Upgrade Your Writing Skills Using This Secret Rule

The Three Stooges were no accident. Upgrade your writing skills using this time-tested and ancient rule.

'WRITING.' It’s a word that can evoke strong feelings of angst and emotional turmoil.

It can rouse feelings of dread even if you’re a seasoned professional, or literary scholar. In some cases, a full blown panic-attack.

It can trigger dark memories from comments made on your Year 8 English report: "Room for improvement”…“Reads more like a plot than a story”…“Ben has a tendency to daydream.” Hang on.

It doesn’t have to be this way. You can reduce the anxiety of writing for your business, or career, just by putting some structure into your work. And you can do that using the Rule of Three.

Three Billy Goats Gruff

This was one of my favourite childhood stories as a kid.

“Trip, trap, trip, trap. Who’s that tripping over my bridge?” The plot…“Eat-me-when-I’m-fatter”.

The story ends with the third bigger goat flying at the troll on the bridge, poking his eyes out with his horns, and crushing him to “bits, body and bones.” And finally kicking him off the bridge into the river.

Now there’s a bedtime you won’t forget. You know the one. And probably many other as well…

• The 3 Musketeers
• 3 Blind Mice
• 3 Little Pigs
• Cinderella and Her Two Evil Stepsisters
• Goldilocks and the 3 Bears
  
  

And movies…

• The 3 Amigos
• The Lord of the Rings Trilogy
• Star Wars Trilogy
• And on, and on, and on…
  
  

This use of three is no mistake. Writers have known the power of the rule of three for centuries. It is hugely popular with comedians as well who use it to build their joke frameworks.

Even artists and designers use the rule of thirds—derived from the Golden Mean or Golden Ratio—for composition.

Most of the time it is just self-evident. Like a natural law.

Four items seems to be one too many for people to hold in their memory. But a proposal, a report, or any other piece of business writing feels inadequate when it’s supported by only one or two points.

So How Can You Put It To Use in Your Writing?

Well, you can start by writing down your three main points as full sentences BEFORE YOU START WRITING. And spell out your logic as clearly as you can.

This way you’ll force yourself to think through your reasons for recommending a vendor, for example, or pitching an offer to a client—and you’ll make a stronger case.

If you try to ‘feel’ things out as you write then you’ll get lost. You won’t know yet what you’re hoping your reader will think or do.

You’ll carry on and on, gradually clarifying your point as you make several runs at it. A few of my aunties come to mind here :)

In the end, after multiple attempts, you may finally figure out what it is you want to say. But you probably won’t say it in a way that you’re reader can follow.

An Example of Finding Your Focus

Let’s say your name is Dot, and you work at a large earth moving business. Your boss, Bob, owns the business and is considering acquiring a 1000-square-foot industrial premise at 427 Burke Lane as the new HQ.

Bob has asked you to think through the logistics. This requires writing up your list of recommendations before the company makes an offer to purchase the new building.
PANIC! No don’t panic.

BEFORE you write your memo, put your crazy person face on and brainstorm a list of considerations:

• Ownership
• Maintenance
• Buildout
• Security
• Offices vs. Cubicles
• Property values
• Removal services
• Timing
• Tax consequences
• Employee and visitor parking
• Environmental inspection and related issues
• Phone and internet, Utilities
• Insurance
• Notify current landlord
• New signage

Phew. Heart rate getting lower. These are just topics, not fully formed thoughts. But now that you have a rough list, you can start building some structure using the Rule of Three.

Bob’s Responsibilities (before acquisition):

• Consider builder’s inspection before purchase
• Check with accountant on tax consequences
• Consider legal structure for ownership of building

Your Responsibilities (before acquisition):

• Get insurance quotes
• Interview contractors for build-out
• Cost out the annual bill for security

Your Responsibilities (post acquisition):

• Contract for maintenance
• Plan the move
• Help Bob plan buildout of new premise
  
  

There we go. Three sets of three. To brainstorm effectively, it’s best to put yourself in the shoes of the reader. Ask, what does Bob want from me and how can I help him do his job better?

It can also take a bit of legwork and sniffing around—for example, talking to similar companies that have recently moved.

Can’t find any such companies? Then think outside the box. A commercial real estate agent will know someone who has.

For each stage above, you can see we have listed three important considerations.

Now Look at How Easy it is to Begin Writing Your Memo…

To: Bob
From: Dot
Re: Possible Purchase of 240 Burke Lane
Date: February 20, 2018
 
As requested, I’ve thought through the logistics of purchasing and moving into the Burke Lane property. Here are my suggestions for each stage of the process.

Now

I’d like your approval to tackle the following tasks immediately because they’ll give us a more complete picture of how expensive the acquisition and move would be:

• Cost out insurance coverage
• Interview contractors for build-out
• Cost out annual bill for security

Assuming we proceed with a purchase we can:

After Closing

• Arrange building inspection
• Work with accountant on finance package
• Sort contract for maintenance

Issues for You to Think About

While I’m attending to the details above, you may want to:

• Consider a building inspection
• Check with our accountant to see what the tax consequences are post purchase
• Get legal advice on the best ownership structure
  
  

Of course, I’m always on hand to take on whatever task you need. Just let me know.

Phew. Heart rate back at rest. No panic attack required. No need to hide in the toilets looking at your Facebook account.

You can see that PRE-WRITING in three lines paved the way for a clear, useful memo. It helped prevent writer’s block, organise the material, and make concise, well thought out recommendations.

A Three Bullet Point Summary…

Remember:

1. Don't panic. Put your crazy person face on and generate a list of topics to cover BEFORE YOU WRITE.
2. Develop these raw ideas into full sentences and categorise your main points in sets of three.
3. Arrange these sets in a logical order, keeping your reader’s needs in mind.
   
   

You can use this rule across the full spectrum of writing tasks and projects including:

• Memos
• Letters
• Emails
• Landing Pages
• Website Content
• Brochures
• Ads
• Banners
• White Papers
• Blog Articles
  
  

Panic attack avoided. Now go write that piece you’ve been avoiding like the plague and smash that troll off the bridge.

P.S.

If you’d like a 30 Minute Consultation on how to you can use the Rule of Three more effectively in your business then please get in touch with me—contact details below.

You might need a website re-write, a landing page, an email, an important memo or business plan drafted. The list is endless in the Information Age. Let me help you stand out from the crowd and stop walking the tightrope of language.

If you’d just like to connect and say hello then please do so via bhucker@ievoke.com.au or call me direct on +61 403 757 226. I love nothing more than hearing about other people’s entrepreneurial exploits or career ambitions.