Lately I have been talking out loud. This is usually just in my head. I find that this allows me to organise my thoughts, or determine what I would say later in a particular situation, such as anticipating problems. My daughter caught me doing this. I told her sometimes this helps me practice for lets say an upcoming interview. However, there are a few times I do this for no reason at all. So far, my imaginary person does not say anything real back to me. I understand what they are only part of my imagination. They are not real.