The Rule of Three for Presentations
Organize any message into three key points for maximum retention and impact
The Rule of Three is one of the most powerful concepts in writing and communication. People can remember three pieces of information really well; add more items and retention falls off considerably.
George Miller's classic 1956 research suggested people could hold about seven items in working memory. Contemporary scientists have revised that number downward to three or four chunks. The Rule of Three exploits this limit by organizing any message into exactly three key points.
The rule pervades human culture: life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness; three little pigs; three primary colors; three laws of Newton; Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Jefferson chose three rights, not twelve, because he was a skilled writer using a rhetorical technique traceable to ancient Greece.
In TED presentations, the Rule of Three appears constantly. Kevin Allocca explained three factors behind viral videos. Don Norman described three ways design makes you happy. Dr. Jill divided her stroke talk into three six-minute sections. Many effective TED presenters use three stories as the outline for their entire presentation.
The practical tool for applying this rule is the Message Map: a one-page visual display with a Twitter-friendly headline at the top, three supporting messages below it, and three supporting points (stories, statistics, examples) under each message.
- The human mind can process about three chunks of information in short-term memory
- Adding items beyond three causes retention to fall off considerably
- Three is more satisfying than any other number in writing and communication
- If you have more than three key messages, group them into three categories
- Use three stories as the structural outline for a presentation
- The Message Map converts the Rule of Three into a one-page visual tool
- 1. Create a Twitter-friendly headlineIdentify the single most important thing you want your audience to know. Express it in 140 characters or less. This is not a tagline; it is a clear, specific statement that tells the audience what your idea is and what makes it unique. Every popular TED talk has a headline that fits in a tweet.Pro tipDan Pink described his TED talk in 74 characters: 'The set of motivators we rely on doesn't work nearly as well as we think.' If you cannot be that concise, keep working.WarningMany people create taglines instead of headlines. A headline must tell someone who missed your talk exactly what you said, not just tease the topic.
- 2. Support with three key messagesIdentify exactly three messages that support your headline. Draw them below the headline on your message map. If you have more than three points, consolidate them into three categories. Dr. Jill divided her TED talk into three sections of six minutes each: the circuitry of the brain, the day of the stroke, and the insight about life.Pro tipStart each of your three messages with the same letter or follow a pattern to make them even more memorable. Pasricha used three A's: Attitude, Awareness, Authenticity.WarningThe temptation to add a fourth or fifth point is strong. Resist it. Once you go beyond three, retention drops dramatically.
- 3. Reinforce with stories, statistics, and examplesUnder each of your three key messages, add supporting points: stories, data, anecdotes, or examples. Write a few words that will prompt you to deliver the story, not the full text. The entire message map must fit on one page. If it does not fit, your presentation is too complex.Pro tipMajora Carter used three stories of three people to illustrate eco-entrepreneurship, then tied them together with a single central theme. Three stories, three examples, three lessons.WarningDo not write out your entire presentation on the message map. It should contain keywords and prompts, not scripts.
Jobs structured his famous 15-minute speech around exactly three stories: connecting the dots, love and loss, and death. Each story supported the headline 'Do What You Love.'
The YouTube trends manager explained why only a tiny percentage of the 48 hours of video uploaded every minute go viral by identifying three factors: tastemakers, communities of participation, and unexpectedness.
The Rule of Three traces to ancient Greek rhetoric and has been used by effective communicators throughout history. Gallo observed the pattern recurring across the most popular TED presentations and connected it to George Miller's 1956 Bell Labs research on working memory limits. Contemporary cognitive scientists have refined Miller's number from seven to three or four chunks, which explains why three-part structures are so pervasive and effective in human communication.