I am working with a client who asked me to create a title for a presentation  so I came up with something along the lines of  "7 Things Your Clients Want you to Know ."  I wanted to use a number in the title because people like this system of organizing information.  

 So which number should you use? 

Here’s why I chose "7":

#1. I was trying to be different (or "Zag") as one of my recent favorite books call it.  

Think about a number that has significance for your topic or seems the funniest if you’re going for humor.  7 is funnier than 6.  (Trust me on this.  “Gerbil” is also funnier than “Hamster” and “Kalamazoo” is much funnier than “Detroit.”)

#2.  I wanted to use an odd rather than an even number.  I could have used 5 or 9 as they are also odd numbers, but I chose 7.  

Odd numbers are asymmetrical.  I can’t explain it.  If you are a symmetry freak, ignore this rule and do whatever you want.  

#3. It is decidedly different from “10” which I think has been overdone.  That makes it uninteresting IMHO.  

Top 10 lists are everywhere.   "10" is trite.  We need to boycott all 10’s starting now.  In fact, let’s change from a base 10 system of numbering to a base 7.   

Use a number with impact if you want to stand out - or not if you want to blend in.

#4. “3.1416” things would have been too hard to come up with.   And my slide rule is in the safety deposit box.  

Sometimes the content will dictate the right number to use.

#5.  “7” is substantial enough to promise enough content for an hour presentation but not big enough to be overwhelming.  

You might call it the Goldilocks number. ( Right-sized with just the right amount of information promised. ) 

#6.   It worked for the deadly sins – right?  They’re memorable. 

Memorable is important.  People will remember the title and tell other people about your presentation. 

#7.    The word “Seven” is symmetrical when written out.  Hopefully this gets me extra credit with the people I lost on point # 2.  And the numeral has a nice clear shape, and “7” has a high likelihood of being rolled in a game of dice.   (Maybe I should have gone with "6".)

Look for a title that makes efficient use of the space you have to fill and also has good visual appeal.  You might be more of a “3” fan, but I am happy with the “7” .

So what happened with my client?  He asked me to change the "7"  to "10".  Let's just say I'm getting "Ziggy" with it. 

 
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