Anecdotes are valuable tools to use in essays and speeches because they encourage audience participation and help to make the subject more relatable and memorable. Anecdotes are essentially brief narratives or first-person accounts that can serve as examples or to highlight a point. The speaker or author can engage the audience emotionally and increase the impact of their message by sharing a personal story or experience. Anecdotes can also be used to support claims or illustrate a larger point. Anecdotes can also help to add a much-needed change of pace and break up the monotony of a speech or essay. Anecdotes can be a powerful tool for communicating ideas, grabbing attention, and helping a subject stick in the mind.