In an effort to be dispassionate I wonder if it’s also helpful to break down the critique into different subject areas: Color scheme; navigation; header; footer; typography; choice of grid; overall theme; etc?

Anyway, time to start searching for those two positives for every negative…

“Instead, they asked questions and guided discussion. They talked about the significance of design rationale, as it pertained to a bigger philosophy and vision for the design.”

Suggest this can be a really grounding experience where it becomes more of a discussion around how to meet goals to meet a product/business vision and less about widget level design and color choices. This assumes of course that the vision has been set up front It also may reduce 1-2 strong personalities taking over discussions around personal likes and dislikes.