How can I sound like I know what I'm talking about?

Just be yourself. You’re already a very accomplished bullshitter. for example, this question.

Tiny, don’t bother, my boyfriend asked this question, and it’s obviously a joke. don’t take him seriously

know what your talking about.

Its probably better not to say anything if you have no idea what you’re talking about.

@chica Oh well. I just had to say it.

and aren’t you supposed to be looking at lasers or something right now? ramen wave spectroscopy or some shit like that?

you know, i think you’ll find it’s a lot easier to bullshit a scientific paper if you actually get around to writing a scientific paper for example, one about SIRS…

It’s SERS, chica. And I’m waiting for my co-worker to stop using the laser, so there. In the meantime, I choose to expand my horizons.

gee, really? I didn’t know that! OH WAIT EXCEPT YOU JUST TOLD ME OVER THE PHONE!
and didn’t i just say “surface enhanced ramen spectroscopy”??
clearly that was a typo. why are you such a hard ass ? hahahahahahha

Why don’t you try answering the questions instead of just chatting with me. Then maybe I’ll great answer you… Yay!!!

=P

I don’t NEED GAs from my boyfriend! I get plenty of lurve from the fluther community at large; i got 2 GAs on this thread already! and besides, you ask a bullshit question, you’ll get a bullshit answer!

and wtf?!?! did you just hang up on me, mr?

Don’t fake it. If you don’t know something, say so. (It will strengthen what you do say in the hearer’s estimation.)

Prepare. If you feel prepared, your confidence will help your delivery.

Practice. Write it. The read it. Then practice saying it out loud in front of a mirror.

Oh my – a fluther-domestic! How intriguing! (and it’s not even the first)

Say what you want to say with confidence. If you believe you can stand by it, it’ll come across that way.

Why are you guys giving him your thoughtful advice when he said one thing he wants to use it for is shooting down other people’s ideas?! Clearly that’s not a very noble goal, and i for one, think we should all boycott this thread! who’s with me?

reaches for wildflower’s hand and start backing slowly away from lover’s spat

damn right!
actually i’m just amusing myself at work
but he DID hang up on me! i swear! i know the service inside the lab is really crappy because the building is like nuclear-bomb proof, but it was at a very strategic point in the conversation and it was NOT a coincidence!

“Better to remain silent and be thought a fool than to speak out and remove all doubt.”

@poser
u got it!

it’s called wisdom. when you have this precious gift, you can shut a room down. don’t confuse BS with charisma. “BS” is simply lying and smoozing and making stuff up as you go. charisma is your attractibility just because you have great people skills. for wisdom to work, all you need is wit, intelligencem, a keen sense of perception and vision and a knack for when to say it and how to say it.

Confidence!

@Charlie: if you’re going to use it, pronounce it correctly (schmoozing)

@Tim: Daniel says “Hi” and “to think before you speak” and “to remember the power of silence.”

@Tim; actually, the suggestions are mine, but Daniel did speak of your days in HS and at the chess board w. real pleasure. (He is about to write a thesis that only 25 people in the world will understand, apparently; in algebraic geometry.)

Aside from the wonderful la chica, all these people are giving you all this
wonderful sincere advice that is all wrong. The true answer is, bullshit as hard
as you can, smile widely, and enjoy yourself.

I’ll tell you what works for me when it is not going to be a matter of systematic study.

You listen carefully to someone who does know what he (= he or she) is talking about (assuming you haven’t been fooled) and pick up some key concepts and terms. Then you turn around and use those to frame good, knowledgeable-sounding questions to ask another expert. Someone who thinks you are at least conversant in his field will tell you a lot more than someone who thinks you know nothing at all about it; he’ll talk to you more as an equal rather than talking down.

After you’ve gathered some really good information from this second person and others, you will know much more about the subject and will also have a much better idea of how to read up if you want to deepen your knowledge.

It all starts with knowing enough to ask the interesting and productive questions. Sounding like you know what you’re talking about can lead to actually knowing.