One of my students recently shared something that perfectly demonstrates how our brains work.
She’s taking a creative writing class that she absolutely loves. Before each class, she’ll spend hours editing her work and reading it repeatedly. She’ll tweak sentences, rearrange sections and feel reasonably confident that it’s ready to go.
But something unexpected happens almost every time.
The moment she begins reading her work out loud to the class, she starts to notice awkward wording, missing transitions and ideas that aren’t as clear and cohesive as she thought they were.
Interestingly, reading it to herself doesn’t have the same effect. It’s the experience of sharing her work with others (even before anyone offers feedback) that helps her recognize what is working and what needs improvement.
This isn’t just a writing phenomenon; it’s actually supported by cognitive science.
Researchers have long studied collaborative groups that involve members sharing their own writing. (Check out this article!)
Closely related is the concept of elaborative thinking, the process of expanding on an idea, explaining it, connecting it to other concepts and organizing it into a coherent narrative.
When we try to explain an idea out loud, our brains have to work differently than when we’re silently thinking. Thoughts that seem perfectly reasonable suddenly reveal gaps when discussed with others. We notice where our logic misses a beat or where we need stronger evidence to support a claim.
In other words, speaking forces our thinking to become more organized and coherent.
This is one reason so many doctoral students feel “stuck” when working alone. They often spend hours rereading notes or endlessly editing the same paragraph, believing more time will eventually create clarity. Often, what they really need is an opportunity to articulate their ideas to others.
That’s why brainstorming conversations can be so powerful.
When I work with doctoral students, I’m not handing them dissertation topics or telling them what to write. More often, I’m asking questions.
“What interests you about that?”
“Can you give me an example?”
“Why does that matter?”
“What problem are you trying to solve?”
As students answer these questions, something remarkable happens. They begin making connections they hadn’t recognized before. They hear themselves say something and suddenly pause:
“Wait…I think that’s actually the direction I want to go.”
That moment isn’t magic. It’s their brain actively organizing information through elaboration.
This is also why I encourage students not to wait until they have the “perfect” dissertation topic before talking about it. Early ideas are meant to be messy. In fact, messy ideas are often the raw material from which excellent research questions emerge.
If you’re feeling stuck, try explaining your research interests to someone else, even if they know very little about your field.
Better yet, allow someone to ask you thoughtful follow-up questions. You may be surprised how quickly your thinking becomes clearer simply because you’ve moved your ideas from your head to your mouth.
The biggest breakthroughs don’t happen while you’re staring at a blank screen; they develop in the middle of a conversation. Sometimes we don’t truly know what we think until we hear ourselves say it.
At the risk of sounding self-promotional, this is exactly why a dissertation coach is so valuable. An effective dissertation coach serves as a consistent sounding board, helping you clarify your thinking and navigate a complex process from beginning to end.