It’s one of the most counterintuitive rules of thumb I consistently offer clients who are preparing for a big pitch, presentation, or otherwise high-stakes conversation:
The best way to make people think you’re smart… is to stop trying so hard to sound smart.
Here’s the real key:
If you want others to think you’re smart, make them feel smart.
But this goes against your instincts, especially in those high-pressure moments when your adrenaline's pumping and imposter syndrome is lurking just behind your meticulously crafted slides.
- You’ve spent days—maybe weeks—preparing.
- You know your data.
- You’ve practiced your talking points.
And so, when it’s go time, you take a deep breath… and turn on the verbal firehose.
You open your mouth and start spraying a nonstop deluge of technical information, statistics, and sophisticated vocabulary that could double as GRE prep.
The logic? “If I share everything I know, there won’t be any gaps. I’ll look brilliant, eliminate any doubts, and—bonus!—they won’t ask any questions I can’t answer… because there will be nothing left to ask!”
But here’s the rub: somewhere around minute two of your enthusiastic knowledge dump, your audience’s eyes glaze over. They’re lost in the spray.
And while they might walk away thinking, “Well, they’re clearly smart,” what they won’t do is give you the “yes” you were aiming for—whether that’s a job offer, a contract, a promotion, or just genuine buy-in.
You’ve won the battle for perceived intelligence… but lost the war for influence.
Want to Sound Smart? Make Them Feel Smart
This is where the counterintuitive shift begins.
The real power move isn’t showing how smart you are. It’s helping others feel smart by making your message so clear, simple, and intuitive that they say, “Ah! That makes sense!”
We work on this all the time in executive coaching sessions. Simplifying the message, using accessible language, and especially mastering the power of analogy is what transforms a leader’s executive presence from “informative” to unforgettable.
Because when you land a clean, clear analogy– one that’s concrete, familiar, and maybe even a little bit witty– you hit what I call the “3 Cs” of high-impact communication, so you can:
- Command the room
- Connect with the audience
- Close the deal
And yes—this is also a major skill we develop in the Quantum Leap program, especially when preparing for interviews or networking conversations.
Why? Because an unexpected, sticky analogy can instantly elevate your credibility and relatability, and make people feel like they’re learning something just by talking to you. That’s magnetic.
The Analogy Advantage
Take the example I used at the top: the “firehose” approach. You can see it in your mind’s eye, right? That stream of information coming at you full-force, impossible to absorb, leaving you drenched and dazed.
It’s a metaphor that’s visceral and funny—a little self-deprecating, which makes it more human—and people remember it.
That’s the kind of mental image we want to create.
It lowers people’s cortisol-fueled “NO” reflexes and replaces them with a little dopamine bump from the humor. As behavioral economist Dan Ariely might say, “Predictably irrational” brains love this stuff.
Try This Instead
Let’s say you’re a dentist trying to convince patients to floss. You could cite CDC reports, quote dental journals, or display before-and-after photos of plaque-ridden mouths.
Or… you could say this:
“Flossing your teeth is like saying ‘I love you’ to your significant other. You don’t have to do it every day… but if you do, they’re going to be much nicer to you—and stick around a lot longer.”
You’re smiling already, aren’t you? So will your patient. And that smile cracks open the door to behavior change and buy-in—exactly what you want.
But I Worked Hard for My Cape!
I get it. If you’re a data-driven expert, a subject matter specialist, or anyone who’s been trained to prove value through precision and technical detail, simplifying your message can feel like being asked to show up as Clark Kent instead of Superman.
Been there.
I spent more than a decade in academia, where my success was based on demonstrating just how much I knew and how deeply I could explain it. But when I transitioned into the business world, I had to unlearn a lot of those instincts.
Because no one in the boardroom was impressed by my five-syllable vocabulary or all the research behind what I was teaching. They wanted results, fast. And that meant conciseness and clarity.
So now? I help clients learn how to take the right shortcut: not dumbing things down, but smartening them up by making them easily digestable and relatable.
A Few Practical Tips
Want to try this on for yourself? Start with these:
- Use analogies and metaphors: Connect the abstract to the concrete. Compare your concept to something people already understand (Monopoly, baking, sports, dating—you name it).
- Test it on a teenager: If a smart 15-year-old (or even your own parents) can follow your explanation and repeat it back to you, you’re in the right zone.
- Simplify, then simplify again: If your sentence has three commas, it probably needs a rewrite.
- Smile when you say it: People hear confidence and warmth. (As Olivia Fox Cabane mapped out, Charisma = Competence + Warmth + Presence.)
- Practice your “tweetable and repeatable” line: A phrase that’s short, sticky, and makes people want to say, “Tell me more.”
The Real Genius? Clarity through simplicity.
In the end, Einstein said it best:
“If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.”
And maybe that’s the real litmus test.
So if you’re looking to elevate your executive presence, lead more persuasively, and actually get the “yes” you’re going for—ditch the jargon, use an analogy, and trust the simplicity.
Because the smartest people? They’re the ones who make you feel smart.
