Signposting
Use structural cue-words to guide the reader through your writing without heavy formatting.
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 3
- Confidence
- 92%
Signposting means using specific words, phrases, and structure that signal to your reader what's coming next, adding navigability to long memos and grabbing back attention that has strayed. It works verbally too, letting you flag the parts that matter most.
Origin
Taught by Wes Kao as 'power words for clarity,' analogous to copywriting power words.
Core principles
- 01Cue-words let readers' eyes jump to the structure without relying on bold, italics, and underlines
- 02The same technique works in writing and in verbal delivery like product demos
- 03Signposting both adds structure and recaptures wandering attention
How to run it
- 1
Open sentences with logical cue-words
Kick off sentences or paragraphs with words that signal what's coming: 'for example' (an example follows), 'because' (rationale follows), 'as a next step,' and 'first, second, third.'
Pro tip People's eyes automatically zoom to phrases like 'as a next step.'
- 2
Signal importance verbally
In spoken settings, flag the key part directly: 'the most important part to pay attention to is…' or 'the part we were most surprised by is…'
Pro tip This is a great way to grab attention back if a listener or reader has strayed.
- 3
Lean on cue-words instead of over-formatting
Use signposting words to convey structure rather than relying on rich-text formatting.
In the wild
In a long memo, opening paragraphs with 'for example,' 'because,' 'as a next step,' and 'first/second/third' guides the reader through where the argument is going without any bold or italics.
→ Structure and attention conveyed through words alone.
Common mistakes
Relying on formatting instead of structure words
Bolding and underlining try to compensate for structure that well-chosen cue-words could carry more cleanly.
Is it for you?
Best for
Anyone writing long memos, strategy docs, or delivering demos who wants readers to follow the logical flow.
Not ideal for
Very short messages where structure is already self-evident.
From the transcript
“Signposting is using certain words, phrases, formatting, and an overall structure in your writing that helps guide your reader”
“some of my favorite signposting words are for example shows that you're about to show an example because shows that you're about to share your…”
“the most important part to pay attention to is blank”
From the episode
Become a better communicator: Specific frameworks to improve your clarity, influence, and impact
Wes Kao (coach, entrepreneur, advisor)