This is an excellent approach. More generally, verbalizing and discussing your process passes it through your language centers, and forces you to get specific. Your ideas may be much more vague than you realize, or perhaps you could use a 'fresh' perspective by thinking about them in verbal terms.

This has helped me in many contexts, including software development and strategy gaming.

Not to be that guy but: https://hn.algolia.com/#!/story/forever/0/rubber%20duck

Definitely been that guy: http://xkcd.com/1053/

We use this at my work, except with humans instead of rubber ducks.

One good aspect of using a human as rubber duck is that you help share knowledge - plus the human could actually have some ideas based on your own problems too.

How often can this link be posted on HN? :) There is at least one link every year and three times in last 6 month (this is 4th).

A fellow Ruby Rogues listener?

That would explain why it's getting on HN today...for the nth time :)