There's a gap between how you naturally think in a meeting and how executives operate in one, and closing it comes down to three habits you can actually practice, not a personality transplant.
Most people below the executive level handle a room above their usual level one of two ways: they stay quiet, or they speak up in a way that reads as junior, restating what's already been said, or naming a problem with no next step attached. Neither builds the kind of presence that gets you invited back.
A: Add value, not volume
Before you speak, ask yourself: "Would someone other than me be bothered if I didn't say this?" If the answer is no, don't say it. Silence reads better than a comment that just fills space.
C: Challenge constructively
Pointing out why an idea is flawed kills it. Asking "what would need to be true for this to work?" pushes it somewhere. Those are two different conversations, and executives default to the second one.
T: Think in solutions, not obstacles
Ask "how" instead of "why not." Executives assume a way exists and go looking for it. Leading with the reason something can't happen reads as junior, even when you're right.
Try this
Write "ACT" somewhere you'll actually see it before your next meeting above your usual level. Run through it as an actual pre-meeting checklist, not a motivational poster.