Bcom 275 Knowing Your Audience Analysis
Knowing Your Audience
BCOM/275 Business Communication and Critical Thinking
07 October 2012
Knowing Your Audience
News of a tragedy quickly spreads through towns and cities where such events take place. Often they can spread to a larger audience to encompass a whole state or country surrounding the incident. However, every once in a while there is the one headline that grabs the attention of the entire world. This is no more evident than the San Jose mine collapse in the Atacama region of Chile back on August 5, 2010. Although many accidents and deaths happen in the mining industry each year worldwide, the United States recorded about 12,000 injuries and deaths for 2006-2007 according the United States Department of Labor (n.d.), none in recent memory had gathered so much attention as did the collapse mine in the northern parts of Chile that trapped 33 miners riveted a world.
When the interested audience is as large as the world, the type and method of delivery for information is different from presenting information to a small town and the family members of those involved in the incident. The essence of the information must take on additional layers of responsibility when expressed from patriotic to political. When communicating information out to the world audience, the audience looks back at not only the …show more content…
mining company but also the Chilean government. Just like how the United States government is looked at for how they handle situations that occur within their country. This added layer of responsibility has to be taken into consideration with the information communicated. No one wants to look bad to the world audience which that acts like a court of public opinion.
Communication Needs of the Miner’s Families
When the mining company’s representative communicate to the families of the lost miners, it is very important to be considerate of the emotional distress news like this would bring to them. It is best to communicate this in person instead of over the phone or through a written form. The news must be delivered with empathy and understanding the different stages of grief, including anger and disbelief.
Questions will be asked, and when answering the questions, the presenter’s message must take care not to make any promises that the company is not prepared to fulfill. Answers must be given as honest and truthful as possible. As new information is available relating to trapped miners, the company should make sure to notify the family first of developments before going to the media. There is an inherent trust given from the recipient to the presenter based on promises made. The family will be facing a lot, and broken trust should not be one of them. It would be terrible for the family to hear news, especially bad news from a news source over a company repetitive.
Communication Needs for Company’s Employees
When the leadership of the mining company addresses its employees regarding the mining accident, the method of delivery should be in a group meeting setting that allow an open forum of communication after the delivery of information. Using e-mail or a company memorandum does not allow for employees to ask additional questions and receive answers as available to those questions.
Just like with the trapped miner’s families, the employees will have many questions that could include how the accident happened and what the company will do to rescue the miners and what the company will do going forward to ensure the safety of its employees.
The leadership should try to preempt as many of these questions before the meeting to have them presented. The more prepared leadership is, the more relieved the employees will be that everything is being addressed. The tone of the message should be of confidence when delivering the message so the employees can have a feeling of confidence that their employer is doing the right
thing.
Conclusion
The necessary communication the mining company would do need to do for the trapped miners families as well as the employees are similar in truthfulness and delivery options. It is important the company is honest with both audiences and keeps promises, and to allow time for both audiences to ask questions to be answered to ensure their message was properly received and understood. Whereas the delivery and message will have many similarities, differences will lie in the tone and empathy. Employees need a strong leadership and sense of pride. The trapped miner’s families need empathy and comfort when coping with tragedy and awaiting an outcome.
References United States Deparment of Labor. (n.d.). Injury Trends in Mining. Retrieved from http://www.msha.gov/MSHAINFO/FactSheets/MSHAFCT2.HTM
BCOM/275 Business Communication and Critical Thinking
07 October 2012
Knowing Your Audience
News of a tragedy quickly spreads through towns and cities where such events take place. Often they can spread to a larger audience to encompass a whole state or country surrounding the incident. However, every once in a while there is the one headline that grabs the attention of the entire world. This is no more evident than the San Jose mine collapse in the Atacama region of Chile back on August 5, 2010. Although many accidents and deaths happen in the mining industry each year worldwide, the United States recorded about 12,000 injuries and deaths for 2006-2007 according the United States Department of Labor (n.d.), none in recent memory had gathered so much attention as did the collapse mine in the northern parts of Chile that trapped 33 miners riveted a world.
When the interested audience is as large as the world, the type and method of delivery for information is different from presenting information to a small town and the family members of those involved in the incident. The essence of the information must take on additional layers of responsibility when expressed from patriotic to political. When communicating information out to the world audience, the audience looks back at not only the …show more content…
mining company but also the Chilean government. Just like how the United States government is looked at for how they handle situations that occur within their country. This added layer of responsibility has to be taken into consideration with the information communicated. No one wants to look bad to the world audience which that acts like a court of public opinion.
Communication Needs of the Miner’s Families
When the mining company’s representative communicate to the families of the lost miners, it is very important to be considerate of the emotional distress news like this would bring to them. It is best to communicate this in person instead of over the phone or through a written form. The news must be delivered with empathy and understanding the different stages of grief, including anger and disbelief.
Questions will be asked, and when answering the questions, the presenter’s message must take care not to make any promises that the company is not prepared to fulfill. Answers must be given as honest and truthful as possible. As new information is available relating to trapped miners, the company should make sure to notify the family first of developments before going to the media. There is an inherent trust given from the recipient to the presenter based on promises made. The family will be facing a lot, and broken trust should not be one of them. It would be terrible for the family to hear news, especially bad news from a news source over a company repetitive.
Communication Needs for Company’s Employees
When the leadership of the mining company addresses its employees regarding the mining accident, the method of delivery should be in a group meeting setting that allow an open forum of communication after the delivery of information. Using e-mail or a company memorandum does not allow for employees to ask additional questions and receive answers as available to those questions.
Just like with the trapped miner’s families, the employees will have many questions that could include how the accident happened and what the company will do to rescue the miners and what the company will do going forward to ensure the safety of its employees.
The leadership should try to preempt as many of these questions before the meeting to have them presented. The more prepared leadership is, the more relieved the employees will be that everything is being addressed. The tone of the message should be of confidence when delivering the message so the employees can have a feeling of confidence that their employer is doing the right
thing.
Conclusion
The necessary communication the mining company would do need to do for the trapped miners families as well as the employees are similar in truthfulness and delivery options. It is important the company is honest with both audiences and keeps promises, and to allow time for both audiences to ask questions to be answered to ensure their message was properly received and understood. Whereas the delivery and message will have many similarities, differences will lie in the tone and empathy. Employees need a strong leadership and sense of pride. The trapped miner’s families need empathy and comfort when coping with tragedy and awaiting an outcome.
References United States Deparment of Labor. (n.d.). Injury Trends in Mining. Retrieved from http://www.msha.gov/MSHAINFO/FactSheets/MSHAFCT2.HTM