Page 70 - The Presentation Secrets of Steve Jobs How to Be Insanely Great in Front of Any Audience by Carmine Gallo

DRAW A ROAD MAP 51

It is well established that we can hold only small amounts
of information in short-term, or “active,” memory. In 1956, Bell
Labs research scientist George Miller published a classic paper
titled “The Magical Number Seven, Plus or Minus Two.” Miller
cited studies that showed we have a hard time retaining more
than seven to nine digits in short-term memory. Contemporary
scientists have put the number of items we can easily recall
closer to three or four. So, it should not be surprising that Jobs
rarely offers more than three or four key message points. As for
that, in a Steve Jobs presentation, the number three is much
more common than four. Steve understands that the “rule of
three” is one of the most powerful concepts in communication
theory.

Why Goldilocks Didn’t
Encounter Four Bears

Listeners like lists. But how many points should you include in
the list?
Three is the magic number.
Comedians know that three is funnier than two. Writers
know that three is more dramatic than four. Jobs knows that
three is more persuasive than five. Every great movie, book, play,
or presentation has a three-act structure. There were three mus-
keteers, not five. Goldilocks encountered three bears, not four.
There were three stooges, not two. Legendary NFL coach Vince
Lombardi told his players there were three important things in
life: family, religion, and the Green Bay Packers. And the U.S.
Declaration of Independence states that Americans have a right
to “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” not simply life
and liberty. The rule of three is a fundamental principle in writ-
ing, in humor, and in a Steve Jobs presentation.
The U.S. Marine Corps has conducted extensive research
into this subject and has concluded that three is more effec-
tive than two or four. Divisions within the marines are divided
into three: a corporal commands a team of three; a sergeant