What’s more powerful: People or numbers?

We’re always saying that we need hard data to convince executives to communicate better … but what we really need is hard people. It’s the oldest truism in the business: When it comes to selling communications, executives only buy hard data. They want numbers, the conventional wisdom will tell you. They respond only to statistics. They won’t even open their door unless you have multiple matrices and PowerPoints loaded with charts and graphs and arrows and numbers.