The author of this book describes what happens when a story, parred down to it's bare bones, with core element including a single protagonist, a problem and a happy ending.

Ever been in a traditional meeting where they use charts and graphs to try to get you to adopt their ideas? It tends to unleash that nit-picking behavior all of our academic training prepares us for - that number is wrong, etc.

A meeting where you come armed with a story does the opposite: your audience starts from a place where they are listening and comparing your story to their own lives. By the end, they are asking, "Could we?" and "Imagine if..."