If my goal is to get others to say yes it's not a discussion anymore. It's exercising power, manipulation, damage control. You name it. In such situations I am all for using emotional means - those get things done with people.
>Do you dryly put forth the facts and let the chips fall where they may?
Not "dryly", I usually have a lot of passion in finding ways to express my point clearly and convincingly. Other than that yeah, if I respect my discussion partners I will not go into condescending niceties. If I don't respect them as good arguers and just want to convince them then I roll out Dale Carnagie attitude - appeal to emotions, make them like you, make them accept your view because of it. It gets things done. It's also anti-intellectual in my view.
>unequivocally-logical suggestion may well be the only viable way out of a situation?
If I am sure (or arrogant) enough to think that my view is the only acceptable one then it's no longer about discussion. It's manipulation/exercising power mode.
>Do you ever have to build consensus amongst a team of smart, driven people who may not all be Turing-complete automatons?
If they are smart I assume I don't have monopoly for truth so I would avoid means appealing to emotions as far as I could. Maybe after all I am wrong and I don't want them to be more likely to accept my view because I am nice. If I am arrogant enough to think they are smart but I am smarter and my goal is to convince them then again - let Dale Carnagie guide me.
Don't get me wrong, I appreciate showing respect. I appreciate making sure my discussion partners appreciate that I made effort to understand their view. Those matter a lot among the most rational of people. If on the other hand someone starts with: "Let me first say I've learnt a lot from you, I really appreciated your view on this that and that. I think you are smart person blablabla" and follows with stuff of this kind before getting to the point I am immediately suspicious, with time impatient and then irritated.
I think such discussion culture is counter productive. It becomes socializing/power struggle - the merits of the argument takes secondrary position. It becomes important who is nice, who is liked, who is charismatic, who is good at invoking positive emotions. I don't want that anywhere where merits matter.