The Encyclopedia of Interactive Performance

A good way to modulate resistance is by applying the rule of three. If someone wants something, and your response is to resist, limit your resistance to two times before following the request.

Noah Tallman approaches his father. “Hey, dad, my buddies want to go to Las Vegas this weekend. Can I borrow the car?” Still reading his newspaper, his father responds, “No.” “ I’ll take good care of it, and I’ll bring it back with a full tank.” His father is unmoved. “I said, no.” Noah tries a third time, “But it’s the last chance we have to hang out before I go to college.” Mr. Tallman lowers his paper, looks at his son, then pulls the keys from his pocket and tosses them to Noah. “A full tank of gas, and you wash it when you get back.”

This tool provides a side-benefit of revealing what matters to the character to whom the request is directed. In this case, it might be inferred that, despite his brusque surface, Mr. Tallman wants his son to have a good time before heading off to face the rigors of college.