I've learned that if you want to be heard, you have to speak faster and louder—which is why I now sound like a man trying to sell mattresses at a county fair. The irony is that the moment I adopt this strategy, everyone suddenly acts wounded that I'm "so aggressive." Apparently there's a narrow window of volume between inaudible and tyranny, and I'm yet to find it. I've started timing my contributions like a NASA launch sequence: wait for the exact three-second gap, hit the talkback button, and pray nobody's already decided it's their turn to discuss their dog's dental work.