It’s strange how rarely we talk about talking when it comes to scholarly work. We talk about writing, yes. We deeply value reading, of course. Even “thinking” gets its fair share of reverence. But we seem to forget that conversations - not just ones in journal articles and books - are crucial for identifying which ideas are worth looking into and, ultimately, researching. And yet, some of the most generative moments in research begin in dialogue: an idea spoken out loud before it’s fully formed, a question that has far more value in its asking than in its answer, and even those pauses and hesitations that gesture toward something not yet said. ‘Thinking in the open’, as my PhD supervisor once put it, means letting go of the need to be polished or certain. It means sharing half-formed thoughts, inviting feedback, and listening closely. It is by paying attention to those ‘in-between’ moments that we can find the beginning of new ideas. I’ve always been ‘that’ person who asks for per...