The Best Anecdote for the Occasion

When you are getting to know someone or when you join a new group of people you find yourself telling stories as a more indirect way to share your views on life. I’ve been on panels or in group meetings and encouraged everyone to share something interesting or that most people don’t know about them. This is when you are shocked to find out that someone is a twin. An author at a book reading uses the same technique to get acclimated to new groups but gets everyone to tell an embarrassing story about themselves. This makes people more vulnerable and bonds form quicker. How do you keep track of these stories and know what are the best ones for which occasion? Can you carry around a stack of blue cards like a talk show host? Or do you just periodically review the details of your life, mining it for the best stories?