The Clever Bloke's Mate

I accompanied a strategist to a client meeting yesterday. He’s a clever bloke. He possesses a superior intellect, certainly superior to mine, and was able to extemporise fluently about markets for a solid hour without contradicting himself once or stuttering or filling up the time by saying erm. All observations fitted together into a coherent whole rather than shearing off into clouds of unknowing. He spoke undeviatingly, answered questions unerringly and the whole episode left me wondering just what exactly have I been doing with my last 20 years in the City to be so ignorant.