How many words do you need to summarize something? I could ramble forever and a day and you will be able to summarize everything I said in THREE words or less.
Somewhere along the way, our society adopted this attitude of more is better. Journalists are paid by the word, not the article. Professors set guidelines for the length of our research papers. Book publishers contract authors to write a book of X number of pages. Speakers for hire, give presentations based on time, not content. With all this unnecessary filler and noise, is it any wonder we struggle to retain what we read and hear.
Talk about rambling and unnecessary filler…..let me get back to topic.
Three words are sticky and easier to remember.
Scott Ginsburg occasionally tweets THREE WORDS OF ADVICE . Chris Brogan sets his annual new year’s resolutions using three words. Kimberly Rattley teaches three-word playback in her leadership training to corporations.
Marketers use this technique all the time to create memorable slogans.
- Wendy’s: “Where’s the beef?”
- Coca-cola: “Coke adds life” “Coke is it” “Make it Real” “Always Coca-Cola”
- Nike: “Just Do It”
- BMW: “Ultimate Driving Machine”
- Avis: “We try harder”
- Kellogg’s Rice Krispies: “Snap! Crackle! Pop!”
I use them to:
- Summarizing conversations
- Setting priorities and goals
- Taking notes and remember ideas
- Making commitments
“3” is a magical number. Don’t take my word for it, experience the power of three for yourself.
- Go read another post on this site and write a comment summarizing it in 3 words.
- Use 3 words to describe what you clients expect from you
- Can you summarize the last request made of you in 3 words?
With a little practice, it is as easy as saying your A-B-Cs.
What can you accomplish by using the ”Power of Three?”
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