[Fundamentals] Signposting: How to reduce cognitive load for your reader
👋 Hey, it’s Wes. Welcome to my bi-weekly newsletter on managing up, leading teams, and standing out as a high performer. Check out my intensive course on Executive Communication & Influence. You’ll learn alongside mid-career operators from Netflix, Stripe, Meta, Figma, Anthropic, etc. → Join the May 2026 cohort
⛑️ If you’re looking to dramatically improve your communication and leadership, learn more about 1:1 coaching.
Read time: 3 minutes
Fundamentals is a new series that highlights my core concepts in communication that I personally keep coming back to.
This week’s fundamental principle:
Updated thoughts
Since writing this, I’ve realized that starting a sentence with a signposting phrase is even more useful than I thought. I didn’t realize how I had trained myself to speak and write this way because it’s become my default. Basically, when you start with a signposting phrase, you’re giving your reader a preview of what’s to come.
^ This is why kicking off a sentence with “The most important part to keep in mind is [this piece of info]” is infinitely easier to skim, than “[This piece of info] is the most important part to keep in mind.” If you start with “this piece of info,” your reader doesn’t know what to focus on until the back half of your sentence.
I wrote signposting with written communication in mind, but it’s just as effective for verbal communication. It might actually be even MORE useful with verbal communication because your listener can’t read ahead. They have to listen to you reveal one word at a time.
^ For example, I love when I’m in a meeting and hear the speaker say, “The surprising thing is…” or “The biggest takeaway was…” My attention might have drifted, but hearing them say that signposting phrase allows me to snap back into focus and listen to what they have to say next.
One common misunderstanding or misapplication of signposting, is readers thinking that simply adding headers is good enough. Headers, subheaders, toggles, paragraphs, etc are a type of signposting, but these formatting elements alone are not enough. I’ve read MANY docs that looked well-organized in Notion or Google Docs, but the content itself was weak, poorly argued, or generic. See this related post on how good design (or formatting) can hide poor logic.
I posted about signposting on LinkedIn. Here are some highlights on which signposting phrases folks found most helpful:
Do this today
After you read the article, reflect on these prompts:
Look at the last long-ish memo you wrote. What signposting words could you use to make the flow better?
Think about a recent presentation where your audience seemed confused or asked lots of clarifying questions. How could you have used verbal signposting (“First... Second... The reason this matters is...”) to guide your audience?
Pick a meeting where you’ll need to communicate complex information. What signposting phrases could you use to help add structure to what you’re saying?
Thanks for being here, and I'll see you in two weeks on Wednesday at 8am ET.
Wes
Course update: The May cohort is 75% full, plus new student reviews
The upcoming May cohort is currently 75% full. In the past week alone, operators Etsy, Amazon, Rakuten, PayPal, GoFundMe, Clay, DoorDash, etc have signed up.
Here are reviews from students who took the course last month:
“Wes discusses several issues which come up in work situations where you can improve your chances of getting what you want. Very clear tips on how you might be sabotaging yourself, how to communicate at the right level and how to be focused on the recipient, have logic and reduce cognitive load.”
- Rajesh Shenoy, Senior Staff Software Engineer/Engineering Manager (L7) @ Meta
“A masterclass in high-leverage communication. Wes provides incredibly tactical frameworks that teach you how to stop asking for permission and start driving outcomes. Essential for anyone operating in a fast-paced, asynchronous tech environment. 10/10.”
- Galit Alon, Engineering Manager @ GitLab
“Great sessions. I really appreciate Wes walking us through each topic and sharing clear examples to drive each home. I love the approach of making most of the exercises written, especially with a time limit. Helped train me to quickly comprehend and execute within minutes.”
- MD, Senior Manager, Technical Program Management @ Squarespace
“A course that is well-paced, engaging, and filled with thoughtfully-designed concepts and frameworks that are easy to immediately action upon. I walked away with several new communication tools in my toolbelt. Thank you, Wes!”
- Ruth Corson, Director of Global Digital Marketing, Basketball @ Nike
“This course is packed with valuable and actionable information. The flow and the quality of the information and the way that Wes presented the material kept my mind engaged the entire time. I am very energized by this course and can’t wait to start implementing my learnings. Must-do for everyone.”
- Anoush Kabalyan, Director of Growth Analytics @ Salesforce
If you’ve been thinking about joining, I hope to see you in class. Learn more about the course.
Connect with Wes
Is this your first time here? Subscribe (it’s free)
Follow me on LinkedIn for more insights
Learn more about 1:1 coaching to sharpen your executive presence
✨ Improve your ability to sell your ideas, manage up, gain buy-in, and increase your impact in a 2-day workshop. Over 1,500 tech operators have taken this course, and every cohort so far has sold out. NOTE: The May cohort is 75% full and will fill up in the next few weeks. → Save your spot
It is very useful for long meetings or when we have to cover more than one topic to close a topic and open a new one.
What I like about this is you don’t emphasize highlighting the things you want, rather the focus is in the way in which people receive it better. So many people see communication as what leaves their mouth or their pen rather than what is taken in by the person receiving the message. 🙏🏼