The story that entertains a room may cost the person who trusted you with it.

A good anecdote has real value in a room, and the best material usually comes from somebody else’s life. In the moment the calculation feels harmless: they are not here, everyone is laughing, no damage visible. The damage happens later and elsewhere, in how the room thinks about that person and in what they learn about telling you things.

Before the story leaves your mouth, ask whether the person in it would be comfortable in this room. If not, keep it or strip out anything that identifies them.