This is the biggest problem in analytics today.
The most basic way to get someone's attention is this: Break a pattern.
Create a need for closure.
What looks like a people problem is often a situation problem.
Many armies fail because they put all their emphasis into creating a plan that becomes useless ten minutes into the battle
Mental simulation is not as good as actually doing something. But it's the next best thing. And the right kind of a story is a simulation.