The Rule of Three: a screwdriver, an old beach towel and the empty ice cream container.
Firstly, the water leak #
I had a water leak over the weekend.
It sounded just like a short-wave radio was being tuned at high volume (showing my age 
).
Unfortunately, this particular situation wasn’t for my entertainment!
However, fortunately a screwdriver was close at hand to isolate the cold water tap, the ice cream tub hadn’t been put out for recycling and my towel wasn’t spread out on a beach lounger in a far flung place.
The gush of water was stopped quickly and very little of it travelled to places where it shouldn’t go.
Catastrophe averted.
The insurance industry certainly owes me one for saving them a few pennies!
And because my brain works in a certain way, it reinforced in my own mind just how powerful the number 3 is.
The rule of three’s power #
Just try having a mental shopping list of 4 items next time you go to the supermarket – you’ll probably forget the fourth. Yet, remembering 3 items is no bother.
As Gini Beqiri on virtualspeech .com explains, One fundamental function of the human brain, and the brains of all animals, is to integrate information gathered from our surroundings to help us interact with each other. However, pattern recognition is a core functionality of the human brain and sets us apart from other species.
Language is a complex behaviour that uses patterns in the form of symbols, sounds, and words to encode meaning from speech. We have a superior ability to process patterns in our world and transfer our understanding to others.
An effective way to communicate ideas is to create patterns that are simple and easy to recognize.
Three is the smallest number needed to form a pattern.
The Rule of Three revolves around the observation that ideas given in threes are especially interesting and memorable to an audience, whether through speech or through writing
People remember and are more engaged with concepts that are presented in groups of three. We can use the Rule of Three as a simple formula to make engaging speeches and articles
Many memorable lines and quotes are grouped into threes. It is no coincidence that ‘good things happen in threes’! In Ancient Rome, the Latin phrase ‘omne trium perfectum’ meant everything that comes in threes is perfect.
Famous examples #
Totally fittingly, writers and speakers use 3 factors (emphasis, humour and persuasion) to harness the Rule of Three and give their work more bite. Take a look at these examples:
“Life, Liberty, and the pursuit of Happiness” from the United States Declaration of Independence
Veni, vidi, vici, meaning “I came, I saw, I conquered”
Breakfast, lunch, and dinner
Blood, sweat, and tears
Lights, camera, action!
“If you want something stuck in someone’s head, put it in a sequence of three.” – Brian Clark
Thank you for reading.
