I get so much out of reading Seth Godin's posts because he puts words and perspective to many of the common frustrations we encounter at work. His precision around communications is just so, so useful such as this post on how to win an argument with a scientist.
Seth's point is to know when to stop talking and charting and start to regrouping and trying another angle. This trick is knowing when additional data and logic has ceased to persuade your audience. Recognizing this this point-- which may come at time between the spark of an idea and full implementation-- saves tons of frustration and rework.
To make it a little personal, I'm interested in nutrition. The more science the better. I'm a complete sucker for any food-related headline starting with, "New study shows...."I'll read and consider it especially if it relates to the benefits of wine and chocolate.
Conversely, I'm completely uninterested in an electric toothbrush. I couldn't care less about how many dentists agree and actually get annoyed when certain people keep pointing to the science. A plain ol' toothbrush and floss seem to work great for me and I might resort to posting my cavity to cavity count scorecard in the bathroom if those same certain people persist.
We accept and embrace science when it jives with how we already see the world. This truth doesn't mean that we can't be convinced to change our minds, it just means that we have to examine other angles. This is the fundamental challenge of communications at work and what makes coming up wit the strategy so interesting.