Too often we assume we know, or we pretend we know something, because we don’t want to look stupid. Columbo, the character from a famous detective series in the ’70s by the same name, had an amazing ability to ask questions. When investigating a case, he would ask questions in a way that appeared like he didn’t know or understand what was going on. It was disarming and actually a little sneaky. We don’t need to be sneaky; we just need to turn off what we think we know and see what happens. It will be disarming for those around you.
By telling yourself “I don’t know,” you are more likely to be curious and ask more questions. I worked with someone who would start by saying “I’m just curious,” which he was. Because he was genuinely curious, I found our conversations far more engaging.