“I don’t know” is one of the most honest things a smart person can say.

The pressure to have an answer is strongest on people who are used to having one. Admitting you do not know costs a little status in the moment and buys something better: the conversation can now go somewhere real, and whoever actually knows gets to speak. Confident guessing, by contrast, spreads quietly and gets repeated by people who trust you.

Use the three words once this week in a room where you would normally bluff. Follow them with a question rather than a shrug. You will notice the sharpest people present do the same thing without embarrassment.