Barack Obama is a powerful communicator. His post-election speech made at least two of my friends cry. He seems to be an eloquent person, but there is one technique I’d like to focus on mentioned in a tweet by @PRJobs. The “rule of three,” or “tricolon” as Richard Nordquist calls it. Some grammar enthusiasts may just refer to it as good parallel structure, using the same words or verb tenses to introduce three ideas.
An example of the rule of three from Obama’s victory speech:
“I was never the likeliest candidate for this office. We didn’t start with much money or many endorsements. Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington–it began [1] in the backyards of Des Moines [2] and the living rooms of Concord [3] and the front porches of Charleston” (Nordquist).
As seen above, Obama uses parallel structure to introduce the three examples of the “backyards of Des Moines,” the “living rooms of Concord” and the “front porches of Charleston.” He paints a picture of a grassroots effort with concrete examples that stick in the audience members’ minds.
This speaking technique is a simple and effective one to use in many common situations, such as a presentation, a wedding toast or a blog post. Karen Burns of the Working Girl blog recommends using this technique in a job interview. Three items are usually easy to remember, and the parallel structure employed when introducing them makes it easy to follow along.
I invite you to try using parallel structure during your next speaking opportunity. You many find that your words flow more easily, your ideas seem more vivid and your audience makes a stronger connection.
