Structure core ideas into groups of three powerful words or short phrases. This 'trifecta' technique, honed in political communication, makes messages concise, easy to remember, and impactful for audiences with short attention spans. Examples include 'relationships, service, and purpose' or 'think bold, start small'.
Contrary to the classic marketing "rule of seven," recent research shows that focusing on two to three high-impact, emotionally resonant messages is more effective than mass repetition. In a noisy environment, concentrated, potent creative breaks through where sheer volume fails.
To ensure clarity and impact, mandate that any explanation of the platform team's work to non-technical stakeholders must be understandable in under three minutes. This forces the team to distill their message to its core value, cutting through technical jargon.
To increase the "memobility" of your ideas so they can spread without you, package them into concise frameworks, diagrams, and stories. This helps others grasp and re-transmit your concepts accurately, especially when you can connect a customer pain to a business problem.
To make leadership lessons memorable and impactful, structure them around three core elements. First, state the insight clearly. Second, tell the personal story of how you learned it. Third, explain how that lesson now manifests in your day-to-day leadership style, making it tangible and actionable for your team.
A 1972 study found people remember concrete phrases ("a white horse") four times better than abstract ones ("basic truth"). Brands like Apple and Red Bull use this by translating abstract benefits (memory, energy) into visualizable concepts ("songs in your pocket," "wings") to make their messaging stick.
Limit your key points, pain points, or takeaways to three. This cognitive principle makes information easier for prospects to receive, understand, and retain, preventing them from being overwhelmed by too much information.
For clear spontaneous communication, rely on a simple three-part structure instead of improvising from scratch. First state your idea (What?), then explain its relevance to the audience (So What?), and finally, outline the next steps (Now What?). This framework provides a reliable roadmap for any situation.
A three-part recipe for successful communication starts with authenticity to build trust. This is followed by clarity and concision to ensure the message is understood. The final ingredient, which elevates communication to the top tier, is a leap of imagination—doing something arresting or different to capture attention.
Our brains remember tangible information we can visualize four times better than abstract ideas like 'quality' or 'trust.' Instead of describing MP3 player storage in 'megabytes,' Apple used the concrete, visual phrase '1,000 songs in your pocket,' making the benefit sticky and easy to recall.
When presenting a long list of actions, such as ten ways to improve a team, group them into three distinct, memorable categories. A coach successfully reframed ten tips into a three-step framework of 'alignment, process, and resilience,' making his advice more digestible and actionable for the audience.