If you prefer video content over text, I explain this material with fun, musical examples in my YouTube video.
You can overwhelm your audience by giving too much information. But you can also underwhelm by giving too little.
In this article I break down how to achieve the right balance with the Rule of 3:
What Not To Do
Consider this situation. You’re attending a talk on psychology. The speaker is presenting a list of unhealthy habits, and says the following:
Don’t scroll on social media
Don’t check your phone in bed
Don’t turn on the TV
Don’t have notifications on when you’re focusing
And don’t use AI to write everything for you
Test yourself right now. Without looking back, can you remember all five habits?
Likely, it’s hard! There’s simply too much to process and remember…
What To Do
Check out how Adam Grant, bestselling author of “Hidden Potential”, manageably delivers the same material:
Adam says:
Don’t scroll on social media
Don’t check your phone in bed
And don’t turn on the TV
It feels perfect, punchy and memorable.
Why? The Rule of 3.
To make the rule clear, let’s break down every line, starting with the first:
Line 1:
Don’t scroll on social media
The first line sets the tone. You expect all the subsequent lines will follow the same format “Don’t [ ]” where [ ] is an unhealthy habit.
Line 2:
Don’t scroll on social media
Don’t check your phone in bed
The second line reinforces the format “Don’t [ ]”. It also reveals a potential connection: both “Don’t scroll on social media” and “Don’t check your phone in bed” are related to technology … but you need more evidence to be sure.
Line 3:
Don’t scroll on social media
Don’t check your phone in bed
And don’t turn on the TV
The third line makes the pattern clear. Every example is indeed related to technology. Adam’s overarching message is: “Be careful of your everyday technological habits”
So why not keep going to confirm the pattern more?
Line 4 (and beyond…):
Don’t scroll on social media
Don’t check your phone in bed
Don’t turn on the TV
Don’t have notifications on when you’re focusing
…
Because by the third example, you already got it. By example 4, 5, and 6, the speaker has overstayed their welcome. They’ve become tedious, annoying … and eventually exhausting.
The Rule of 3 is therefore as follows:
- Once is an anomaly
- Twice is coincidence
- But three times is a pattern that feels complete
That is, after all, why we say, “Blood, sweat, and tears” (which adheres to the Rule of 3 and is easy to remember). We don’t say, “Blood, sweat, tears, and mucus…”
That’s why we say, “Life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”, NOT “Life, liberty, the pursuit of happiness, the avoidance of sadness, and the acceptance of loneliness…”
Summary
To ensure your audience remembers your material, aim for groups of 3.
Three is just enough to be a pattern, and just enough to still be concise.
If you’re looking for further guidance on how to differentiate your communication skills and stand out in the workplace, take my free self-assessment.
I’m writing a book on thinking quickly, speaking clearly, presenting convincingly, and supercharging your executive presence. My current focus: a section on the neuroscience behind how we think of what to say. This will be a deep-dive into the canonical networks of the brain that govern our perception and cognition.
Follow me on LinkedIn for more updates on the book and its release!
