I’d also like to suggest the ITYSIURW-response. When you are part of a discussion you have no understanding of, and someone confronts you with the notion of giving your opinion on the subject, just look at someone that the others seem to respect and say, in a sincere tone of voice, “I Think You Summed It Up Really Well”. Now you can follow up by either asking someone else to give their opinion or by making an excuse and bolting with your reputation intact.

Have you ever found yourself in a situation where you are expected to ask a question e.g. after presentations or perhaps in order to seem interested, and cannot find the question that would fit (since you really haven’t been listening that hard).haven’t

Fear no more, the ultimate question, possible to use in almost every of these situation is:

“What was the most fascinating thing that you learned?”

or

“What would suprise me the most about your job?”

etc.

With some small changes to the question it can be applied to almost every occasion where you would benefit from asking a question, and the question in itself shows that you are interested and want to learn more. Tried several times, successful every time.

Simple as that, use with care.