“I put my hand up in a geography lesson and asked, ‘Where is Atlantis?’ The whole class burst out laughing. The teacher looked appalled. And I just thought, ‘Is it just me who doesn’t know where it is?’”

This is my own personal (and somewhat embarrassing) story from high school, including the actual words I said at the time. Adding quotes to your stories helps to bring them to life.

Allan, the director of an IT department, was advocating a faster testing strategy. He told his colleagues, “Two months ago, I had to call our biggest customer and say, ‘I know, I promised we’d finish on time. And I’m really sorry. But we just can’t finish the project on time.’” By reporting the exact words from the phone call, he ensured that his audience were emotionally involved.

One quote is usually enough, though it’s also ok to use two. But no more. Otherwise, it becomes a sketch.