oh dear me, YES to all of this. my husband and i were talking about the "obvious answer" thing a few months ago - it's still happening to him at his work. sometimes he doesn't speak up in meetings because he assumes the higher-ups have previously rejected the solution he sees so clearly.
My approach at work is different, and it causes me PTSD to this very day. If we're discussing the issue, and there's an obvious answer, then it's obvious to me that the obvious answer has been overlooked. But I've gotten in a lot of trouble for "interrupting," because apparently wasting a lot of time is the real reason for meetings. So now I'm stuck waiting around for others to eventually come to the obvious answer, occasionally poking the conversation if it's headed in the wrong direction.
I'll also sit in on meetings where someone will start to air a "concern" that is completely irrelevant. I have to sit still and listen to Chicken Little wax on for however long is necessary (and for others to chime in with their support as they like) before I'm allowed to say why it's not a concern.
Then there are the people who like to repeat themselves.
Or the ones who need to hear things repeated over and over.
Or the ones who missed what was said because they were too busy playing with their iPhones.
Now that I think about it, the drudgery of elementary school was good preparation for the drudgery of IT meetings.
