In this excerpt from the CantGetRight podcast, Richard explains how, in his military background, speaking in a calm tone often failed to capture attention, prompting him to raise his voice to command focus. He describes a specific incident where yelling "at ease" silenced the room and ensured his point was heard. The other participants—Speakers B, C, and D—react with confusion, humor, and challenge, questioning whether yelling is necessary and commenting on the chaotic, overlapping nature of the conversation. The dialogue highlights the tension between using volume as a tool for authority, the frustration of being interrupted, and concerns about studio etiquette when multiple voices compete for attention. The overall tone is informal, slightly confrontational, and reflective of real‑time group dynamics in a podcast setting.
Chapters
How important for you Richard to be heard also? It's important because with me I say things that I think— I said jokingly when I'm trying to decrease my pacifity of what I'm trying to talk about.
What the hell did you just say?
Okay, we know you got degrees.
Yeah, yeah, hey, hey! You used the word earlier.
Everybody looked around like, what word is that? What word was it? I don't know. Exactly. No, but hold on. But as he's trying to be heard, we're offended. We, we are cutting him off by his words because we're trying to gain an understanding.
Okay, make sure we're all on the same page. I love—
she don't know I'm setting up for something later on, but go ahead.
I'm sorry.
When in the military, when I'm talking at the calm tone, nobody's paying attention. O-SARS kick in and he just yells, hey, everybody's attention. Don't do that.
Don't do that when I'm talking in the calm tone.
Why? I have everybody's attention when I do that because when I'm talking, I'm making a point. I'm making a point. But when, when I talk in a calm tone, sometimes I'm constantly totally ignored. But when I have to raise my voice, everybody stops what they're doing to find out why did I raise my voice. That was a perfect example of what I have to do when I get everybody's attention to understand that something is bothering me and nobody's paying attention.
I thought Rich was about to beat everybody up. I was scared.
Like when I was using a word and nobody understood it, everybody was talking over it. When I yelled at ease, the room got quiet. Now everybody hears what I'm saying.
So do you think that you gotta yell to be heard?
No, I took command of the volume in the room that allowed me to be heard. So, so let me just say this, uh, I don't do that at all. The studio is surrounded with other people. And we would like to have a studio next week.
