If people aren’t getting a point, use smaller words or a louder voice - it’s patronizing but they won’t get that either (Robert's Rule #23)

Engineers are generally thinkers. There are those times, however, when we are certain we've thought a problem through and really don't want to be annoyed with the facts. In times like these, meetings where there are more than one point of view - meaning my (right) point of view and the (wrong) point of view everyone else has - can be difficult

In those meetings it's important that a few things occur in order for you to be successful. First, if people aren’t getting your point, you should use smaller words or a louder voice - it’s patronizing but they won’t get that either. Second, you must keep your composure. If you lose your composure, nothing else will matter, because most will dismiss you as emotional (as opposed to rational). Third, you must monitor the quality of any decisions you make in a heightened state of agitation.

Remember, you're facing a serious threat in these heated meetings, these are serious dangers. A misstep in this area is one of the most effective means of destroying any image you may have as a politically savvy team-player as well as a thought-leader.

I know it seems obvious, and you probably wouldn't believe the stories of meetings I've been in that have descended into shouting matches, or worse, into cold, dismissive, condescending, passive-aggressive olympic-quality events.We, as a member of a team, can only be our best when we not only are contributing but also recognizing how all of our teammates look up to us.

Ok, enough channeling Machiavelli's Prince.

There will be times when you are the big fish in a little pond and your teammates will look up to you as the expert. There will be many more times you will be the medium (or more likely, small) fish in a large pond and doing anything other than keeping your composure and working together to resolve the conflict will get you derisively labeled a 'big fish'. So, keep the rule if people aren’t getting a point, use smaller words or a louder voice - it’s patronizing but they won’t get that either (Robert's Rule #23) in mind as well as keeping in mind that the rule that is really an anti-pattern, unless you really want to be a 'big fish'.