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Preparing Your Examples for the Workshop

You know good examples matter. You’ve been asked to prepare them. But here’s what most people miss: the best examples require you to pick up the phone.

Why the First Draft Often Falls Short

When teams prepare examples for our workshop, they typically pull from memory or skim old reports. The result? Vague approximations:

  • “We helped a small business grow significantly”
  • “Our tool saved clients considerable time”
  • “Partners saw meaningful improvement”

These aren’t examples. They’re placeholders wearing example costumes.

What Actually Makes an Example Work

A strong example delivers what I call “factual nuggets”—concrete details that let listeners see what happened:

In addition, at least one of your examples should do more than show success—it should directly reduce doubt. Think about the most likely reservation, skepticism, or objection your listener might have, and prepare one example that quietly answers it with facts. This is how examples don’t just inform, but disarm concerns before they are spoken.

  • Time: When did it happen?
  • Place: Where did it occur?
  • Numbers: How many, how fast, how big?
  • Visuals: What does it look like?
  • Names: Who was involved?
  • Quotes: What was actually said?

Aim for three to four nuggets minimum.

Here’s the difference:

Weak: “Our platform helped a nonprofit increase donations.”

Strong: “Last October, Detroit Youth Arts used our platform to launch a 72-hour giving campaign.
They raised $43,000 from 312 donors—triple their previous record. Their director told me, ‘We hit our goal in
the first 18 hours. I actually called to ask if your system was broken.'”

Notice what changed? Not your memory—your effort.

The Missing Step: Make the Call

The second example exists because someone picked up the phone. They asked:

  • “What month was this?”
  • “How much did you raise, exactly?”
  • “What did you say when you saw the numbers?”

Real examples require real reporting. You cannot manufacture specificity from thin air. You must extract it from people who were there.

Your Assignment Before Our Workshop

Select three benefits your product delivers. For each one:

  1. Identify who experienced it — Name the client, team member, or partner
  2. Call them — Five minutes. Ask for numbers, dates, quotes, visual details
  3. Write 3–4 sentences — Include at least three factual nuggets

Make sure one of the three examples specifically or implicitly addresses a concern your audience is likely to have (risk, cost, effectiveness, quality, timing, turf battles, etc.).

Don’t settle for “I think it was about 30%” or “sometime last year.” Get the actual figure. Pin down the month. Capture their exact words.

Why This Matters Beyond the Workshop

When you lead with concrete examples, two things happen:

Trust arrives faster. Specificity signals you know what you’re talking about because you were paying attention.

Listeners picture it. Abstract claims require mental translation. Examples let people see your impact unfold.

In my four-step persuasion framework, examples are Step 2: building trust through evidence. Skip this step and you’re asking people to believe you on faith alone.

Make It Standard Practice

Before your next pitch, proposal, or presentation:

  • Write “for example” in your notes three times
  • Pick up the phone to fill in what follows
  • Aim for nuggets that answer: when, where, how many, what it looked like, who said what

The phrase “for example” signals proof is coming. Make sure you deliver proof worth hearing.

See you at the workshop.