[lj3]

I worked with somebody like that once. He would get massively frustrated because he needed that back and forth to think through ideas and I was giving him nothing. I would get frustrated because I had to digest information before I could say anything about it and he wouldn't stop talking long enough for that to happen.

I had a lot of success with asking him if I could think about the problem and we could schedule a meeting in half an hour or so. He was much happier with that result because I had thought through the problem and was now able to give him the back and forth he needed. I was also much happier because I was no longer expected to come up with insight on problems I had no time to chew on.

[fian]

I am often both requesting and receiving verbal problems related to the software I maintain (an Engineering simulation and analysis tool). When receiving a problem verbally is to slow the other person down by challenging any assumptions they may be making. By asking them to clarify it allows me to build a mental model of the problem before at a sustainable pace and also helps them identify a bad assumption they may be making.

When I am asking someone else to be the rubber duck I strive to highlight any assumptions I am making at each step of defining the problem. If I don't do this the other person will usually struggle to keep up.