Speak less when you’re unsure. Speak clearly when you’re sure. Most people do the opposite.

Uncertainty tends to make people talk more, piling on words to cover the gap, while real knowledge often comes out hedged and apologetic. Both habits mislead the room. Volume gets read as confidence, so the loudest guess wins and the quiet fact gets missed. Matching how firmly you speak to how much you actually know is rarer than it sounds.

Watch yourself in one conversation this week. When you are guessing, say so and stop early. When you know something, say it in a short flat sentence without the maybe and the sort of.