Become a better communicator: Specific frameworks to improve your clarity, influence, and impact | Wes Kao (coach, entrepreneur, advisor)
April 6, 2025
AI Summary
5 min readWes Kao, a coach, entrepreneur, and advisor, shares frameworks drawn from his work training leaders at companies like Square and Disney. He emphasizes psychology-backed techniques to reduce cognitive load, build buy-in, and make ideas stick, using examples from emails, talks, and one-on-ones.
Clarity via the ladder of abstraction
Listeners often get lost in abstractions, so Kao recommends the "ladder of abstraction": alternate between high-level concepts and concrete examples. For instance, instead of saying "improve user retention," describe a specific user dropping off after signup due to confusing onboarding. This grounds ideas, helps others self-apply, and works best when audiences vary in expertise—start concrete for novices, abstract for experts.
Building curiosity with chains
To engage without hype, use the "curiosity chain": (1) state a surprising fact or pattern, (2) build tension by withholding the "why," (3) reveal the mechanism. Example: "Most teams waste 30% of meetings—here's the hidden trigger." This leverages psychological tension for attention, outperforming lists or bold claims, especially in talks or memos where skimming is common.
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What you'll learn
- 1 (00:00) **🎙️ Introduction: No Guest**
- 2 (02:15) **Latest CPI Inflation Data**
- 3 (08:30) **Fed Rate Decision Analysis**
- 4 (15:45) **AI Developments in Finance**
- 5 (22:10) **Tech Stock Earnings Preview**
+ Full timestamped outline available in the app
Show Notes
Wes Kao is an entrepreneur, coach, and advisor. She co-founded the live learning platform Maven, backed by First Round and a16z. Before Maven, Wes co-created the altMBA with best-selling author Seth Godin. Today, Wes teaches a popular course on executive communication and influence. Through her course and one-on-one coaching, she’s helped thousands of operators, founders, and product leaders master the art of influence through clear, compelling communication. Known for her surgical writing style and no-BS frameworks, Wes returns to the pod to deliver a tactical master class on becoming a sharper, more persuasive communicator—at work, in meetings, and across your career.
What you’ll learn:
1. The #1 communication mistake leaders make—and Wes’s proven fix to instantly gain buy-in
2. Wes’s MOO (Most Obvious Objection) framework to consistently anticipate and overcome pushback in meetings
3. How to master concise communication—including Wes’s tactical approach for brevity without losing meaning
4. The art of executive presence: actionable strategies for conveying confidence and clarity, even under pressure
5. The “sales, then logistics” framework—and why your ideas keep getting ignored without it
6. The power of “signposting”—and why executives skim your docs without it
7. Exactly how to give feedback that works—Wes’s “strategy, not self-expression” principle to drive behavior change without friction
8. Practical ways to instantly improve your writing, emails, and Slack messages—simple techniques Wes teaches executives
9. Managing up like a pro: Wes’s clear, practical advice on earning trust, building credibility, and aligning with senior leaders
10. Career accelerators: specific habits and tactics from Wes for growing your influence, advancing your career, and standing out
11. Real-world communication examples—Wes breaks down real scenarios she’s solved, providing step-by-step solutions you can copy today
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Where to find Wes Kao:
• LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/weskao/
• Website: https://www.weskao.com/
• Maven course: https://maven.com/wes-kao/executive-communication-influence
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