Gordon MacRae Blog

I used to worry about being wrong. I used to worry about saying a stupid obvious thing in a meeting. Being wrong meant social death.

I was terrified of the small smile spreading across someone’s face as I told them a fact they already knew.

Feared the patronising nod, as if to tell me and the room that what I’d just said so was obvious they had learned it in primary school and how was I only just now aware of this fact.

Over time, I realised saying the wrong thing was actually a great way to find out the right information.

Rather than ask my colleague — or anyone — a question, I noticed that it was often easier to just feign knowledge of a wrong fact. Most people can’t stand an incorrect statement to go uncorrected. So often, as they put you right, they’ll give you a torrent of erudition. You’ll get a much better answer than if you simply asked.

This is known as “Cunningham’s Law.” It’s named after Ward Cunningham, who developed much of the software that is now used in wiki-type websites (of which Wikipedia is the biggest example). Cunningham’s Law is the observation that the best way to get a good or right answer is not to ask a question; it’s to post a wrong answer.