The Rule of Three

After years of working in education and studying many different learning theories and techniques, I still find myself coming back to the first one my father taught me when I was young, the Rule of Three.  While the Rule of Three is nothing new, in fact the theory can be traced as far back as Aristotle, the simple principals are easily applicable to implement in your workforce strategies.  

What is the Rule of Three?

The Rule of three simply explained is a writing principal that states when information is presented and received in groupings of three, the information is intrinsically more amusing, more gratifying, and effective thus making it more memorable. 

For example, you’ll notice that important speeches or presentations tend to poignantly focus on three key items.  In academia its common practice to structure lessons and assignments around the rule of three.  Learners of all ages typically need to do or interact with the new content three times before the information becomes concrete to memory. This is especially true in any kind of technical training.  Just think of the old joke “How do you get to Carnegie Hall?”  Practice, practice, practice.  The same concept can be applied to learning any new skill.  It takes practice for training to become automated into daily activities.

Moving into the digital age where we are in a constant barrage of information, why not put this timeless philosophy to use.  When sending messages to your membership or customers, don’t over stimulate them with too much information, rather several small “chunks” of information that are easily digestible.  The easier it is to comprehend the information, the quicker it will be retained. 

Next try to provide visual aids that follow the same practice.  In terms of groupings, make sure that information is grouped logically.  In terms of your templates, three headline stories can serve as a strong visual structure.  If you have multiple CTA’s, try grouping them into or under three categories that make sense to your viewer when trying to navigate to the information they need. 

While the Rule of Three works well for grouping information, it’s not recommended using template layouts in 3 long skinny columns as that can appear congested and be difficult for the reader to identify the key information.  Visual layout should remain simple and clear to communicate your main focal points.  Keep it simple and use the Rule of Three’s general principals to help convey what you really want your consumer to know.