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I Assume You’re Assuming Too Much …
July 27, 2021
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I tell people to never assume. Assumptions are based on general knowledge acquired through personal experience and perceived understanding. But there are some things you cannot anticipate.
She Took It literally …
My story involves the placement of a radio “Job Opening” with the customary, “No Calls Please.” I assumed it was self-explanatory and not open to interpretation -- wrong assumption on my part. Here’s my text exchange with an air personality.Air Talent: Hi, Sam, I hope you enjoyed your weekend. I wanted to know, after applying online and e-mailing my package, when is it ok to reach out to the PD? Is it a good idea or bad idea?
Coach: It all depends on how you do it. If you want to know if your package was received, there is a little trick you can use. Send an e-mail stating that you are checking to make sure they got your information and that it did not go to spam. For some reason this seems to always trigger a response. Apparently, everyone has found things in spam which should not have gone there, I guess it’s some sort of “I can relate” thing.
Air Talent: Most companies nowadays say, "no phone calls, please," so I was under the assumption that following up was an outdated practice. I never considered an email as an option. I assumed no phone calls meant "don't contact us at all about this position."
Coach: No, it just means no phone calls.
Air Talent: Gotcha. Thanks for the clarification. I will be sure to send an email to the job I applied for by tomorrow. Thank you.
Not All Common Knowledge Is Known ...
Whenever I get question like the one I just told you about, it reminds me of assumptions I have made. There was a time all of us were regular citizens, actual listeners. Come on, confess, when you were young, how many of you thought all the air personalities you listened to, lived at the station? Come on, admit it, don't feel bad. I can remember listeners calling stations where I worked and asking for the hosts of syndicated shows -- not realizing these air personalities were recorded in advance from some studio in New York or Los Angeles.Sam The Interpreter ...
There was a situation at one station where the other air personalities were coming to me for an explanation of what our Program Director (PD) was saying in his memos. These were smart people, but I had worked with the PD elsewhere and understood that his well-written directives read like great literature instead of simple explanations. I can still hear myself saying, “he meant to say back sell one song, and pre-promote the first song coming out of the commercial stop-set.” That PD assumed the entire air staff understood his memos.Promise Yourself …
Starting today, never again assume anything that could be open to the slightest of interpretation. Also, when you’re doing the talking or writing, be clear and use examples to increase the possibility others will understand and not resort to assuming. Oh, and there is one more thing that contributes to the assuming issue. I call “the abbreviation epidemic.” The ongoing nuance of shortening words and labels by abbreviating. When you speak, too many of us are trying to figure out inside our heads what you're saying when you abbreviate. OMG, please stop. Oops, I meant to say Oh-My-God stop. And you thought I didn’t practice what I preached. LOL -
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