Real Life Anecdotes Examples

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Anecdote Vs Short Story: Anecdotes are short real life incidents that sound amusing, and interesting and humorous. Stories can be fake or made up and are longer in duration compared to an anecdote. Generally, unlike stories, the number of words in an anecdote would not exceed 1000. However, a short  story may also not exceed 1000 words, unlike anecdotes, a short story may not be funny or humorous, though, the story length does not exceed 1000 words. To deliver persuasive presentations, you can use anecdotes in your speech.

Difference Between
Anecdote, Short Story, Joke

Anecdote Vs Joke: 

The only intention behind sharing a joke is to make the other person laugh while anecdotes’ one of the intention is laughter but it could have other intentions such as provoking a thought, revealing a fate, narrating  realizations of a person’s experience and so on.
A joke can be a story and all stories may not be a joke.

Examples of Anecdotes:

1. I should stop listening to kids. They confuse me. Last evening, my son was talking to one of my neighbors' daughter (three-year old). He, "Does god exist?". She, "God only knows whether god exists are not", he, "true, true".
2. My Mother is very kind. She even answers the recorded messages of my mobile phone service provider. tring-tring, tring-tring! My mom picks the call and the call goes "Hi, get the caller tunes by sending an sms to 2435 with fre..." my mom interrupts "No, but my son is not.." and recorded message goes "...or call us to get a free.." my mom "but, listen..."
3. Sometimes, my mother gets so involved in TV programs that she feels part of it. Last evening, she was talking to the television informing the screen character of awaiting danger under the assumption the character can hear her. She said, "Turn around, turn around, that guy is going to hit you with an iron rod"
4. My wife and I were shopping and she saw this expensive trouser with a small print written on the sides of inside pockets. Do not tumble dry, do not bleach, do not dry clean, handle with care. She, who actually washes my clothes, said "If 'do not wash' restriction were printed on it, I would have recommended you to buy this trouser'"
5. Operating elevators are little confusing sometimes. Today, I was inside the office elevator and one of my friend was approaching to get inside the lift. With an intention of keeping the elevator door open, I pressed the close-the-door button. ssssss....the door closed even earlier than the usual time it was supposed to take.

To deliver persuasive presentation, you can use anecdotes in your speech. Here is a list of funny anecdotes:

1. I expect shopping malls to use less technology so that they avoid confusing the customers. Last evening, this lady with a beautiful smile, bowed down in a friendly manner, and said, with a polite voice, “Good Morning, welcome to xyz(shop name), wish you a happy new year”. I said, “Thanks a lot, wish you the same”. But I realized that it is a doll only when she repeated "good...wel...happy...".Year 2008; I got married. Year 2009; God blessed me with a child. Year 2010; God blessed me with another child. Year 2011; I suggest god to stop this non-sense of blessing and do something better. 
2. I think I'm boring. I had a small party last evening where I made a new friend. I spoke about my school days, college pranks and marriage life. But he was frequently looking around then talking to me, to see if there is anyone more interesting than me.
3. I heard that Thomas Alva Edison failed 10,000 times while trying to invent Light bulb. But I wonder how people let him fail. 
4. Last week, I failed in one of my office tasks; within no time there was call from manager blasting me saying "how could you go wrong"; my colleagues called me and asked "what the hell is going on"; meanwhile, customer was upset and sent a mail "if you don't fix it NOW, you will be fired".


Anecdotes Examples List

5. Hoping to be punctual, I set my watch 15 minutes fast. Now, whenever I look at my watch, I say to myself in a relaxed tone "Be cool, it is 15 minutes fast" and end up going late to the meetings as usual.
6. Yesterday I got lost in a busy street. So I took help of a stranger to find my way. I was nodding thoughtfully to the complex set of directions given by him which I know I am never going to remember.
7. I carried TV remote control instead of my cell to the office yesterday. No wonder I haven't got any promotions for the last four years.
8. Yesterday, I got stuck with a sentence while I was reading the newspaper. The more I read this sentence, the less it means to me.
9. I heard, in one of the small villages in Africa, people rub nose with each other in greeting. So, ideally, one must remove their spectacles while greeting. For me, it is difficult to survive in this village because I'm afraid that I might rub the wrong nose--or even ears--because I can't see anything when I remove my spectacles.
10. I have some friends who curse interestingly. This guy cursed me last evening "May all the hair on your head fall but one and let that one hair grow grey"
11. I have close to 13 books lying all over my bed. People think I read a lot. Actually I use these books as head rest instead of pillow, leg rest instead of pillow, hand rest instead of pillow.
12. I heard an amusing fact "Chewing gum while peeling onions will keep you from crying." I wish this also works when I'm crying while my wife beats me.
13. I think even newspapers love shopping. Last evening, this piece of newspaper had stuck on to my shoes all through my one day shopping.
14. Glue works on shirt buttons too. last evening, one of the shirt buttons weaved off of my favorite shirt and I had no time to stitch it. So, I applied glue to paste the button on the shirt and used safety pin from behind so that it looks as if the button is doing the holding. it worked!

Use can creatively use these anecdotes when:

• you're introducing yourself
• you're showing empathy to someone
• building rapport with someone
• like to grab attention of the audience
• like to move from one topic to other through transition statements
• give compliments
• persuade or negotiate with someone
• communicating assertively
• you're trying to say, "No"
• giving feedback
• you're trying resolve conflicts

Father Son Anecdotes

• For my two year old son(Sushrith), "s" is refusing to enter his tongue. He says "k" instead of "s". He calls his mom "kowmi" instead of "sowmi". I want him to say "she sells sea shells on the sea shore", guess what he says "khe kells kea khells...." and I requekt my fakebook friendk not to publikike thik pleak. I hope that kukrith will improve koon
• Cartoon channels must clearly mention that the super-hero programs that they telecast is fictional. Last evening my son was watching He-man where the he-man carries 2 big heavy loaded trucks and throws it on to a building. Meanwhile, I was carrying a small bucket of water sweating my soul out in front of my son. Now, my son thinks that I'm not strong.
• I should stop my son being too creative as it affects my quality of living. Last evening , he was using my shirt hanger as a bike steering. I say "Son, please return the shirt hanger, I must hang my shirt" he goes "Dad, how is my new bike, drrrrrrr....." Now I hang my shirt on one of the door knobs.
• I nominated three people in my life who yell at me the most; 1) My wife, 2) My Manager, and 3) My mother. You know who won? Take a guess?….Yes…you are right…My Son.

More Anecdotes

• Only god knows why I achieve this strange, odd, impossible facial expression only when a passport photograph is taken.
• The only girl who is always friendly with me is the one who guides me in the elevator. she is always kind enough to say "first floor", "third floor", "ground floor". And the best part is, my wife can't stop her by saying "stop talking to my husband"
• Marriages are made in heaven. why don't these couples also make kids in heaven itself so that the earth is saved from over population? I shouldn't be talking about it, though.
• I had been to one of my close relative's marriage last evening. In the marriage hall, I had to smile at many strangers whom I don't even know. For instance, my wife.
• I experience one disadvantage of a long weekend. I tend to forget all the passwords that I use at work. Log in passwords, office email passwords. All that floats in my mind “WOW, What a weekend!!!”
• There are so many telephone numbers in my address book which I've never called for the past 145 years. I have no clue why it is still floating around. I know I am not going call these people, I know that they are not going to call me (In fact, I wonder if they are still alive), But I'm hesitant to throw these telephone numbers. I don't know for what joy I'm still preserving it.
• I had been to an art gallery last evening and I had to spend minimum 3 minutes in deep concentration at each picture though I understood nothing about the picture
• first, I must fit a light bulb along the staircase of my house. Last evening, I was climbing the staircase in the dark and as usual the topmost thread of the staircase had disappeared.
• I have a strange behavior while playing dice games. I overshake the pair of dice in the cup in a mistaken belief that this will affect the eventual outcome in my favor.
• I end up dancing in front of shopkeepers while searching for money in my pockets. I:"How much?" Shopkeeper:"20 bucks" I:"A moment please" hands on shirt pocket;no money. hands on left front pant pocket; no money. hands on right front pant pocket; no money.hands on left back pant pocket; no money. hands on right back pant pocket; money but torn. 
• Both my mother and wife as this habit while shopping. They silently disappear into shops while I end up talking to myself when walking along the busy streets
• I have noticed that, when I search for something, I re-look at the same places where I looked once already. Lost my Office ID-badge? I search for it looking in the drawer, in the TV stand, and in the book-shelf. Now, I hurriedly go back and check again in the drawer, in the TV stand, and in the book-shelf and ask myself "gone nuts?"
• I have noticed that, when I search for something, I re-look at the same places where I looked once already. Lost my Office ID-badge? I search for it looking in the drawer, in the TV stand, and in the book-shelf. Now, I hurriedly go back and check again in the drawer, in the TV stand, and in the book-shelf and ask myself "gone nuts?"
• I know why people don't laugh at my jokes. Hastily trying to impress people, I always give away the punch-line way before the joke
• It is quite easy to communicate with my mother. She puts a question to me and answers it herself. My mom goes "Boy, why are you late? It's 11.30pm" and I go "Mom, I was..." she goes "I know what you are going to say 'mom, I was having an important meeting''' I go "No mom, what I want to say is..." She goes "Shut up your mouth and tell me why are late?"
• I came across this dirt spot on a window, spent 10 minutes trying to remove it before discovering that the dirt is actually on the other side of the glass.
• Very often, this happens to me with strangers in the supermarkets. I meet the same person I've already met in the dairy, provisions, frozen food, beverages and sweets sections. Is that because we both are buying something common or the supermarket itself is designed this way so that I meet strangers as often as possible? I still wonder.

Parent Anecdotes

• I don't know why my mind behaves like this. My mind stops, everytime, when it comes across "Push", "Pull" doors. My mind gets confused for a moment and ask me, "Push is like this?? or...like that????" and I end up spending few more seconds telling my mind "PUSH is like this and not like that, PULL is like that"
• My mother was watching cooking recipes in one of those TV channels. It lasted for 2 hours. And then? As usual we went to the nearest restaurant for dinner. 
• When I was young, my mom once said in a parental warning voice "Never lie, god will prick your eyes if you lie" and I believed her.
• I better use stairs rather than elevators at office to avoid blasting from my mother. Last evening, my office elevator was so crowded that I couldn't move myself an inch. And that is when I got a call from my mom and she hates if I don't pick the call in the first 4 rings and she does not listen to any excuses. I called her after getting out of lift and she goes "Why didn’t you pick the phone? Stuck in the lift again?" as if she is going believe if I "yes".

Kids Anecdotes

• Sometimes it is difficult to guess what kids want. My mom bought a brand new toy car for my first son (two-year old)"packed with a stylish card board box. After few minutes we saw him playing the card board box rather than the toy car. I think, I should suggest my friends and family members to bring him cardboard boxes than any other toys if they plan to gift something to my son.
• My first son (two year old) doesn't obey what I say but my objectives are met anyways. Last evening, I said "say A", He goes, "I will NOT say A", I go "Ok, don't say A, but can you say B?", He goes "I will NOT say B", I go, "How about C, will you say C" he goes, "NEVER will I say C"

Anecdotes are yet another effective verbal communication tools such as use of figure of speech, persuasive words, prosody of speech, appropriate use of structure and content words.
However, you must avoid these verbal communication barriers while you're narrating these anecdotes. It includes verbal speech fillers, judgmental statements, redundancy, generalized statements, Mother Tongue Influence (MTI), and negative words

See AlsoFunny Figure of Speech Speech Examples: Procatalepsis, Irony, Pun, Onomatopoeia...