"When you open it to speak, are you smart?" Usually when it comes to meetings, I keep my mouth shut. I am very articulate, but that doesn't always translate to diplomatic. So anything I may say will very likely be used against me later, even if they have to take it out of context to do it. So I stay mute.
It's a strategy that I have adopted after many years in corporate environments. Some good, some that make the Borgias look like a swell family to work for. But occaisonally, I have something to ask. Sometimes, I may even suggest something. Technological savvy is, while not exactly my specialty, is part of my dogma. So when I ask if something is on a Java platform, I'm not expecting the confused looks I get, or when I ask if we're going to put the blog on a feed, I don't expect folks to look at me like I've suddenly turned funny colors. These are smart people I'm in a room with, so I assumed they would be conversant in the details of their presentations. I didn't ask my questions to try to make anyone look dumb, or to confuse anyone. I'm sure, though, that later on down the road, this will come up in some review or whatever, that I'm mouthy and ask complicated questions.
Next time, I'm playing dumb.
