How to Be Clever

Last Updated: October 7, 2022 References Approved

Being clever, though linked to intelligence, isn't quite the same thing. Cleverness is often how you come across to other people, how quick you are at analyzing and acting in situations, and how clever or creative your ideas are. The Greek hero Odysseus was considered clever (he told the Cyclops Polyphemus that his name was Nobody, so Polyphemus wouldn't be able to tell anyone who blinded him). You might not defeat any mythical creatures, but cleverness is a learned trait, which you, too, can work on developing.

Part 1

Part 1 of 3:

Appearing Clever in the Moment

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Speak last. If you wait during a conversation and listen to the different participants, before you jump into the fray, you'll appear more clever, simply because you've had more time to listen to different opinions and sides and evaluate these opinions before giving your own.^{[1]
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- For example: say you're conversation with your cousin Bob, your aunt Milly, and your sister, Sarah, about the best way to baste a turkey. Let the other three hash it out for a bit while you listen, and evaluate the effectiveness of each side of the argument. Then, slip in your own idea for basting the turkey, once the argument is winding down. Make sure that it's different than the other three; if you do agree with one of the others, possibly Aunt Milly, offer up a more convincing argument than she has, or give a reason for that option that the others might not have considered.
- This is also a great way to avoid looking the opposite of clever, by not just opening your mouth first and saying whatever comes into your head.
- Often the person who speaks last is less likely to simply point out the obvious, or regurgitate facts. Instead they usually come up with something more creative, or more original, which people are more likely to remember.
2
Have some "pocket" facts. These are the types of facts that you can whip out during an argument that support whatever claim you're making. Chances are you're not going to be able to have facts for every single argument you might potentially get into, so pick the ones that are most important to you.
- For example: if you're really passionate about global climate change, you might make sure to have statistics memorized that look at the difference between weather and climate, that show what has changed so swiftly in the past few years (and how that is linked to things like carbon dioxide), and how this is different than the slower, more long-term climate change that happens without the help of human practices.
- It's really good to gather some facts (real facts) for things that everyone assumes are true. Blowing assumptions out of the water can make you appear very clever.
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3
Learn the appropriate lingo. Every single group or workplace has lingo that goes along with it. This can come in the form of acronyms, or abbreviations, or even nicknames for certain things. Learning these for the places that you are, and the places that you visit, will help make you seem knowledgeable.
- For example: in fly-fishing there are tons of different words and phrases that you have to learn when you're a beginner. Not knowing terms like "cast" (the motion you make when you throw the rod, reel, and line back and forth) or a "lie" (the areas in a river or lake where the fish tend to be) will make you seem like you don't know what you're doing, the opposite of clever.
- If you don't know the lingo someone is using, pay attention to the context of the word or words. You can usually figure out the basic meaning from that. Otherwise, ask someone in private, so that everyone doesn't end up knowing that you don't understand everything they're saying.
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Be persuasive. Oftentimes persuasiveness and cleverness are linked in people's minds. Doing the one will make people correlate it with the other. Having your "pocket" facts and speaking last can help you be persuasive, but so can a few other things. Remember that persuasion is basically getting people to do something that is in their best interest (unlike manipulation) while also benefiting you.^{[2]
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- Context and timing are very important parts of being persuasive. As an example: don't try to ask your sister for money help with your parents right when she's lost her job. She'll be more concerned about money and needing money. Instead, wait until she's found a new job, or if she's just gotten a raise.
- Speak clearly and concisely. The more clearly and quickly you put a problem to someone, the more likely they are to understand exactly what it is you're asking them to do and the more likely they are to help you out. People tend to prefer a straightforward tactic rather than beating about the bush.
- Avoid jargon (special words and expressions used by a particular group that make it difficult for others to understand them; i.e. law jargon). People won't listen to you if they can't understand what you're saying and it won't make you look clever, if you can't get your point across. Unless you're speaking to people who understand the same technical terms as you, don't use them.
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Offer simple solutions. So many times a problem doesn't need a complex solution. While this may seem counter-intuitive, the simplest solution is often the most useful one, as well as the one that others tend not to think of. Humans seem bent on finding the most difficult and complex way to do things. Not falling into that trap will make you stand out.
- Often a good question to ask when looking for a solution is: What can you do less of? Usually that can help weed on some of the less productive options.
- Also, ask yourself and others specific questions. If you're trying to build better time management, don't ask "how can we build better time management?" The question is too big, and you'll usually get answers that are too big, as well. A better question might be "What tools might help make us work more quickly" or "If we spent 2 hours on a particular project instead of 4 hours, how might we work more quickly to achieve the same results?"
6
Be confident. By being confident about yourself and your work, you'll present as cleverer than someone who is very smart and intelligent, but not confident. People tend to believe in confidence, even when there isn't that much to back it up. Present as confident and the cleverness will follow.^{[3]
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- Use your body language to trick your brain into thinking it is confident, even if you aren't actually feeling that way. Stand tall and upright. Walk with a confident stride, like you belong wherever you are. Maintain open body language. Don't cross your arms across your chest, or refuse to look people in the eye.
- Think positively or neutrally about yourself. If a thought like "I am a loser" or "I am stupid" comes into your head, acknowledge the thought and think "I am thinking I am a loser, but just last week I got the coveted worker of the year award, or I have a really good job."
- Don't compare yourself to other people. For example: don't get into a cleverness competition with other people and start comparing your cleverness with their cleverness. Intelligence isn't a competition and by turning it into one, you're only going to feel worse about yourself as you irritate and drive away other people with your need to be "the best."

Part 2

Part 2 of 3:

Building Your Skills

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Don't always go by the book. It's good to know how to do things in the typical ways, especially so then you can subvert that thinking. By doing things in a way other people don't expect you'll demonstrate that you can think on your feet. That is one way people seem to judge cleverness.^{[4]
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- For example: if your professor gives you an essay assignment, ask them if you could do a creative option. Demonstrate how your option fulfills the requirements while going above and beyond. (If you're taking a class on short stories, ask if you could try your hand at writing a short story of your own using what you've learned in class, and write a follow-up piece examining your own work.)
- This is also about doing the unexpected. If you always go by the rules or do things exactly as you learned them it doesn't mean you're not smart, it simply means that people aren't going to see you as clever. So, don't rely on your particular intelligence and typical ways of doing things.
2
Think outside the box. This step ties into not always going by the book, because a lot times you'll need to think outside the box to do that. To be clever you will need to come up with creative solutions to problems.
- Re-conceptualize the problem. One thing that people who use creative solutions do effectively, is to re-imagine a problem. To practice this skill, take an obvious choice (like writing a plain old essay) and re-imagine how else you might approach the essay so that you still get the same information across, but in a different, more engaging way (telling a story orally, creating a collage or painting).^{[5]
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- Daydream. It turns out that daydreaming is actually incredibly beneficial to boosting creative problem-solving. The process of daydreaming helps you to form connections and recall information. This is why a lot of your best ideas may come out during the shower or right before you go to bed. If you're having difficulty with something, take a little time out to daydream. Chances are, by relaxing and letting your brain roam free, you'll come up with something creative that works.^{[6]
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- Brainstorming is another great way to foster creativity, especially in a group. Present the problem and have people give whatever ideas come into their head without passing judgement on these ideas. Have people add to the ideas as they come. You can do this on your own too, as long as you make sure to keep judgment out of the process.
- Thinking outside of the box ultimately requires curiosity rather than judgment. Curiosity leads to open-mindedness, which allows you to imagine various alternatives.
3
Consider the worst that could happen. Fear is one of the biggest obstacles to creative thinking, which is one big aspect of cleverness. The more creative and workable your solutions and ideas, the more people will believe in your abilities.
- Ask yourself things like: what happens if you lose your job? what if you lose your best customer? what if you fail your class? what if the publisher doesn't buy your book? The answer to any of these questions can either free you up from fear, or it can show where you need to work on your solutions, which in turn will open up opportunities and further ideas.
- When you're coming up with ideas and potential solutions, don't open them up for criticism until they're more formed. Criticism and the fear of criticism can be a big creativity killer, which can kill your cleverness, too. When you're out of the brainstorming stage and better able to evaluate the ideas, that's when you get feedback and take criticism.
4
Set parameters. Having problems and opportunities that are ill-defined and super vague can make it incredibly difficult to come up with punchy or creative solutions and ideas. Even if issues and things you need to deal with come to you without parameters, set some for yourself.^{[8]
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- Setting "imaginary" or "pretend" parameters can foster your ideas. For example, if you're working on a project for work pretend that you're out of money, how do you accomplish your task without it? Pretend you can't follow the rules, written or unwritten, how would you do things different? Pretend there's a fast time limit on coming up with your solution (say a 5 minute time limit)? What can you come up with in that short period of time?
- For example, Dr. Seuss wrote Green Eggs and Ham because of a challenge from his editor to come up with a full book in under 50 different words. That restriction helped him come up with one of the best known Dr. Seuss books.

Part 3

Part 3 of 3:

Continuing to Learn

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Study clever people. Don't assume that you've reached a pinnacle of cleverness. There is no such thing. You'll need to constantly be learning, and a good way to do that is to study people who you or others find to be clever.
- Ask yourself what makes them seem clever: do they have a pithy comment about everything? Are they able to come up with facts and figures on the spot? Do they present creative solutions?
- Pick out some of the biggest traits of the clever people you know or observe and incorporate them into your own work and life.
2
Keep up-to-date on world events. A lot of people who are considered to be clever, are good at keeping abreast of the latest developments in the world. They pay attention to what's happening and can talk knowledgeably (or appear to talk knowledgeably) about news and current affairs.
- try to get multiple points of view, so you aren't just getting information from one source. For example: instead of only getting news from Fox news, check out other news stations, as well. Research the information, statistics, and "facts" that each news station (on the internet, on the radio, on the t.v., in print) presents. This will give a better, more balanced view, and help you to discuss the news in a more knowledgeable way.
3
Embark on wordplay. Words and the way they act together can make you sound more clever, because words are so important to communication. Wordplay includes things like puns, cryptograms, and simply using language in a way that opens up sensory details that other people might not have noticed.
- Practice describing things in unusual ways, and focus on the aspects that people might normally ignore. For example: describing fire as like silk, or coming up with a way to describe the sound of the waves on the shore.
- Slip the occasional alliteration or pun into your words. Practice noticing them in other people's speech and pointing them out.
4
Remember information. One way to seem clever is to practice memorizing facts and information (like the "pocket facts"), so that you're able to recall them with ease. Fortunately there are techniques you can learn to make fact recall easier.^{[9]
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- Pay attention to information the first time around. Make sure that you're getting the right information. You never actually lose information (except in cases of illness or injury), so you want to make sure that the information you're putting in is actually correct.
- Write things down several times. Writing down facts or information you want to remember helps you to recall it more easily and makes it stick in your brain, in a manner of speaking. The more you practice writing something down, the easier it will be to remember.
- Choose carefully. Sherlock Holmes once said that his mind was like an attic. Instead of storing everything you come across, right or wrong, pick the facts and information that interest you and will serve you well.
- Try to put your hand up in class.

Warnings

For some reason sarcasm and the appearance of cleverness often go hand in hand. Unless you're really looking to irritate people with your "cleverness", using sarcasm is usually not the route you want to go.

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