You can beg and plead, you can brown-nose, or maybe you can just have the “right stuff” that makes people believe you’re competent to take care of business. That’s not to say you shouldn’t still “fake it til you make it” either, because sometime we don’t necessarily feel capable, but nobody really needs to know that!

Here are just 3 simple tips that are kind of weird, but they may shorten the gap between faking capable and BEING capable:

  • Speaking Quickly: studies have actually shown other people thing fast talkers are more competent. If you’re having an argument, they say it works even better because the other person doesn’t have the time to really think about what you’re saying
  • Acting Cold or Stand-offish: researches say being a little cool makes you come off as more skilled than those who act warm and fuzzy. On top of that, one study from 2009 proved people who weren’t easy to talk to were consistently seen as more competent.
  • Asking Advice:  using reverse psychology, by asking someone else for their input, you make them feel smarter, and you can then bask in the glow of your competent-juju-vibes!

These aren’t exactly “traditional” methods for increasing your competency quotient, they even sound kind of tricky or mean, but if you do need to look capable in a hurry, these just might work!