Surprisingly, when they sent their resumes, the emails did not have a subject line, any text on the email or signature. They opened the compose section, attached the resume and clicked ‘Send’!
I was really shocked and I was upset. When I told another senior trainer about this, she said “Kolandhainga thane, Balaji.” (They are just kids, Balaji)
That was an eye-opener for me. After being a communication coach for 4 years and telling all my trainees about knowing their audience, I forgot about it. Most of the students in the college were from places where they barely had access or exposure to the internet or emails. They might not have known anything about formal emails because not many of them had had the chance to go to good schools. So, it was my job to make them aware of how formal Emails should be written.
It’s always better to ask than assume what the participants already know. However, if our predictions of the participants’ existing knowledge go wrong, it’s never too late to do a course correction. Reach out to others in the field. I am sure there are always many people to help!
Life is beautiful!