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Grue
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07 Aug 2012, 6:31 am

I know I'm not the smartest person around but I often find that I'm the smartest person in groups. When I spout off trivia or facts and figures or correct people's grammar (something I've been working on), it tends to put people off. Or they'll come to you when they need an answer.

Should I try not making know-it-all comments and sort of making like I'm average and saying, "I don't know" to questions?



TallyMan
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07 Aug 2012, 7:25 am

Don't dumb yourself down, just avoid coming across as a smart-ass, especially regarding correcting grammar. It can also help if you ask others about things you don't know the answers to where you suspect they do. It works wonders for reciprocity. People find it reassuring if you ask them questions and boosts their self esteem too.



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07 Aug 2012, 7:57 am

You shouldn't dumb yourself down for anyone. It's in your genes to be highly intelligent and you should celebrate it. I agree about not being a smart ass about it.


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Ilka
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07 Aug 2012, 11:01 pm

You shouldnt dumb yourself down, but you shouldnt act like a walking library, either. I know the feeling. It is pretty annoying when you get more information than requested (sometimes you didnt even request the info) and suddenly the other person is talking alone. You have nothing to say. And after a while you just get tired of listening. It has happened with my Aspie husband a couple of times. He has became better with the amount of info he releases, though. I think that is the key. It is not dumb yourself down. You know you know a lot of info. You just do not need to give it all away at once. Conversation requires 2 people interchanging information. If you keep talking for more than 10 straight minutes without the other person having a chance for actually taking part in the conversation, unless you are telling a story, something is wrong.



Albirea
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07 Aug 2012, 11:16 pm

No, don't do that. Instead, when someone comes to you for help, put your answer in understandable terms that includes as little jargon as possible. It's hard for people like us to do, but it comes with practice. It's tempting to correct people's grammar, but don't do it unless they're asking you to edit a paper or something. Also, try to refrain from randomly spewing out facts. The key here is to generate a persona that is not cocky and overconfident.


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nick007
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08 Aug 2012, 12:45 am

I know this idea probably isn't very good but maybe you could find smarter people to hang with like the English teacher's best students. You wouldn't correct someone's grammar if their grammar was perfect.


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08 Aug 2012, 7:44 pm

My combination of OCD and high intelligence can get me into trouble. I usually keep my mouth shut unless someone asks me about something. Even when I dumb myself down considerably, I still come across as intelligent. However, I can come across as uninteligble to people who do not know me well because of my speech issues and my abridged answers to questions that I really did not wan't to answer.



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09 Aug 2012, 12:02 am

Adjust accordingly to whom you are talking to. It is hard at times not to come across as a know it all at times but bear in mind that others knowledge may not be as rounded as yours or as deep in you interest areas. I prefer to answer in less than two sentences if they want to know more they will ask. As to fixing spelling and grammar you have the ok to fix mine I read deep books, scientific journals but still cant spell not in the least. The only way you are reading this is because of two spell check programs!