Do you “talk to think” or “think to talk”?

That is, do you think out loud, or do you wait till your thoughts are fully formed before speaking?

I was recently introduced to this idea by a dear friend. It was, to me, a totally new way of thinking about talking and taking up space. This article gives a brief rundown on the distinction between the two approaches.

I’m a talk-to-thinker. I often vomit half-formed thoughts in an attempt to make sense of things, coming back around to piece together all the dribs and drabs of word-vomit to form a coherent idea (if I’m lucky). In the back of my mind, I’d always been aware that I was doing that, but I had never been able to express to anyone else how it worked for me.

In this new all-video-conference-all-the-time world, it’s more important than ever to think carefully about how you’re taking up or providing space for others to participate in discussions in the ways that work for them.