The Importance of Research

"What.  Is your name?"
"Arthur, King of the Britons."
"What.  Is your quest?"
"I seek the Grail."
"What.  Is the air-speed velocity of an unladen swallow?"
"Is that African or European?"
"What?  I...I don't know tha---!?!"

If you've seen Monty Python and the Holy Grail, you remember this exchange.  Graham Chapman (as Arthur) defeats the bridge keeper by stumping him with his own question.  How embarrassing!  With a little extra time and research, this situation could have been avoided, entirely.  If the Bridge Keeper had just used Google, he would have found out the answer for both species.

But, what do swallows have to do with you?  Simple, my friend.  As Arthur states to Bedivere (who is impressed by his knowledge of swallows), "One must know such things when one is King."  And one must know such things when one is speaking.  Especially if one is a manager conducting a meeting.  In fact, one should have--or, at least appear to have--all the answers hidden neatly within one's pocket.  To give such an appearance, one must be a researcher.

And I don't mean Wikipedia.

Use more reliable sources, such as trade magazines, journals, industry-specific websites.  In fact, it may behoove the manager to invest in a library card (I hear they're free in most places) and become intimately familiar with their reference area.  It is always better to know "too much" information about your topic than not enough.  That way, if someone asks you the question, "When did they lay down the law?" you can answer with authority.