Question 1

What are the key takeaways from Wes Kao 2.0's episode on Lenny's Podcast?

Accepted Answer

1. Take ownership of communication outcomes - if you're not getting the reaction you want, examine how you might be contributing to that rather than blaming others for not understanding. 2. Always sell before logistics - people haven't decided if they want to do something yet, so establish buy-in before diving into the how and process details. 3. Being concise means economy of words, not brevity - a longer document can be tighter and more concise than a short one if every word earns its place. 4. Use the MOO (Most Obvious Objection) framework before any presentation or proposal - spend even two minutes anticipating the obvious objections to avoid being blindsided. 5. Managing up becomes more important as you get senior, not less - share your point of view and recommendations rather than asking your manager what to do.

Question 2

What does Wes Kao 2.0 say about communication and executive-communication?

Accepted Answer

"If I'm not getting the reaction that I'm looking for, how might I be contributing to that? Instead of blaming other people for not understanding me, I think about how could I explain this more clearly? How can I be more compelling? How can I anticipate any questions that they might have? I'm a big proponent of agency." - Wes Kao "I see a lot of operators who save their best behavior for executives only. They want to shine when they're presenting to senior leadership, but with everyone else, they're kind of calling it. I just don't think that you're going to be able to get enough reps to actually get good at executive communication if you are only doing it with executives." - Wes Kao "A common mistake that I see is overestimating the amount of buy-in that you have from your audience. That looks like jumping straight into talking about the logistics, the details of the how to do something, when in reality your audience has not yet decided if they even want to do the thing." - Wes Kao

Question 3

What are Wes Kao 2.0's views on communication, executive-communication, managing-up?

Accepted Answer

Wes Kao: "If I'm not getting the reaction that I'm looking for, how might I be contributing to that? Instead of blaming other people for not understanding me, I think about how could I explain this more clearly? How can I be more compelling? How can I anticipate any questions that they might have? I'm a big proponent of agency." Wes Kao: "I see a lot of operators who save their best behavior for executives only. They want to shine when they're presenting to senior leadership, but with everyone else, they're kind of calling it. I just don't think that you're going to be able to get enough reps to actually get good at executive communication if you are only doing it with executives."

Wes Kao 2.0

Become a better communicator: Specific frameworks to improve your clarity, influence, and impact | Wes Kao (coach, entrepreneur, advisor)

TRANSCRIPT

Wes Kao 2.0

Become a better communicator: Specific frameworks to improve your clarity, influence, and impact | Wes Kao (coach, entrepreneur, advisor)

Wes Kao 2.0

Become a better communicator: Specific frameworks to improve your clarity, influence, and impact | Wes Kao (coach, entrepreneur, advisor)

TRANSCRIPT

Wes Kao 2.0

Become a better communicator: Specific frameworks to improve your clarity, influence, and impact | Wes Kao (coach, entrepreneur, advisor)