What is meant by facts and examples 

Facts are things that are known or proven to be true. They include statistics which are pieces of numerical data - for example, the size of a country, the proportion of people who like pizza, the number of fish in the average lake.

Alongside facts which might include quantifiable data - numbers - it is also helpful to share examples. This helps your listeners to imagine how your argument or ideas might apply to ‘real life’.

Why facts and examples can support communication 

Facts and statistics are important when speaking because they provide evidence that adds truth to the argument that you are making. Proper use of facts and statistics make it more difficult for other people to disagree with you and will be more effective in convincing people of your argument.

When used well, facts and statistics are also interesting – they might help someone to learn something new, and humans respond positively to learning new things.

Examples are also important because humans are hardwired to appreciate stories. Good examples tend to support a narrative and include:

• Where: A context that people can understand
• Who: An individual or group who are affected by a problem
• Why: An explanation of why this is a problem
• How: A connection with how your solution could help solve the problem

What: A call to take some action or implement an idea

How to use facts and examples effectively when communicating

Using facts and examples effectively is all about using them at the right moment when you are speaking - and not using them too much!

Facts or statistics must be relevant to the argument that you are making or what you are saying otherwise they become distractions. They should also be accurate, or you can quickly lose the trust of your listeners, and they stop listening to what you are saying. You should be able to say where your facts are from and why they are reliable.

Similarly, the examples you choose should help to strengthen your points and help create a clear story so it is important to pick them carefully.

One simple structure that is widely used for sharing an argument is:

• Opinion
• Rationale
• Facts or statistics that justify your opinion
• An example of what this looks like in reality
• Conclusion that restates your opinion, connected to facts and the example

An even simpler model is to use: [My opinion] because [Facts]. For example, [example]. 

This sort of approach is the basis of debating, where individuals talk about different topics and present different ideas or arguments about them – the team who speaks most convincingly about a topic wins.