The power of saying it three times

When it comes to making things memorable, the number three has a flawless track record. For example:

Veni, vidi, vici

Government of the people, by the people, for the people

Turn on, tune in, drop out1

Beyond rhetoric, we’ve found that when communicating a complex idea, it helps to say it three times. That is, it generally takes three distinct explanations for a tricky idea to take hold.

Occasionally, people get it first time. If that happens, great, but avoid making this your benchmark. That will only lead to disappointment. More often, they won’t. In that case, be patient. Remember that other people won’t have all the context that you do, and have their own priorities jostling for headspace.

Don’t worry about whether people got it — that will become clear. It might be through a small piece of work, a comment in a meeting, or even a quizzical look. These are all useful datapoints that let you know you’ll need to say it three times.

When these moments happen, there’s no need to react immediately. Instead, make a plan to say it again in the way that’s most likely to land. Put it another way, or in another format. If you can, show the idea working.

But however you put it, make sure it’s clear, concise and, if possible, memorable. Do that, and they’ll get there eventually. And you’ll be able to tell when it lands in all the same ways you could tell that it didn’t.

So we often say to each other: say it three times. It’s as much a reminder to be patient and intentional as it is a guide to making ideas stick.

Footnotes

As attributed to Julius Caesar, Abraham Lincoln, and Timothy Leary. Caesar wrote it in a letter. Lincoln and Leary said it out loud. History does not record if they later emailed attendees their PowerPoint decks. ↩