The Magic of Three
Emphasizing three points makes your communication more believable, memorable and persuasive.
We've always known that three is a magical number, particularly as a construct to help persuade people.
A study published in The Social Science Research Network, "When Three Charms, But Four Alarms: Identifying the Optimal Number of Claims in Persuasion Settings," confirmed the well-accepted truism that when you add a fourth point, it weakens the credibility of the first three. If we use four, our "BS-O-METER" starts to go off, which is absolutely no surprise.
This tells us we should emphasize three accolades or positive points.
For example, if you're making a persuasive presentation, provide exactly three reasons why. "I think we should go to the ABC restaurant to celebrate because it's close, inexpensive and fun."
If you added another positive attribute, such as “new healthy meal options," the persuasive power of the first three reasons diminishes.
Use three as a default construct
When communicating, use three as your base construct. When asked an impromptu question, and you need a simple framework for your answer, try a "past / present / future" answer - the power of three. "Thanks for asking, in the past, we used to 1, 2, and 3. Today, we also 4, 5, and 6 and as we look to the future, we're already working on 7, 8 and 9."
The magic of three is a core element of GAPP (Generally Accepted Presentation Principles™), my framework to develop and deliver persuasive presentations.
Good. Better. Best.
More than 100 years ago Sears created the modern array of "good / better / best" for all product offerings: three price points for each level of product. This concept has permeated all levels of business and commerce. It's often described as Gold / Silver / Bronze.
If there's a "platinum" level, it's out of the norm, and always makes us question the value of the first three levels.
The power of three is ubiquitous. These taglines are embedded in our psyches – "snap, crackle and pop," “reuse/reduce/recycle,” and “stop, look and listen.” There were three stooges, three musketeers and three bears. Christianity has the Holy Trinity, Buddism has the Three Jewels and one of the cornerstones of Judaism is this quote from Rabbi Shmon ben Gamliel, "The world is sustained by three things: By justice, by truth and by peace."
The sages settled on three – for a very good reason: three works. Always has, works today, and always will.
It's simply how we're wired. Embrace the power of three. It will make your communication more believable, memorable and persuasive.
Onward. Onward. Onward.