Research has shown that vivid, conc

Research has shown that vivid, concrete examples have strong impact on listener’s beliefs and actions. Without examples, ideas often seem vague, impersonal, and lifeless. With examples, ideas become specific, personal, and lively. Social psychologist Eliot Aronson has concluded that “most people are more deeply influenced by one clear, vivid, personal example than by an abundance of statistical data.”Examples are so important that many experienced speakers consider them “the very life of the speech(the point was made by James A. Winans in his classic Speech-Making).” In addition to clarifying, personalizing, and reinforcing a speaker’s ideas, they often appeal powerfully to our emotions.