How to Impress a Smart Guy

Dress well.

Your appearance says a lot about you. If you’re dressing to impress, make sure you’re wearing clean, well-fitting clothes that flatter your body. Run a brush through your hair and make sure your breath smells good before you approach a smart guy to start talking. There’s no need to dress up in professional clothing if you’re in a casual setting. However, even casual clothes can look clean and polished!

Start the conversation.

Smart guys appreciate it when you’re bold. Instead of waiting for a guy to approach you, head over to him and say hello. You don’t have to have a crazy opening line, but you can ask about his day or how he’s doing. Try something like: “Hi, I’m Anthony.” “Hey, how are you doing tonight?” “Hi, I like your tie.”

Ask him about his interests.

You could talk about his work or his hobbies. Try to show a genuine interest in what he does so he knows you’re really invested in him. Go for detailed questions that show you want to learn about his life. Try things like: “What do you do for work?” “What does a typical work day look like for you?” “What do you like to do for fun?”

Listen to him talk.

Make eye contact and nod so he knows you’re really hearing him. You could even say things like “uh-huh” and “hmm” to show you understand what’s going on. Try not to look away or glance around the room, or he might think you’re not interested. You could also rephrase what he just said in your own words to show that you’re understanding. Start with “So what you’re saying is…”

Ask follow-up questions.

Let him know that you want to hear more about him. A lot of smart guys are used to people telling them to stop talking, so getting some encouragement will be a nice change. Ask specific questions that relate to what he’s saying, like: “Could you tell me more about that?” “Wow! So what did you do next?” “Interesting. Do you enjoy what you do?”

Give him sincere compliments.

If he says something cool, tell him about it. Maybe you’re impressed by his credentials, or maybe he just told you a really funny story. Stay away from the physical stuff for now, and try things like: “Wow, 2 degrees in only 3 years? I’m impressed.” “You have such a way with words. No one makes me laugh like this!”

Remember small details.

Bring up things he said earlier to show that you remember them. For instance, if you two are talking about his job, you might mention how that ties into his degree that he told you about earlier. Make a note in your head about the small details of his life to show him that you’re interested. You might say something like, “It’s cool that you work in engineering now, even though you majored in biology. How’d you make that switch?” Or, “You grew up in Chicago, right? I bet you’re used to the snow here, then.”

Ask him questions if you’re confused.

He’ll probably be happy to clarify anything you don’t understand. If you two are chatting and he brings up something you don’t know about, ask him about it! It will be a nice conversation topic that you two can chat about for a while. For instance, you might say, “Oh, I’ve never heard of that before.” Or, “I know I’ve heard that name, but I’m blanking on what that is. Remind me?”

Talk about things you’re interested in.

Wow him with a few things you know a lot about. It could be your work, your hobbies, or just something you really like to talk about. Don’t worry if your interests don’t align exactly—he’ll be impressed if you can talk in depth about almost anything. For instance, maybe you’re super into literature and you can talk about which classic novels you love (or hate). Or, maybe you really like art and you can tell him a little bit about the art world.

Tell him what you do in your free time.

Smart guys love to hear about productive time off. If you do cool stuff in your free time, tell him about it! Maybe you do art, or you take college classes, or you have a fun hobby that you love. It’s always a good idea to relax, too, but save talking about your chill time for later. If you want to impress him, go all in with the cool stuff you do after work or school.

Talk about your intelligent friends.

You can tell a lot about someone by who they hang out with. If you have any friends who are pretty smart, mention who they are and what they do. Keep the names of your partying friends to yourself, at least for now. For example, you might say, “Oh, you lived in D.C.? That’s so cool—my friend Jessica lives there now; she’s a paralegal.” Or, “My friend Jeff used to work in engineering, too. He switched career paths and he’s now an accountant.”

Tell him about your accomplishments.

Wow him with all the cool stuff you’ve done in your life. Try not to brag or talk for too long about them, but feel free to let him know how smart you are, too. Tell him about awards, certificates, and titles you’ve gotten by using your intelligence. You could also talk about your future goals and what you plan to do next. Try to work this into conversation so it doesn’t feel forced. For instance, if you two are talking about traveling, you could mention how you traveled out of state to go talk at a conference.