You Explain. They Don’t Follow. Try Signposting.

Can you imagine driving on a highway and not encountering a single sign along the way? No exit signs, no warning signs, no countdown markers, no rest-area signs, no historical- or scenic-marker signs, nothing. That would be unsettling. You may even wonder if you’re on the right road, heading in the right direction.

Communication works the same way. Just like road signs improve our experience as we travel between places, “signposting” can greatly improve your audience’s experience when you pitch, present, or share your ideas in a meeting.  

What Is Signposting in Communication?

Signposting means using words and phrases at strategic points in a presentation, talk, or conversation to prepare and guide the listener. It supports clarity by making your message easier to follow and works in a wide range of situations from high-stakes presentations to routine project updates and client-facing calls.

More specifically, there are four ways in which it helps your message land:

1. It sets expectations. Signposts can be used to announce what’s coming, so your listeners don’t have to guess.

   
   

2. It creates a road map. Signposts provide orientation by guiding the listener through the structure of your talk. This allows them to keep track of how far they’ve come and what's still ahead.

   
   

3. It connects the dots. Connections and conclusions that are logical for you as the speaker may not be obvious to your listener, so you need to make them explicit. That’s what signposts do. They connect the dots for the people in the room and help them see — and understand — the relationships between the ideas. That, in turn, increases the chances that people will remember them afterward.

   
   

4. It highlights what matters. You can use signposts to draw attention to important content or point out ideas you want them to remember.

Here are a few examples of signposting: Start your presentation announcing what you're going to talk about: "I want to highlight three key points today." Make an important connection explicit by saying, "This translates into...". Or highlight the main point you want for your audience to remember with the phrase, "If there’s one thing I want you to take away..."

The underlying structure needs to be in place. Proper signposting makes it clearly visible to others.

Is it Really Your Job to Guide Your Audience?

If you're talking to a US audience, the answer to that question is a clear "yes". The burden of understanding is squarely on the speaker.

Conference attendees walk out of a presentation with puzzled faces? It’s the presenter’s fault. Students don’t understand the subject matter and, as a result, do poorly on the exam? Blame the professor. The visitor to your trade show booth can't follow your explanations? It’s on you.

The expectation that the speaker has to deliver ideas in a way that is easy to process and follow may not be as pronounced in other cultures as it is in the US. However, clear communication is a prerequisite for success, no matter where you are in the world.

So, if success matters to you, doesn't it make sense to do everything you can to make sure your audience understands you?

Need more help being clear and convincing with your partners, prospects, or team members? Let's talk.

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