I know what you're thinking: This sounds like a terrible idea. In a setting where your goal is to show how capable you are, why would you ever want to downplay your brilliance¹?

笔者知道你是怎么想的：这听起来一点都不靠谱。在一个可以把个人特长表露无遗的机会下，谁还会想要一声不吭地保持低调呢？

Because it can help you navigate² challenging situations — and actually preserve your shining reputation. If you're looking to push back against the status quo, build inroads with an angry client or co-worker, diplomatically disagree with someone, or stay out of office politics, playing dumb (OK, confused) is the way to go. Read on to learn how it works.

因为这样做可以帮助你应对各种挑战——实际上还能保持你良好的形象。如果你不安于现状，惹毛客户或同事，与别人针锋相对，或远离办公室政治，那么你就应该装聋作哑（好吧，有点迷惑）。看看下面的内容是怎么说的。

1.If you see an area for improvement

1. 如果你看到了发展的空间。

As a newbie, your first couple of weeks on the job are the perfect time to mention that something brand new — and inefficient³ — doesn't quite make sense to you. Your unfamiliarity⁴ is an in to discuss other ways you've seen similar tasks accomplished⁵, as well as parts of the process that seem counterintuitive.

作为一名职场菜鸟，开始工作的几周是谈论全新事物或低效工作的最佳时期，不过对你来说其实是毫无用处的。你在这里的陌生感只能谈论你所见识到的相似任务，以及这个过程看起来有点不符合常理。

While you can't play that card once you've been somewhere for months or years, you can always ask for more information. In other words, if your boss doesn't usually take too kindly⁶ to, "Let's change this," skip that approach. Instead try, "In our next meeting, could you walk me through the thinking behind [a certain process]? It would help me [sell our product/work collaboratively/train someone new] if I had a better understanding of the [context/details]."

当你已经在公司里呆上好一段时间了，不能再使用这个方法的时候，你可以多作询问。也就是说，你的老板总不会友善回应你的“让我们改变现状吧！”的说法。直接忽略这一步，而是，“下一次会议的时候，请问您能否给我解释这个流程的原理。这能够帮助我（出售产品/团队合作/培训新人），如果我更好地理解这些（背景知识/细节）的话。”

You've tied learning more to doing your job better, so it's likely your boss will oblige. Then, when you are discussing the particulars of how a certain process works, ask the occasional, "Have we considered [this innovation]?"

你为了更好地完成任务而主动去学习更多，所以你的老板是很乐意为你解答的。接下来，当你们在讨论具体流程的操作步骤时，你可以不时地问：“我们是否考虑过（这个新方法）呢？”

Another possible outcome: Once your boss walks you through the details, maybe you'll understand the why and no longer see the need to make improvements.

另外一个可能的结果：当你的老板为你解释了所有的细节，可能你就了解了其中的道理却再也没有想要获得进步的动力了。

2.If you're dealing⁷ with a difficult person

2. 与难相处的人相处

Feigning⁸ naiveté is also a great way to approach difficult personalities⁹. Let's say you're told that a certain colleague or stakeholder is known for being abrasive¹⁰. You could go into your first meeting with this person planning to be especially patronizing (or confrontational¹¹), or you could pretend that you had never heard he was difficult. When a co-worker says, "Oh, well you know George is the worst," you respond, "Really? I hadn't heard that." Then you enter the meeting truly acting¹² like you've never heard that before.

假装天真也是一个处理复杂人际关系的很好的方法。假如有人告诉你某位同事或客户很难相处，你可以在初次见面的时候就想象对方自视过高（或对抗挑衅），或者你还可以假装你从不知道对方难相处这件事。当一位同事说。“噢，你知道吗，George最难搞了。”你的回答是，“是吗？我还没听说过呢。”然后你就在会面的时候表现得你真的从未听过这个说法一样。

Now, who do think is more likely to build inroads with George?

那么，现在谁才是真正跟George相处不好的人呢？

This approach is good for other common workplace annoyances¹³. With the co-worker who takes credit for your work, you can try, "I had no idea we were on the exact same page about X. Great minds think alike!" With the manager who always assigns you projects on Friday at 4 PM, you can try, "I looked back through my project list and couldn't find this anywhere. Did I miss something during our check-in?"

这个方法对普遍的职场困扰很有效。如果你的同事称赞你的工作，你可以这么说：“我还真的不知道我们对这件事的看法是一样的！英雄所见略同啊！”如果你的上司常常在周五安排你工作到很晚，你可以这么说，“我再次通篇浏览了我的工作任务表，但我实在找不到这件事情，不知道是不是在我们讨论的时候我遗漏了呢？”

These responses allow you to address the situation without being confrontational. Ironically, the subtext of these lines is, "I know exactly what's going on here," and that can make the difference in how these people treat you in the future.

这些回应能够帮助你处理情况，也免于与对方的针锋相对。有趣的是，这些话的潜台词是：“我很清楚发生什么事情。”这能够让别人对待你的方式上有很大的差别。

3.If you disagree

3. 如果你不赞同。

Picture this: A teammate — or worse, your boss — suggests the worst idea you've ever heard. "That's a terrible idea" isn't going to win you any congeniality awards, and it will probably make the other person defensive¹⁴.

想象一下：一名团队伙伴——或更甚，你的老板，说出了一个你认为是最糟糕的想法。“这个想法很糟糕”这句话不会让你们的合作关系更进一步，反而让别人对你产生敌意。

If there are red flags jumping out at you, odds¹⁵ are they may be in your colleague's blind spot (or, the overwhelming benefits aren't yet clear to you). So, before you launch into a counter-attack, ask for clarification.

如果你发现了有危险的信号，有可能是你的同事存在认知盲点（或者你还没意识到大多数的好处）。所以，在你准备反驳的时候，先请求对方把观点说明白。

Try: "I'm not quite sure I understand what you're saying. Could you explain it differently?" Asking someone to explain her point in a new way should bring additional information to light. Of course, she'll be more likely to walk through her thinking if you choose the non-confrontational, "I'm not sure I get it..." over the arrogant¹⁶: "I'm not sure I understand how this would work, given these five things I've already considered as well as their possible repercussions¹⁷."

尝试这样：“我不太理解你所说的观点，能否换个说法解释一下？”请求对方用新的角度解释她的观点这样能够给予你更多新信息。当然，对方更乐意因为你的非对抗性的询问方式给你解释，比如“我不太明白......”而不是“我看不出来这个方法怎么能行，我早已考虑了这些因素以及它们的反作用。”

4.If you're trying to avoid office politics

4. 如果你想逃离办公室政治。

Repeat after me: "I must've missed that." Now, imagine a co-worker stops by your cubicle¹⁸ to ask your opinion on nasty words exchanged in a meeting, someone being passed over for a project, or some other salacious news.

请跟我说：“我想我肯定错过了。”现在，想象一下一位同事在你的小隔间旁边，用粗言秽语询问你对会议，别人在任务上的失误，或者其他不雅的新闻的观点。

Maybe you're the sort of person who can craft a diplomatic response on the spot (in which case, rock on!). But for the rest of us, the best bet is often not to get involved. And if you go with "no comment" or "I'd rather not that discuss that," you may be seen as stiff or judgmental. With, "I must have missed that," you manage to remove yourself without taking sides.

也许你是懂得描绘外交说法的人。但是很多人，通常都认为事不关己才是王道。如果你说“没有想法”或“我不想讨论这件事”，你就会看起来呆板又主观。如果你说，“我猜我肯定错过这件事了”，这样你就可以把自己的位置拉到中庸的地方。

Some people think the office is the place to be all power, all brilliance, all the time. And while you should strive to make a powerful and brilliant impression, an occasional question or clarification won't discount your abilities — but it may help you squeeze through a tricky¹⁹ situation with your reputation intact.

有些人认为办公室应该总是充满权力，形象光辉的地方。而当你努力成为一名有权力，形象光辉的人的时候，偶尔的一个问题或声明不会给你的能力打折扣，甚至会帮助你灵活应对微妙的情况还能保持完整的名誉形象。