dlhoule said:
One of the things I always warn my coworkers and management about is that when I am rattling this stuff off, I really sound like I am speaking from sure knowledge and with authority. This makes it really easy for an almost knowledgable person to have absolute trust in what I am saying - and that is really dangerous. A truly knowledgable person would eventually question me on stuff that sounded odd.
The point: "Beware of those who (whom?) rattle off - for they may be off." And, " Those who sound most knowledgable are the most dangereous - they are the easiest for us to have unquestioning believe."
A well placed, non-confrontational, "I'm not clear on this. Do you have any references I can read?" really helps me. If they have references, then I read. If no, then that is a flag that this is likely opinion or anecdotal - neither of which is suitable as a standard or a guide.
JAPOWB