The Rule of Three: how to make an argument people remember
By Rita Okonkwo · The Craft
Listeners keep count. Say "for three reasons" and they will hold three slots open, notice when each one is filled, and know you have finished when the third arrives. Give them two and the argument feels thin; give them five and they will remember the first and the last.
The Rule of Three is a claim followed by three distinct reasons for it. It is the structure for when one reason is not enough to move somebody and you have a minute or two to do it.
The Rule of Three, one part at a time
Question: Should our company let people work from home?
- Claim (Say where you stand): I think we should let people work from home three days a week, and I have three reasons.
- Reason 1 (Your first reason): First, it widens who we can hire: our last two best candidates turned us down because of the commute.
- Reason 2 (A different second reason): Second, it makes the office days count, because people come in for the conversations that actually need a room.
- Reason 3 (A third, then close): And third, it costs less: we could give up one of our two floors when the lease ends. Three days at home, and we'd be better for it.
The four parts
1. Claim: say where you stand
One sentence with your position in it, and, if you can, the promise of three reasons. "I have three reasons" costs you four words and tells the listener exactly how long to pay attention.
2. Reason 1: your first reason
Lead with a strong reason, not your weakest warm-up. Give it one concrete piece of support, a fact, a number or a moment, so it is a reason and not just an assertion.
3. Reason 2: a different second reason
This is where the Rule of Three usually breaks. The second reason has to be different, not the first one reworded. A useful test: could somebody accept Reason 1 and still reject Reason 2? If not, they are one reason. Hiring, office culture and cost are three; "better candidates", "more talent" and "a bigger hiring pool" are one.
4. Reason 3: a third, then close
Put your strongest or most memorable reason last, because it is the one the listener leaves with. Then close by returning to the Claim in a single line. Do not add a fourth reason, however good: you promised three.
Why three, and not four
Two reasons sound like a comparison; three sound complete. It is also the number most people can carry in their head without writing anything down, which matters because a spoken argument, unlike a written one, cannot be re-read. If you have four good reasons, pick the three that are most different from each other and keep the fourth for questions.
An answer, taken apart
Claim. I think we should let people work from home three days a week, and I have three reasons.
Reason 1. First, it widens who we can hire: our last two best candidates turned us down because of the commute.
Reason 2. Second, it makes the office days count, because people come in for the conversations that actually need a room.
Reason 3. And third, it costs less: we could give up one of our two floors when the lease ends. Three days at home, and we'd be better for it.
People, culture, money: three reasons from three different directions, each with something concrete behind it.
Where it works, and where it doesn't
Use it when you are arguing for a position: debates, decisions, "why should we hire you?", "why this and not that?". It is also a good skeleton for a longer talk, one section per reason.
It is too heavy for a quick answer where one strong reason will do; that is what PREP is for. And if the fair answer involves real downsides, Pros, Cons, Verdict is more honest than three reasons in favour.
How the Coach listens for it
The Coach checks for the claim and for each of the three reasons separately, so the report can say "two of three reasons landed" and tell you which one did not. The usual miss is the third: people run out of reasons and restate the second.
Practise it
Practise the Rule of Three in the Coach. Lock the technique and spin; finding three genuinely different reasons on an unfamiliar question is the whole skill.