How “Right but Useless” Words Can Hurt a Meeting

How “Right but Useless” Words Can Hurt a Meeting

We’ve all been in those meetings where someone jumps in to say something that’s technically right — maybe even eloquent — but contributes nothing new. It’s the kind of statement that sounds good, earns a few nods, but leaves the group exactly where it started.

I call this the “right but useless” phenomenon.

The Illusion of Contribution

These moments often come from people who want to look smart, not necessarily to move things forward. You can tell because the comment:

• Merely restates what someone else already said — but in fancier words.
• States an obvious truth that no one disagreed with.
• Or introduces a philosophical tangent detached from the real decision at hand.

It’s a form of showmanship — the desire to appear insightful or senior, rather than to create value.

The problem? These “performances” burn time, dilute focus, and subtly discourage more action-oriented voices from speaking up. Meetings are supposed to be accelerators of alignment and execution. Instead, they become theater.

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The Hidden Cost

Every “right but useless” statement has a hidden tax:
• Attention drift: People stop actively listening because they sense the conversation has gone meta or redundant.
• Momentum loss: The group’s energy gets interrupted by commentary instead of decision-making.
• Erosion of trust: Especially when people see that self-promotion — not problem-solving — gets airtime.

Over time, this behavior creates a culture of noise, where airtime is earned by polish, not by clarity. Junior engineers or quieter voices become reluctant to speak up, thinking they must “sound impressive” to be heard.

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The Better Alternative: Contribution Over Commentary

A healthy meeting rewards contribution, not commentary. Instead of saying something “right,” aim to say something useful:

• Clarify a decision, unblock an action, or illuminate a trade-off.
• If you agree with someone, make that support additive (“Yes, and building on that…”).
• If you summarize, make it synthesize — not paraphrase (“So the trade-off here seems to be X vs Y — are we leaning toward X?”).

The goal of every statement should be to advance clarity or decision. If it doesn’t, silence is the more respectful contribution.

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A Simple Rule

Before speaking, ask yourself:

Will what I’m about to say change the group’s understanding, confidence, or direction?

If the answer is no, then it’s just noise — even if it’s right.

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Closing Thought

Being “right” in a meeting is easy.
Being useful — that’s leadership.