Knowing Your Audience

Knowing Your Audience

In early August 2010, 33 miners were trapped below the ground after a rock collapsed and sealed off the exit tunnel at the San Jose Mine (Jennifer, 2010). The miners were stuck about 300 meters beneath the ground surface with insufficient food, water, and lack of ventilation (Jennifer, 2010). With the miners completely isolated and no communication channels available, the family members of these miners and the rest world have no idea how many miners were trapped and what conditions they were in. In the midst of this tragedy, the mine company has the daunting task of communicating to various audiences about this incident and its rescue missions.

Considerations for the Audience

Certainly, these types of unforeseen circumstances are hard to deal with, especially by the family members. The mining company has a role to play when such disasters happen. They have to answer to the family members of the mine workers, the authorities, the media, and the public. First, the company needs to notify families of those involved. In addition, the mining company needs to communicate to the local authorities so that the company can be assisted in rescue efforts. Also the media and the public will need their questions answered. This kind of communication has to be treated with patience because at any time the situation can get hostile. Media and public can get very frustrated if their questions are not answered by the company.

Potential Needs of the Family

In this situation, the mining company needs to put in extra effort when communicating with the families because the potential needs of these families in this type of situation have changed. These families are yearning for their loved ones. An advantage for the company is that it is a local company and language is not a barrier when communicating with the family members. When notifying the immediate family members, the mining company needs to send someone in a superior position. This type of action will...