Why Your Ideas Aren’t Ready (Yet) – The Secret Process of Idea Development #348

In this episode of SuperCreativity, James Taylor takes you behind the scenes of idea development—how a simple spark evolves into a fully formed concept ready for the world. He reveals the five levels of an idea, from the sacred space of initial inspiration to the big stage where it impacts audiences. If you've ever wondered why some ideas thrive while others fade, this framework will help you refine and stress-test your creative thinking.

Listen in as James shares personal insights, real-life examples, and actionable steps to help you nurture your best ideas before you share them with the world.

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Show Notes

• James Taylor shares the five levels of an idea and why great ideas don’t arrive fully formed.
• The importance of the sacred space (Level 5) and why ideas need time before being shared.
• How trusted conversations (Level 4) refine and strengthen a concept.
• The dinner party test (Level 3) and why social settings are perfect for stress-testing ideas.
• The power of public experimentation (Level 2) using short-form videos and posts.
• Final stage (Level 1): Bringing the idea to the world through keynotes, books, and major content pieces.
• Why most people share their ideas too early and how to avoid that mistake.

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Key Takeaways

1. Great ideas evolve through levels—they don’t appear fully formed.
2. The best ideas start in solitude (sacred space) before they are shared.
3. Early conversations refine raw ideas before public testing.
4. Social settings provide real-time feedback to improve clarity and resonance.
5. Short-form content is a powerful testing ground before presenting an idea on stage.
6. Rushing an idea too soon can lead to wasted potential—let it go through its levels first.

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Timestamps

• 00:00 – Introduction: How ideas actually develop
• 02:15 – The spark: Level 5 (Sacred Space)
• 05:30 – Testing in private: Level 4 (Inner Circle)
• 08:45 – The social test: Level

Episode Transcript

(00:09):
Welcome to the show.
I'm James Taylor, keynote speaker on creativity, innovation, and artificial intelligence.
And in today's episode, I want to take you behind the scenes of how an idea actuallydevelops.
And that first flicker of inspiration to the moment is ready for the world.
Last week, I was speaking in Manila in the Philippines at the Leadership Summit for SMSupermalls to owners and operators of 95 shopping malls in the Philippines and China.

(00:33):
And in that speech, I shared a story and concept to help the leaders in the room implementAI in the organization.
In today's episode, I thought I'd take you through the process of how that story wascreated from spark to stage, because here's the thing.
Ideas don't arrive fully formed.
They go through layers, stages, what I like to call the five levels of an idea.
And if you want to be more effective as a creator, an innovator, a leader, understandingthese levels will help you shape your best ideas before sharing them with the world.

(01:02):
So level five is what I call the sacred space where ideas begin.
Every great idea starts in the quiet, before the brainstorming sessions, before theconversations, before the keynote stage.
There's a moment of stillness where an idea first appears.
I like to think of this as level five, the sacred space.
For me, it often happens when I'm on a flight or I'm going out for a walk or in the earlyhours in the morning when my mind is more clear.

(01:28):
It's that deep personal moment where something clicks and I think, hmm, there's somethinghere.
Now, most ideas never make it past this stage, and that's okay.
Not every idea needs to be shared, but the ones that do, they start their journey here,below the choppy waves of daily distractions.
Level four, testing the waters, conversations in safe spaces.

(01:51):
Once an idea has sat with me for a while, I take it to level four, the inner circle.
This is where I share it with just a two or.
three people I trust.
Maybe my partner, a close friend, or mentor.
It's a safe space where I can explore the idea without judgment, refine my thinking, andstart shaping it into something more tangible.
For example, a few months ago, I had the spark of an idea around exnovation versusinnovation.

(02:13):
The idea that sometimes the best way to innovate is to actively stop doing certain things.
It was just a passing thought at first, but I mentioned it to my wife and we talked aboutit over coffee.
She asked me some great questions which...
helped me see angles I hadn't considered before.
Level three, social testing, the dinner party effect.
Once an idea had been refined in private conversations, it's ready for level three, thesocial test.

(02:38):
This is where I bring up in a casual setting, like a dinner party, a mastermind group, ora conversation with a fellow speaker, or speaker bureau, or a creative.
In a way, it's a way of testing the waters with a slightly broader audience.
A few weeks after first thinking about exnovation, I mentioned it over dinner with somefriends and some of them immediately latched onto it, adding their own thoughts and
stories while others weren't entirely convinced.

(03:00):
And that's exactly what I wanted.
Their reaction helped me shape the concept, making it clearer and more compelling.
Level two, public experimentation, video posts, short form content.
By this stage, the idea has been shaped and refined through different conversations.
I'm ready to take it to level two.
the public experiment.

(03:20):
This is where I test the idea in a more structured way, maybe in a short form video, ablog post, a social media post.
In this case, I filmed a quick video about exnovation while I was on the road.
I'll put that link here.
Nothing fancy about it, just a way to put the idea out there, see how it resonated.
And sure enough, the comments and feedback helped me refine it even further.

(03:40):
And then level one, the big stage, ready for the world.
Finally, an idea reaches level one, the stage.
By now, the idea has been stress tested, refined, packaged into something strong enough tostand on its own.
This is where it becomes a full keynote story, a published article or part of a book.
Last week when I was speaking in Manila, I included the Exnovation concept in my keynote.

(04:02):
It evolved from a vague thought into a fully developed two minute story that resonatedwith the audience.
It got laughs, nods of recognition and follow up questions afterwards.
All signs that the idea had landed.
Now, why does this matter to you, really?
Because too often, we try to rush into sharing our ideas at level one before they've gonethrough the deeper levels of refinement.

(04:25):
You post half-baked thoughts online, you pitch untested concepts and meetings, or youlaunch ideas before they're fully ready.
Great ideas need time to develop.
You need to go through these levels, these layers, to become their best version.
So next time you have an idea, ask yourself, is it still at level five, the sacred space?
If so, give it time.
Who can I share it with at level four to refine it?

(04:46):
How can I test it socially at level three?
Can I experiment with it at level two before taking it out into the world?
By following these steps, you'll not only develop stronger ideas, but you'll also increaseyour chances of real impact when you finally bring them to life.
That's it for today's episode.
If you found this useful, do me a favor, share it with someone who's perhaps working on anidea right now.

(05:09):
And if you want more insights on creativity, innovation, and artificial intelligence, makesure to subscribe and check out my latest speaking topics at jamestaylor.me.
Until next time, stay creative.