What's your best trick for surviving an uncomfortable meeting in the workplace?

You’re called to a meeting, and you know that
•  somebody’s going to be in the hot seat, or
•  the status updates are going to displease the presiding manager, or
•  a painful project decision is going to be made, or
•  some kind of unpleasant news is coming down.

How do you get out of this meeting alive and without having to take unfair heat or swallow blame or walk away with too many new action items?

What has your experience taught you to do to protect your hide in a meeting like that?

And no, you can’t skip the meeting.