I have a terrible sense of direction. GPS isn’t enough for me—I also need a map, printed directions, a lifeline and a navigator to find my way. When I emerge from the subway in downtown Toronto I am always completely turned around and have to ask strangers to orient me. My kids have learned: whenever I have to drive them some place they make me add a full half-hour to the journey because they know I’ll spend time driving around in circles. Most of the time, being lost is an awful feeling—I feeling panicked and stressed. But when I’m on vacation, I enjoy it.

Being a little lost on vacation is fun because I let myself slow down. I don’t have to be anywhere special, no one is depending on me, and I’m not on a schedule. Being lost means I discover cool shops, interesting restaurants and beautiful sights. Being lost means I learn my way around by trial and error. Maybe.

But when I’m working, I need to know where I’m going. And when I’m reading something for work, I need to know where you’re taking me. I’m  not alone in this—business readers don’t have the time or patience to explore the landscape of your thought at leisure. They read purposefully and want you to help them navigate through your writing. They need to see an overview of the entire document and as they read they want to know where they are, where they’ve been and where they’re going.

In general, readers need a preview of your main points, an explanation of your points with signposts along the way, and a summary of your points at the end. This pattern applies to the whole document and in a complex document, to each section.

Here are some of the ways to map your ideas for your readers:

Preview your main points

Readers need to know where you’re taking them. To help show this, start by providing a meaningful title for your document. If your document is long and complex, include a table of contents that summarizes the key ideas and shows the shape of your document. Include talking headers throughout the document, which allow readers to scan. Talking headers allow them to get a quick overview and decide which sections they wish to deep read and the order in which they want to read them. Preview your main points at the start of each section, and use the topic sentence of each paragraph to preview the main idea.

Provide rhetorical cues

Rhetorical cues are the little words and phrases that show readers the relationship between your ideas. Some rhetorical cues show the building up of ideas (also, and, as well, first, second). Some tell the reader to stop and compare (but, yet, nevertheless, on the other hand, meanwhile). Others summarize (therefore, as a result, to conclude, finally). Think of rhetorical cues as signposts that show readers the shape of your thought. They help add clarity by letting readers build a mental map of your message as they’re reading it.

Provide visual cues

Picture, illustrations, graphs, tables and screen shots all clarify and reinforce your message. Make sure the visual elements are reinforced with verbal explanations. Use the elements of layout consistently throughout a document so readers can quickly identify types of information by how they look. Use your layout (white space, typeface) to show readers the shape of your thought. I always tell my participants to think of themselves as sculptors—that every message has a shape and their job as a writer is to show that shape to the reader.

Summarize your main points

Provide summaries at the end of each section. Make sure you provide a detailed, concrete summary at the end of your document. Yes, the conclusion will repeat the preview at the beginning, but in more complete and concrete terms.