The Rabbi and The Shrink

#18: Dave Bricker - The Meta-truth of Storytelling

July 01, 2021 Rabbi Yonason Goldson and Dr. Margarita Gurri, CSP Episode 18
The Rabbi and The Shrink
#18: Dave Bricker - The Meta-truth of Storytelling
Show Notes

Does lying ever serve a higher truth?

Why is it better to be a journeyist than a journalist?

Is marketing ever more than manipulation?


Learn the answer to these and other fascinating topics as the Rabbi and the Shrink discuss the interplay between fact and fiction with business presentation coach and storysailor Dave Bricker.


https://storysailing.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/davidbricker/



1:30  Do the stories we tell have to be 100% true?

Our job as storytellers is to transport the audience

Be a journeyist, not a journalist: 

Your story is a metaphor to inspire and teach

The story vs. the meta-story


“Disbelieve everything I say; I am telling the truth.”

How much creative license are we allowed?


Life doesn’t unfold in a neat order

Blend details for narrative effect


Miracle -- a true story that embellishes facts


9:00 When is the truth not good enough?

Drama vs. documentary

Don’t we all have different versions of the truth, anyway?

You can end up being accurate but not interesting


14:00 At what point am I fabricating?

Should we be teaching children about Santa Claus?

The unpleasant history of our most enduring children’s story


19:00 The Hebrew words for truth and falsehood contain deeper meanings

“Distance yourself from a false word or thing”

When is it truthful to lie?

There’s more to truth than facts…

But now we can rationalize anything


How Aaron the High Priest brought people closer together


22:30  What’s the difference between a salesperson and a con artist?

One delivers on his or her promises


The difference between fooling people and delighting them


The psychology of marketing: service or manipulation?

Don’t I have a duty to convince others of the value I can provide them?

Does it matter what you bait the hook with?


28:00 Political and religious evangelism

Pushing vs. pulling in sales

If we don’t believe in ourselves or in those we serve, we resort to unethical tactics


33:00 Sometimes intention makes all the difference, sometimes no difference

That’s the grayness of ethics with which we have to grapple

Fictionalizing the truth?

Narrative vs. parable


Stories carry truth better than facts


39:00 Word of the day:  Streeteries -- restaurants that move their establishment onto the street because of COVID

Words evolve as culture evolves

It’s important to preserve the integrity of language and thought while adapting to a changing world

Ethical principles don’t change but situations do, so we’re called on us to navigate the complexities of life by following our moral compass


42:00  Is it possible to stay neutral when telling a story?

Always take a position of service and promote transformation


43:30  James Thurbur’s retelling of Little Red Riding Hood

Classic stories evolve into classic spinoffs

The lessons keep giving