If you're going to use an anecdote to illustrate a point in your tale, make sure it has all three of the criteria listed below. Otherwise, you can wind up with one that doesn't do anything for the feature. The anecdote must be relevant. It should also be interesting and not too short. Finally, it must make a difference to the story. As you can see, these are not easy requirements to meet. An anecdote must have substance or it's not worth telling. That's why it's important to find anecdotes that will help your features come alive. And since most features need more than one anecdote to tell their complete story, you'll want to make sure you select ones that won't get in the way of each other. Here are some additional tips for selecting great anecdotes: Know your audience. If you tend to rush through your presentations with the aim of getting them over as quickly as possible, you'll want to take time to tell engaging anecdotes. But if you have time to tell stories and engage your audience, you should! A good anecdote will always draw listeners into the present moment, making them feel like they're part of the story even though it's being told by someone else. So choose your examples carefully; you don't want to go overboard and lose viewers who might otherwise have been interested. Don't just grab any old anecdote.