Sometimes saying nothing is better than saying something that you may later regret. Most of us have been there; we have something to say, we believe it is important, and our ego can't wait so we have to get it out there.
Recent research tells us that decisions made during meetings aren't always the best decisions because the discussion focuses more on who has the better argument rather than the actual facts.
I am sure that we have all been in meetings where we have argued a point, not because we thought it was a good one, but because we made it. Our ego got in the way. The next thing that you find is that you are arguing for a point that you don't even believe in.
Watching people as I love to do, I have found that the most sensible people with a credible argument are those who wait. They listen, they nod, they wait, and then they say something that makes great sense. Not because they waited to hear all sides of the discussion but because it was only at that point that they had something valid to say.
If you want to make an impact in meetings, bite your tongue. Wait until you have something valuable to add then say it with humility. The impact is enormous.