Maxim #38
Rule of Three
In 1956 a cognitive psychologist from Princeton published, “The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two: Some Limits on Our Capacity for Processing Information.” It’s an oft-cited piece of research that people have used to explain the length of phone numbers and survey scales, among other things. More recent research has suggested that there have been a few misinterpretations of that research paper, and that the correct number is actually more likely three or four.
In our experience, three is the magical number. People absorb ideas or concepts better if they are delivered in groups of threes.
There are “rules of three” in many different disciplines, including medicine, aviation, mathematics, economics, and writing. Slogans and book titles are often three words (our own registered trademark follows this form:Â Results Not Reports). Jokes, plays and speeches are often delivered in three parts. Three key points on a particular slide or three key themes in a presentation seems to be the maximum amount you can do before people are either bored or confused. In more day-to-day usage, three points in an email or in a communication also seems to be the natural limit that people either can or want to absorb. One of our clients at a large container shipping company used to spend a few minutes at the end of every key meeting and force us to summarize our meeting into three key points. (Eventually it taught us to do it ourselves, in advance).
One of the powerful things about the “Rule of Three” is that it forces you to distill your message and key points. Just as it is easier for an audience to absorb, it also becomes easier for you to clarify your message.
