Nick Morgan has an article in a current issue of Forbes, in which he guarantees success by using one of five classic story forms. Check out his thoughts in the longer article.
I've followed his thoughts and career since 2001 and will have to say I appreciate his efforts generally. But I tend to believe he sells the number of story themes short. Limiting a list to five (literally a "handful") of exemplars does make them easier to remember, but there are many more story forms to consider than he has listed.
Where I do agree is that a well told story illuminates the facts you are presenting and can be the emotional conveyance for how you feel about the facts. Stories can explain, reveal, illustrate, and simplify our concepts. Heck, even a well done case study is simply another kind of story.
Let me know what you think of Morgan's thoughts.