This post originated from an RSS feed registered with Agile Buzz by Jared Richardson. Original Post: The Rule of Three Feed Title: Jared's Weblog Feed URL: http://www.jaredrichardson.net/blog/index.rss Feed Description: Jared's weblog. The web site was created after the launch of the book "Ship It!" and discusses issues from Continuous Integration to web hosting providers. Latest Agile Buzz Posts Latest Agile Buzz Posts by Jared Richardson Latest Posts From Jared's Weblog

How many points can you pack into your presentation to the boss before he or she starts forgetting them? Good question. If you provide a 20 point plan for improving the software process, odds are you'll sound confused and disorganized. Disagree? Read on...

Last year in a communication class my instructor really hammered this point home with two simple questions. Let's see how you do.

First, name the three stooges. Easy, right?

Now, name the seven dwarves.

Convinced? (grin)... In a class of nearly twenty people, no-one could remember all seven... unless you count the guy who worked at Disney when he was in high school.

If you really want people to walk away with all your points, then anytime you pitch or present keep the points brief. Whether you are trying to get a raise or pitch a new project, it matters.

By the way, I saw a good blog entry this evening over on the Mills Wyck blog that reminded me of this point and reminded how important this is and what happens when you don't respect the rule of three.

Jared