If stories play to emotions and past experiences are skewed sometimes by false memories, you can see the advantages of introducing numbers into the conversation. When a storyteller has wandered into fantasyland, the easiest way to bring him or her back to Earth is with data that suggests the journey is either impossible or improbable. Similarly, when a story is so powerful that it overwhelms listeners, all it may take are a few pragmatic questions about what it will take to deliver the promised outcomes to bring listeners back to their senses.
