Wes Kao argues that kicking off sentences—or verbal points—with clear signposting phrases slashes the mental effort readers put in. Instead of burying your main idea mid-sentence (“Our quarterly goals require X, Y, and Z”), lead with it: “Here are our quarterly goals: X, Y, and Z.” That upfront cue tells people exactly what to expect, so they don’t scramble for the key point as they read or listen. He’s trained himself to start this way by default, and he finds it boosts comprehension whether you’re drafting a memo or speaking in a meeting. He warns against mistaking headers and subheads for true signposting. Yes, toggles and bullets help organize—but if your logic is weak, tidy formatting won’t save you. Instead, weave signposting language into your prose and speech: “The biggest takeaway is…,” “What matters here is…,” “First… Second… Finally…” Wes even crowdsourced favorite phrases on LinkedIn, showing which ones snap attention back in. To turn this principle into habit, Wes offers three exercises: 1) Revisit your last long memo and insert signposting words to improve flow. 2) Think back to a presentation where your audience got lost—how could “The reason this matters is…” have guided them? 3) Ahead of your next complex meeting, list the signposting phrases you’ll use to structure your remarks. Beyond this lesson, Wes mentions his May cohort of Executive Communication & Influence is already 75% full, with students from Netflix, Stripe, Meta, Amazon, PayPal, DoorDash and more. Mid-career operators in tech can also sign up for one-to-one coaching.