The Number 3 – a Speechwriters Best Friend
What is it about the number 3?
The number 3 exerts amazing influence on our lives.
Artists and photographers live by the rule of thirds to compose a painting or a picture.
Great orators and writers have long known that the rule of three gives their speeches and plays more impact, more humour, more memorability.
- “Friends, Romans, Countrymen” William Shakespeare from Julius Caesar.
- “Government of the people, by the people, for the people“ The Gettysburg Address Abraham Lincoln
- “There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics”– Benjamin Disraeli
- The Good, the bad and the Ugly – movie
- Sex, Lies and Videotape – movie
- Slip, Slop, Slap – Cancer Council Australia skin cancer campaign.
I’m sure you have examples of the rule of three, please share them with us.
Andrew Diugan in his Six Minutes Speaking and Presentation Skills blog says the rule of three is a powerful speech writing technique that you should learn, practice and master.
Falling into the “Rule of Three” is the whimsical, yet true saying about speech making to “tell them what you’re going to tell them. Then tell them. Then tell them what you told them.”
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