Although facts and statistics are useful for gaining credibility, they can also be boring and easily forgotten. An effective way to breathe life into them, and into your speech in general, is including personal details that give faces to statistics and facts and make them part of a memorable and cohesive story. Anecdotes are brief, personal stories that have a point or punch line. The preceding statistics on murder would be greatly enhanced if they were paired with one or two personal stories that bring them down to a more intimate and relatable level. Anecdotes can be pointed or emotionally moving; they can also be humorous or inspiring. When used well, they add a personal and memorable element to your speech.