Thom Hartmann reminds us that speeches, concepts, and slogans are most effective when they incorporate sets of three….
...[U]sing the rule of threes is the single most powerful way you can instantly improve your communication skills, effectiveness, and impact.
We first learned about the rule of threes when we were kids: the three little pigs, the three musketeers, the three bears, the three stooges, Scrooge’s three ghosts, the three wise men, the three Billygoats gruff.
Whenever a set of characters are boiled down to just three they’re easier to remember, keep track of, and clearly differentiate from each other.
Moving into high school we learned about Caesar’s “veni, vedi, vici”; Jefferson’s “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”; and Lincoln’s “of, by, and for the people.” (Bonus round: ready, set, go; three branches of government; father, son, and holy ghost.)
The rule of threes applies to political speeches as well: it makes them easier to digest, remember, and later recite back….