Being the only one who disagrees is uncomfortable. Sometimes it’s the only reason the room doesn’t make a mistake.

Agreement feels good and spreads fast, which is exactly how a room talks itself into something nobody actually checked. Once two people nod, the third nods faster, and the longer that runs the more it costs to interrupt. The holdout is not being difficult. They are often the only error check the group has, and the discomfort they feel is the price of that job.

When you are the one who disagrees, put it as a question rather than a verdict. Ask what happens if the group is wrong about the one assumption everything rests on, then let people answer.