Telecom Computer Security Databases Handheld Devices Tech. They are best told in person as body language and intonations add greatly to the effect. Their best effect I believe is to open minds, make us more receptive through personal identification and substitition with the 'plot' and the 'players'.
Stories however are very intractible as a persistent knowledge representation and for inference.
Stories often do not 'port' well, because of tacit cultural norms and language nuances. I think Steve Denning is on to something when he talks of 'crafting' springboard stories, i.e. combining elements and sequences to achieve certain objectives.