The Spoken Outline: How to Develop an Idea Before You Write

Most projects don't fail at the end. They fail at the very beginning before they are even projects. They are just fragile ideas and they die when they meet the blank page.

The blank page is intimidating because it demands structure. It asks for a plan. So you try to write an outline and find you have nothing to say. The idea that felt so clear in your head evaporates when you try to pin it down with bullet points. The problem isn't the idea. The problem is the tool. You're trying to build the second floor before you've laid the foundation.

There is a step that comes before the outline. I call it the spoken outline. It is the process of talking an idea into existence. It is messy unstructured and far more productive than staring at a blinking cursor.

The Real First Draft

We think of a first draft as something you write. But the real first draft happens in your mind. It is the jumble of thoughts connections and questions that surround a new idea. The goal is not to organize this chaos immediately. The goal is to get it out.

Speaking is the fastest way to do this. When you talk about an idea you are not constrained by grammar or formatting. You can jump from one point to another. You can repeat yourself. You can follow a tangent and see where it leads. This is not a bug. It is the entire point. You are exploring the shape of the idea in real time.

By speaking you give the idea room to breathe. An outline forces it into a rigid structure too early. Talking lets you discover the structure that is already there. All good ideas have a natural narrative arc and the best way to find it is to tell it like a story.

Why Speaking Works Better

There are a few reasons why talking is a better tool for early idea development than writing.

First it has almost zero friction. The gap between thought and speech is much smaller than the gap between thought and typed text. We are natural storytellers. We explain things to people all day. Using an audio journal leverages a skill you already have. This is how you can catch ideas before they disappear but it is also how you grow them.

Second you can't lie to yourself when you speak. When you write you can use fancy words to cover up a weak point in your argument. When you speak and you get to a part you don't fully understand you will hear yourself hesitate. You will stumble. You will use vague words because you lack specific ones. These are signals. They are pointing directly to the parts of your idea that need more thought. It's like having an argument with yourself to find the flaws before anyone else does. You can read more about that here https://journalofme.com/blog/best_way_win_argument_with_yourself_first.

Third it reveals what is actually interesting. When you talk about a new project you'll notice your energy rises when you discuss certain parts. You will speak faster. Your tone will change. Those are the parts that have heat. That is the core of the idea. An outline treats all points as equal but they are not. Your voice will tell you which ones matter.

A Practical Guide

This process is simple. You don't need a special framework. You just need to start talking.

Open a new audio note. Start with a simple question. What am I trying to figure out with this project? Who is this for? What is the single most important point I want to make?

Then just talk. Don't perform. Imagine you are explaining the idea to a smart friend over coffee. Ramble. Go off on tangents. If you get stuck just describe what you are stuck on. The goal for the first session is not a coherent presentation. The goal is raw material.

Maybe you do this two or three times over a few days. You are not trying to record the same speech perfectly. You are trying to explain the idea fresh each time. You will notice that your explanation gets a little clearer with each attempt. The story starts to tell itself.

What do you do with these recordings? You might not need to do anything. The primary benefit comes from the act of speaking not listening. The process of verbalization will have already organized the idea in your head. When you finally turn to the blank page you will not be starting from zero. You will be starting with a well-formed mental model of your argument.

If you do listen back don't try to transcribe everything. Just listen for the key phrases the main turning points and the moments of high energy. Jot those down. That is your outline. And it's an outline built from the natural flow of the idea not one forced upon it.

The spoken outline isn't about avoiding work. It's about doing the right work at the right time. It is the soil preparation that has to happen before you can plant any seeds. It turns the terrifying blank page into a simple container for an idea that already feels real.

Try talking through one of your own ideas using the prompt below.