We respect expertise and unusual knowledge or wisdom.
We especially respect it when we discover it through your actions and the insightfulness of your questions. RARELY do we respect knowledge when you are evidently trying to impress us with how much you know.
If you are entering into a discussion about something you know little about, it is better to be inquisitive and seek to understand and learn from the other person than to pretend you know more than you do.
Anytime you pretend to know something you do not, you risk losing trust and respect. It’s better to be silent or inquisitive. You may even profess your lack of knowledge—whether you know a little bit or nothing at all. Instead, seek to learn from the other person.
Since many people love to teach, being “ignorant” in any subject may present the opportunity to let someone else teach us. And in that process, they will respect our transparency, our self-awareness, and our honesty…all major respect builders.