Ideas are powerful. But any power they have has to be realised through people applying them, either in their own thoughts, or in interaction with the world or other people.
So ideas are worthless if they aren’t shared.
I agree with Jesse Stommel when he says that:
Having complex ideas that can can be communicated clearly (and playfully) to a wide audience is the epitome of academic rigor.
— Jesse Stommel (@Jessifer) February 2, 2014
Ideas need to connect with other ideas to grow and develop. Ideas can collide unexpectedly and lead to exciting and transformative results.
I don’t think that we should have to mine and labour to unearth a good idea, or to tease it out of some difficult academic prose.
The initial understanding of an idea should be simple. The challenge should be in exploring an idea’s implications, its limitations, its potential, and in applying it.
So what do I think are the attributes of a shareable idea?
A good idea is easy to understand, and portable.
Present your ideas in a concise and intelligible fashion, and in a way that can be easily shared. This will make them more powerful and useful.