Harnessing the Ethereal Nature of Thought: Why Giving Form to Our Thoughts Transforms Our Understanding

Picture this – you’re sitting at your desk and a long time mentor walks into the room and starts talking…at you.  A long stream of words and sentences.  She thanks you and charges out the door; she’s in a rush and has a lot on her plate.  Before you cast judgment, dear reader, note this…you have high levels of trust and respect for each other, so you accept this practice, you know what is happening because you have an agreement. 

She is organising her thoughts, deepening her understanding of a challenging experience and clarifying it for herself.  I’ve long been fascinated by the simple act of turning thought into language. Across leadership, coaching and education, I consistently see the same pattern: the moment a thought becomes spoken or written, it begins to sharpen. What was once ethereal becomes structured. What was once intuitive becomes intentional.

Expressive language doesn’t just express thought. It organises, extends and ultimately deepens it.

A compelling example of this in my professional life is the practice embodied by my colleague, Ramya, whose habit of distilling insights from conferences and professional learning into beautifully synthesised posts has become a masterclass in public thinking.

You can find her work here: (2) Ramya Deepak | LinkedIn

Why language makes our thinking better

Throughout my leadership journey, I’ve observed that the clarity I gain from speaking or writing is rarely a coincidence. It reflects a universal cognitive truth:

When we externalise our thinking, through speech, writing or dialogue, we turn ethereal ideas into something structured, testable and actionable.

The research base reinforces this:

• Speaking out loud organises thought, drawing on Vygotsky's theory of private speech and later work by Fernyhough demonstrating that vocalising forces us to expand fragmentary inner speech into full, logical ideas.

• Writing transforms thinking, with decades of studies showing that reflective and explanatory writing improves critical thinking, metacognition and conceptual depth.

• Dialogue strengthens reasoning, with Zavala and Kuhn’s work showing that imagining two sides in conversation produces deeper insight than writing a one-sided essay.

What we say and what we write literally becomes a cognitive scaffold.

Ramya as a case study in public thinking

Building on this foundation, I will come back to a real, everyday model of this phenomenon: Ramya.

Her practice of live-synthesising conference insights is so much more than note taking. It is an act of sense making. Through her writing she:

• Organises complex ideas in real time

• Identifies patterns that others miss

• Connects disparate concepts

• Makes the tacit explicit

• Deepens her own understanding by teaching it forward

Every time she posts a reflection or a summary, you can see her thinking extending, each piece more refined than the last.

This is the power of written synthesis: it serves both the writer and the community. Her practice is a living embodiment of the research: writing as a means for deeper cognition, stronger retention and more sophisticated reasoning.

How does this work?

Several key mechanisms help explain the cognitive gains we see in people like Ramya, who deliberately practice this form of cognitive synthesis:

• Externalising thought reduces cognitive load: Writing moves ideas out of working memory and onto the page, freeing mental space for analysis and insight.

• Speaking and writing trigger “mental cascades”: Articulating a thought often generates new ideas that weren’t accessible through silent thinking alone.

• Dialogue forces structure: When we engage in conversation, we naturally engage a claim–reason–evidence patterns that lead to deeper reasoning.

• Reflection strengthens executive functioning: Structured writing improves planning, metacognition and inhibitory control.

• Language reveals gaps: When we write or speak, we reveal what we don’t yet understand, creating the conditions for growth.

How leaders and thinkers can apply this

To ensure sustainable improvement in our own growth, the research points towards several practical strategies:

1. Write to learn: Turn meetings, readings or conversations into short written reflections. Even 5 minutes is enough to sharpen understanding.

2. Speak your thinking out loud: Use verbal explanation as a sense-making tool, whether with a colleague, a coach or (yes) yourself.

3. Use dialogue as a thinking strategy: Ask: What would the opposing view say? What would I say back? This forces cognitive sophistication.

4. Share your insights publicly: Follow Ramya’s lead, posting your synthesised thinking not only helps others, it cements your own.

5. Embrace iterative refinement: Return to your writing. Add to it. Edit it. Let it be a living record of your growing expertise.

The Impact: From ethereal thought to concrete understanding

Ultimately, this written synthesis of my own research and thoughts has reinforced my commitment to the belief that leadership is about influence and influence begins with clarity of thought. When we give our ideas language, spoken or written, we transform the intangible into something others can build on, respond to and grow from. 

Ramya’s practice is a reminder that writing is not the final step of thinking. It is thinking. And perhaps the real invitation for all of us is this:

Don’t wait for clarity before you write or speak. Write and speak to create clarity.

The outcome is a stronger sense of collective efficacy, a richer intellectual community and a deeper personal understanding of the work that matters most.

Would you like to engage further? Connect with this article on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/harnessing-ethereal-nature-thought-why-giving-form-our-roland-lewis-ksyrc