Stu Lloyd
Apr 23, 20202 min
You may have seen or heard snippets of QE2's rallying speech to her nation on Sunday.
Classic stuff.
And exactly what is needed in these confused, panicked, chaotic times.
She was so reassuring.
It started with the tone of voice: Measured. Even. Unflustered.
Then elements of wonderful storytelling, harking back to her times in WW2 when she was a mechanic and truck driver (who knew?), evoking the strength and resilience of that generation, and unpacking what great British DNA is made of.
Echoes of Churchill at his oratorial heights.
Pumping us all with hope that this, too, shall pass.
But to me the lasting memorable masterstroke was the use of a tripartite or triad
(one of the so-called the 'Rule of 3' techniques):
"We will be with our friends again.
We will be with our families again.
We will meet again."
A brilliantly evocative soundbite that is collective, inclusive, and embodies all that is dear to us in the moment.
"Omne trium perfectum" (loosely, if I remember my four years of schoolboy Latin, it means "everything that comes in threes is perfect").
The repetition creates a pattern. The repetition aids clarity. The repetition makes it pop in terms of importance.
So, think about how you might introduce and use the Rule of Threes in your writing, speaking, and presentations. (Go back through this blog and count how many 'threes' I've deliberately seeded.)
It might just be what separates you from more common communicators.
Cheers. Stu
Storyteller in Chief, CatMatDog
'The Perfect Storyteller!' - The Telegraph, UK.
About the Author
Stu Lloyd
International Trainer, Speaker, Coach and Consultant
Stu is a professional storyteller for 30 years. He was a creative director in Ad agencies, author of 7 books, journalist, travel writer/blogger, specialist military history tour guide, TEDx MC/Speaker coach, trainer for Fortune 500s and entrepreneur.
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