How to Sound Like an Expert in 15 Minutes (Without Faking It)

New topics often overwhelm people, whereas 15 minutes of research can put you ahead of 95% of people. Information ensures you a head start.

Once, I was invited to a customer meeting as THE expert on a topic. I had to pitch some potential solutions. Fun fact: I wasn't an expert at all. How come?

During the preparation, I saw the slides. I didn't like them. Full of marketing fluff: promises and claims. They didn't convince me, and they wouldn't convince the customer either.

Then I did a short research - 15 minutes, got an overview, and proposed a new structure with a new outline. They like it, and I worked out the details.

Here’s the truth:
You don’t need answers to sound like an expert.
Just be ahead of the people.
Be 15 minutes ahead.
Keep increasing the gap.

You need a structure.
You need the right questions.

Here’s how to get 95% ahead of the room.

Step 1: Start With Structure, Not Content

Observe any of your next meetings. In 99% of cases, people directly start discussing. Even worse, they start with the solution mode.

But wait - you will say, Brani, don't we need solutions?

NO! You need to understand the problem first.

Imagine: It's summertime, and you have a meeting with the title "Vacation in Summer."

Beep, you enter the call, and everyone said 'Hi.' Here is what follows:

Person 1: So, we should talk about vacation. I heard Greece is nice.
Person 2: Yes, but Spain is also great. The summer and the beaches.
Person 3: Italy is also an option!
Person 1: What about the prices?
Person 3: I think they are all comparable.

This is all about content. There is no structure.

The structure of vacation is, e.g.

Vacation Type: Beach, Active vacation, Cruising, Mountains, Sports, etc.
Time: When will it take place?
Who: Family, Couples, Singles
Money: Budget?
Country: Italy, Spain, Greece, Sweden, England?
Restrictions: Food, Health, Religion

Hope that you see how odd the discussion above was. People discuss without knowing the goal.

Don’t drown in details. Start by asking: What’s the frame I’m operating in?

Structure helps you to get the problem done in minutes.

Use this structure:

• What’s the problem and what causes the problem?
• How are such problems usually structured?
• Who’s involved?
• What’s the impact if solved?
• What kind of solution is expected?
• What does “done” look like?
• What are the strategic goals?

Structure lets you filter content fast — and people love structure. It makes you sound organized when you speak.

But let's go further and deeper.

Step 2: Ask Smarter Questions, Not Faster Answers

The structure is the often-cited Big Picture or Frameworks.

Now it's time to ask more specific and detailed questions. It's time to shake the boundaries of the structure.

Here is your Expert Question Set:

• “Has anyone in our industry solved this already?”
• “How do competitors handle this?”
• "What are the core beliefs in the industry?"
• “What’s the actual pain we’re trying to remove?”
• “Which strategic goal does this problem block?”
• "On which strategic goal do we want to create an impact?"
• “What are the hidden constraints we haven’t said out loud yet?”
• “What would a terrible solution look like?” (This one’s a killer.)
• "What are the limitations or limiting dimensions?

Note: These questions could also be raised by your peers, managers, or the customer. Asking these questions and getting answers brings you ahead.

People who ask sharp questions change the conversation. And that’s how experts get recognized.

These questions are some guides and can't be complete. Now, let's add some magic with ChatGPT.

Step 3: Use GPT or Google Like a Strategist

Still struggling? First step: google. Yes, simply and straightforward. Why? Well, you will find articles. Skim them.

Note the keywords, and the structure used, like the subheadlines in the articles.

Take a look at this newsletter. The title plus the subheadlines already provide an idea.

Now, let's use this insights with ChatGPT.

Use this ChatGPT Prompt:

"I need you as a business expert in [name area]. I need you to provide a structure for the topic [name topic]. How do the keywords [keyword 1, 2, 3, ...] fit into this?

Works like a charm. Keep in mind. An expert in 15 minutes.

Prompts to Try:

• “Summarize how [industry] companies solve [problem]”
• “Biggest challenges in implementing [solution]”
• “Key trade-offs in solving [pain point] in [context]”
• “Give me questions a strategist would ask before deciding on [topic]”
• "What are the common 10 pitfalls of [topic]?"
• "What are the top 10 aspects to keep in mind about [topic]?"

Bonus 1:
Ask ChatGPT to reframe the problem from the view of:

• A CFO
• A frontline worker
• A customer
• A regulator
• Your peers
• Your managers
• Sales people
• etc.

Let ChatGPT do the work for you. DELEGATE. You are in the driver's seat.

Bonus 2:
Ask ChatGPT to provide a structure for slides:

• "Provide a structure for the slides for a customer meeting."
• "Use the discussed information about the topic above and put it in the situation, complication, and solution framework for a slide deck."

You see the magic happening in front of you. Now we have put everything together and we need to deliver it.

Step 4: Speak in Hypotheses, Not Conclusions

As you are not the expert, we shouldn't sound like one. That would be bragging and see this.

But we should sound confident and thought-leading. Small shifts in language can help:

Don’t say “I know that...” Say, “Here’s how I’d start thinking about it.” Same meaning but different feeling. Do you see and feel it?

Phrases to use:

• “Here’s what I’m seeing so far…”
• “My working theory is…”
• “I’d break this into 3 buckets…”
• “The first question I’d want to answer is…”

All examples prove thought leadership and show that you lead. But at the same time you don't pretend to be the "I know it all guy."

Small, but important difference.

Back to my story. I prepared and shared the slides. The idea was only to provide a better approach for colleagues to create a higher impact on the customer.

The team liked my approach that much that the team lead said: "Great, I think we found who will present tomorrow." The whole team agreed.

The pitch in front of the customer was great and we got a follow-up to create more business. How come?

Become an expert in 15 minutes!

I did it hundreds of times and so can you.

🔚 Summary:
Experts aren’t born — they’re just better prepared. Any topic in a meeting needs a structure. Otherwise, people start discussing about content, or what they have in mind.
Prepare a structure. Use Google to get a rough overview of keywords. Then use ChatGPT to refine. Ask smart questions to set yourself apart. This is how people start to become experts.