On Stage

In speeches, tripling adds rhythm and weight. Martin Luther King Jr. used it relentlessly. Steve Jobs launched the iPhone by revealing three products — a widescreen iPod, a phone, and a breakthrough internet communicator — before showing they were one.

The structure works in presentations too: state the problem, explore the implications, deliver the solution. This gives audiences a roadmap. They know where you are headed, which frees them to actually listen rather than wonder when you will finally get to the point.