Become a better communicator: Specific frameworks to improve your clarity, influence, and impact
Executive Summary
Lenny's Podcast episode, sponsored by WorkOS and Vanta, in which Lenny Rachitsky talks with Wes Kao, co-creator of the altMBA with Seth Godin, co-founder of Maven, and teacher of a popular executive communication course, about specific frameworks for clearer, more influential communication. Kao's starting move is self-audit: if you are not getting the reaction you want, ask how you might be contributing instead of blaming the audience. She warns that the blast radius of a poorly written memo is bigger than people think - one confusing Slack message sends fifteen people off in the wrong direction - and shares her MOO framework, Most Obvious Objection: spending even two minutes anticipating likely objections prevents most blindsiding in meetings. Colleagues describe her as raising the communication quality of entire companies by attaching reasoning and context to every proposal. PARTIAL COVERAGE: this summary highlights core frameworks; the full tactic list from her course discussion is not covered. These are Kao's own methods and views, not independently verified.
Key Takeaways
Start with yourself
When the reaction disappoints, ask how you contributed before blaming the audience.
Memo blast radius
One confusing message in a 15-person Slack channel multiplies confusion at scale.
MOO
Most Obvious Objection: two minutes of anticipation prevents most meeting blindsides.
Not every objection
You cannot pre-answer everything, but the obvious ones are absolutely catchable.
Reasoning attached
She includes reasoning and context with every proposal so others learn faster.
Precision habit
Colleagues credit her precision with language for raising a whole company's communication bar.
Shock and horror
Operators explain poorly then act surprised by confusion, skepticism and apathy - avoidable, she says.
The Conversation Breakdown
Start with yourself
⏱ Untimed topicWhen the reaction disappoints, ask how you contributed before blaming the audience.
Memo blast radius
⏱ Untimed topicOne confusing message in a 15-person Slack channel multiplies confusion at scale.
MOO
⏱ Untimed topicMost Obvious Objection: two minutes of anticipation prevents most meeting blindsides.
Not every objection
⏱ Untimed topicYou cannot pre-answer everything, but the obvious ones are absolutely catchable.
Reasoning attached
⏱ Untimed topicShe includes reasoning and context with every proposal so others learn faster.
Precision habit
⏱ Untimed topicColleagues credit her precision with language for raising a whole company's communication bar.
Shock and horror
⏱ Untimed topicOperators explain poorly then act surprised by confusion, skepticism and apathy - avoidable, she says.
Core Frameworks & Ideas
Contribution audit - Kao's reflex
Before blaming listeners, find how your explanation created the confusion.
MOO - Most Obvious Objection
List the objections a two-minute think predicts; address them before they are raised.
Reasoning-attached proposals - her teaching loop
Pair every recommendation with its why so the room compounds learning.
Actionable Next Steps
- ✓Rewrite one pending message for the objection it will trigger.
- ✓Reread your last long Slack post and cut it by a third.
- ✓Add one line of reasoning to every proposal you send this week.
- ✓Before your next meeting, spend two minutes listing likely objections.
Notable Quotes
“MOO stands for Most Obvious Objection”
“the blast radius of a poorly written memo is way bigger than most people think”
“if I'm not getting the reaction that I'm looking for, how might I be contributing”
The One Thing to Remember
Wes Kao's communication core: audit your own contribution first, fear the blast radius of sloppy writing, and pre-answer the most obvious objection.