Build on the Last Point

The fastest way into a conversation is not a fresh idea. It is building on someone else's. Wait for a point you can extend, then connect to it by name: "Adding to what Priya said, the same risk shows up in onboarding."

This does two things at once. It signals you were listening, which buys you goodwill, and it ties your contribution to one already on the table, so the room treats it as part of the decision instead of a tangent.

You do not need the smartest thing in the room. You need to be the person who moves the discussion one step forward while crediting the people around you.