at science”. The professors loved me and by my senior year, other students respected me. But, I feel I was still fighting an uphill battle. I was still jealous that the more “serious” students got all the attention even though I routinely scored higher than them on all the exams. I felt that even if I acted “dumb” or seemed dumb, just by being myself, that people would be even more shocked at how intelligent I actually was.

I went to graduate school and refined my attitude as well as my appearance, so I could be taken seriously sooner rather than later. I am still silly and unguarded, but typically with only those I know and trust.

I now work as a scientist, and I have gained more maturity and understanding of how other people view me, and how I am responsible for managing their perceptions of me.

After all this “growth” I am still saddened by the unfair promotion of individuals who I feel bluff their way, or in other words “fake it till they make it”. It seems that they are excellent at managing the perceptions of others but when you find one of them suddenly managing you, and realize that they have no technical or scientific knowledge to back up their actions, it is a sad day.

My new boss has probably read your article, because from my view he follows your suggestions to the “T”! I am just waiting for the day when his supervisors realize that there is no substance, knowledge or understanding of the issues behind his actions.

I intend to continue to refine my appearance regarding how others perceive my intellectual contribution, and I see how your tips could be used to further such a perception. However, I feel somewhat guilty that I am selling myself out. However, I take comfort knowing that I am a vibrant silly individual capable of not taking myself too seriously and that I have substance and character to back up what others perceive as intelligence.

In the US, there is a popular idea that students shouldn’t be allowed to fail because it will hurt their self-esteem. However, when compared with the rest of the world this has created some interesting problems. Kids in the US are much more likely to rate themselves as being good at math than kids in other countries. However, they are much less likely to actually be capable in mathematics. So the kids with the high self esteem perform worse than the other kids in the world.

And yes, someone with extremely poor grammar will automatically make themselves look stupid. In most developed countries, basic writing skills are taught to everyone at an early age. You would have to put a lot of effort into NOT learning basic grammar. So it stands to reason that someone without the ability to write proper sentences is either dealing with a second language, unwilling to put even a little effort into communicating, or of below average IQ.

Ask Questions? You learn. You listen.
Be the last to speak? Again, listen, observe before jumping in half-cocked.
Smart reading materials? Hey, if you read it in the john, again you’re probably going to learn something.

Good stuff. I enjoyed the post.

@ellipsisknits – I think the point is that it is difficult to “fake” intelligent questions. However, showing that you know enough about someone’s area of expertise to have questions is usually a positive thing. If you are asking the question just to look intelligent, you’ll probably fail. If you actually know enough about a different field to have a genuine interest, it will be easy to ask intelligent questions.

Cheers people!

Regards,
Amir

Good post!

Assuming you are the less informed party in the exchange, a question you think is ’smart’ is probably based on buzzwords you know just a little about – and what you do know is likely marketing hype, which the real professional has to fight people’s misconceptions on day in and day out.

Instead, pick a question you think is ’stupid’ – a general concept you’re pretty sure you know the answer to. Two things can happen, either the answer will surprise you, and you’ll actually learn something, or the answer will be what you thought, but the other person will probably expound into details that you hadn’t considered.

Since you’re not expected to be a subject matter expert, it’s better to come across as someone carefully considering than basic principles than one easily sucked in by whatever they hear on t.v. This also follows Steve’s point that the best way to look smarter is to be smarter.

The rest of the points sound good, and some of them (following the arts, reiterating good ideas, arguing contrary positions) might end up tricking you into getting smarter too.

Sometimes the smarter people are passed over for individuals who know how to look smart. If you aren’t actively managing other’s perceptions, you are missing out on potential opportunities.

@Mike – Most smart people will look smarter by waiting to speak. In a lot of situations people will mentally credit not the person who had the original idea, but the person who made them see the value of that idea. If nothing else, waiting to speak allows you to integrates other’s ideas which can help you gain buy-in for your idea. It also helps make sure you have seen the problem from everyone else’s perspective so you don’t overlook something important.