Some good psychology in that. If you start with the most senior people, then the couple of people who are clearly officially leaders will talk and then everyone else thinks they're next in the pecking order and will trainwreck it.

If the only way to talk is to admit that you're more junior than everyone else who hasn't spoken, then you won't stick your two bob in unless you actually have something important to say.

Or the most senior people will put an idea forward and all the juniors will spend their time kissing ass and saying what a great idea it is.

It's the seniors' job to seek out criticism and lead the way to criticizing their own ideas.

Interesting, I never thought about the merits. Rome would have a very different history if they did this, I would love to know that alternative