Important communication skills
May 15, 2013 2:55 PM   Subscribe

 
Your relationship is doomed.
posted by Artw at 3:01 PM on May 15, 2013


Metatalk: this communication is too slow for me to pay attention to
posted by crayz at 3:01 PM on May 15, 2013


So we flame each other until derailed by injokes? Actually that's pretty much how the wife and I communicate.
posted by Ghostride The Whip at 3:03 PM on May 15, 2013 [21 favorites]


I have level 3 Metatalk skills. How many plusses does that get me?
posted by Mad_Carew at 3:04 PM on May 15, 2013 [4 favorites]


Blah blah blah blah...
posted by joelf at 3:06 PM on May 15, 2013


I cast MetaTalkaga!
posted by The Whelk at 3:07 PM on May 15, 2013 [3 favorites]


I have level 3 Metatalk skills. How many plusses does that get me?

That depends, how many ranks did you take in Snark? You may get the synergy bonus.
posted by radwolf76 at 3:07 PM on May 15, 2013 [3 favorites]


I have two questions, do Psychology departments have boxes for these guys, and can I subscribe to their newsletters?
posted by Blasdelb at 3:08 PM on May 15, 2013 [1 favorite]


So we've all been using the wrong awareness bubble?
posted by Kabanos at 3:18 PM on May 15, 2013


Blasdelb: this guy sounds like he is a therapist referencing the second order cybernetics variant of systems theory. Not exactly mainstream, but it is its own thing and not something this guy invented (and if you think cybernetics is crackpot, start with Mead, Bateson, Maturana, Von Foerster, not this guy).
posted by idiopath at 3:18 PM on May 15, 2013 [1 favorite]


"E stands for Emotion. Our emotions, as you know, go up and down moment by moment. When your emotions are metaphorically above your ears, when you have intense emotions, often that interferes with your ability to hear. So its important to pay attention to, in important conversations, WHERE IS YOUR E LEVEL! *points finger* Is it below the ears? Meaning, can you hear me? or is it above your ears, where your hearing is impaired?"

I just want to pause for a moment and give thanks to God that I am not married to this man.
posted by Blasdelb at 3:18 PM on May 15, 2013 [9 favorites]


Life could suck worse. This dude could be your therapist.
posted by spitbull at 3:20 PM on May 15, 2013 [1 favorite]


This belongs in MetaMetaTalk.
posted by Apropos of Something at 3:23 PM on May 15, 2013 [1 favorite]


"One of these skills is called meta-talk. You might say, well, that's that? Meta-writing is writing about writing. Meta-dancing is dancing about dancing."

This does not illuminate the concept.
posted by bicyclefish at 3:25 PM on May 15, 2013 [11 favorites]


I want to stop listening, but I can't help myself, there are too many unanswered questions. Is E level really something idiosyncratic to him, what is this dude smoking, if I could find it would I want some, WHY IS THERE A COCK TAG?
posted by Blasdelb at 3:26 PM on May 15, 2013 [5 favorites]


Needs more tags.
posted by hamandcheese at 3:27 PM on May 15, 2013 [1 favorite]


Needs more drugs.
posted by spitbull at 3:31 PM on May 15, 2013 [1 favorite]


"A meta comment might sound like: You know Lucy I have a feeling that your E leel is above your ears, that is a meta comment, no criticism - no problem solving, its information. See?"

Oh god this bastard would fit in perfectly here.
posted by Blasdelb at 3:36 PM on May 15, 2013 [8 favorites]


Take it to MetaTalk.

Alphabet game, anyone?
posted by twoleftfeet at 3:38 PM on May 15, 2013


If he's found stabbed just above the ear his partner can show this to the judge.
posted by billiebee at 3:51 PM on May 15, 2013 [2 favorites]


I wasn't comfortable with his use of "variable" when applied to the use of eye contact.
posted by coolxcool=rad at 3:56 PM on May 15, 2013


Listening to him reminded me a bit much of Eckhart Tolle. Now I feel like I need to take amphetamines to get back to normal.
posted by Mooski at 4:04 PM on May 15, 2013 [1 favorite]


The fact that he's wearing a t-shirt and appears to be sitting in a hospital room gives off less of a psychotherapist vibe and more a plain old psycho vibe.
posted by randomkeystrike at 4:05 PM on May 15, 2013 [6 favorites]


I wasn't comfortable with his t-shirt.
posted by thinkpiece at 4:06 PM on May 15, 2013 [2 favorites]


randomkeystrike!! holla!
posted by thinkpiece at 4:07 PM on May 15, 2013 [3 favorites]


Mooski: "Listening to him reminded me a bit much of Eckhart Tolle"

Not a coincidence I don't think, Tolle is also heavily influenced by post-Bateson systems psychology.

But anyway, who cares about the content, this is just a point and laugh post.
posted by idiopath at 4:09 PM on May 15, 2013


But anyway, who cares about the content, this is just a point and laugh post.

Yeah, I thought it was going to be deleted as well. But thanks for the link on systems psychology.
posted by coolxcool=rad at 4:13 PM on May 15, 2013


> if you think cybernetics is crackpot, start with Mead, Bateson, Maturana, Von Foerster, not this guy

Why not Norbert Weiner?
posted by jfuller at 4:15 PM on May 15, 2013 [2 favorites]


Yuck. Mostly garbage . +(
posted by coolxcool=rad at 4:16 PM on May 15, 2013


jfuller: Weiner is first order, he was on good terms with the second order crowd, but there is a definite difference between first and second order (not that I think either are crackpots).
posted by idiopath at 4:18 PM on May 15, 2013


This is the kind of video you need to watch after spending your entire life playing of World of Warcraft. This is some top shelf living in mom's basement type shit.
posted by phaedon at 4:20 PM on May 15, 2013


*cough*
posted by jonmc at 4:23 PM on May 15, 2013 [3 favorites]


Why is he making his video on a hospital bed?
posted by KokuRyu at 4:33 PM on May 15, 2013


Alphabet game, anyone?

The game is on!

Thanks, Brandon.
posted by twoleftfeet at 4:34 PM on May 15, 2013 [1 favorite]


He is a professional communicator. Some respect please.
posted by spitbull at 4:35 PM on May 15, 2013


Shouldn't a professional communicator be able to say things in such a way that I want to listen to them?
posted by orange swan at 4:37 PM on May 15, 2013 [2 favorites]


The guy's other videos are even more obviously made in a hospital room. No question about it.

I am not so sure this needs to be on Metafilter all of a sudden.
posted by spitbull at 4:39 PM on May 15, 2013 [1 favorite]


But since it's staying up, more context: Mr. Gerlach has a website at sfhelp.org

You click the little welcome mat to find the content. It's very GeoCities 2001.
posted by spitbull at 4:42 PM on May 15, 2013


I love that most of the recommended videos going along with this one are Caillou. They really do go together well.
posted by alms at 5:02 PM on May 15, 2013 [3 favorites]


Yikes. Not interesting enough to put up with that whistling noise he makes when he talks. It was like nails on a chalkboard after a while.
(I just realized how close the time is when most kids won't know what that sounds like!)
posted by Edna Million at 5:12 PM on May 15, 2013 [1 favorite]


This guy reminds me of the husband of an occasional employee where I work. He is megasmart but sounds and looks almost just like this guy. He's not a therapist or I would have SWORN it was the same dude.

And, yeah.
posted by St. Alia of the Bunnies at 5:39 PM on May 15, 2013


Metatalk
posted by mkultra at 7:07 PM on May 15, 2013


Ha, I stumbled onto this recently by lazily trying to load metatalk from a tablet. I was confuse and stone
posted by lordaych at 8:33 PM on May 15, 2013


Shouldn't a professional communicator be able to say things in such a way that I want to listen to them?

He needs to see a therapist. A family systems therapist, perhaps...
posted by PeterMcDermott at 9:40 PM on May 15, 2013


The guy is 70+ years old, so, yeah, he looks a little decrepit, but as a person of ageness, I feel a need to defend him, even though he says he "evolved" his "system." How many 70-year-olds can use youtube anyway? I suspect he had some young people helping him but that's because I'm a self-hating age-ist pig.
posted by Obscure Reference at 6:04 AM on May 16, 2013


On the one hand, this guy has a culturally limited view of how humans should interact and is so in love with jargon that even if he had a point he wouldn't be able to get it across. On the other hand, I like the image of emotions hovering above or below the ears.
posted by croutonsupafreak at 7:24 PM on May 16, 2013 [1 favorite]


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