The previous posts of the Communicate to Win series, we covered the the Magic Number Seven Rule and the Pyramid Rule. If you follow the Magic Number 7 (+/- 2) rule, nine points are the maximum number you’ll use at one time in a presentation. But I often get asked, “What is the ideal number? How many key points should I present? How much should I put on a slide? Generally, I suggest three, leading us to Big Rule #3: the Rule of Thirds.
It is very powerful to organize information into a grouping of three. Look around for examples!
Memorable speeches are peppered with lists with three items…
- “Friends, Romans, Countrymen” – William Shakespeare in Julius Caesar
- “Blood, sweat and tears” – General Patton
- Our priorities are “Education, Education, Education” – Prime Minister, Tony Blair
They are used in religion…
- “Father, Son and Holy Spirit”
- “Faith, hope and charity”
- “The three wise men brought frankincense, gold and myrrh.”
…in Public Safety…
- “Stop, Look and Listen“
- “Stop, Drop and Roll”
- “Look left, right and left again”
… and in the film industry
- “Lights. Camera. Action!”
- “The Good, the Bad and the Ugly”
- “Sex, Lies and Videotape”
Putting it simply, if you want your message to be remembered, put it into a list of three. As illustrated above, I apply the Rule of Thirds when writing and creating presentations, both in the visuals and in the narrative. Keep an eye (and an ear) out for it!
The Rule of Thirds is one of the most basic design principles used by product developers, architects, graphic designers and artists because the human mind appreciates this aesthetic. Take a look around you where you are. Do you see things that are designed around a grid consisting of three sections?
Your goal is to make presentations that can clearly communicate your ideas in formats that your audience may easily receive. Your presentation must be pleasing to the eye to achieve its maximum impact!
Apple used the Rule of Thirds to design one of the most recognized and successful icons of our day – the iPod. The iPod is laid out on a grid with three sections from top to bottom and three sections from left to right. Notice the distinct difference between the top one third and the bottom two thirds. This is not “design by accident.”
Apple used these principles to sell millions of iPods across the world…and you should remember this when selling your ideas. The Rule of Thirds gives us logical guidelines for producing appealing layouts. Structuring your ideas, thoughts, narrative and PowerPoint slides in distinct groupings of three helps your listeners understand and retain your message.
Over the last few posts, I covered the three “Big Rules” and how they relate to structuring communication.