Knowing Your Audience

On August 5, 2010, many hardworking citizens left their homes to go to work like they do on any other regular day. They pack their lunches, kiss their kids, kiss their wives and walk out the door to begin a very long and hard work day. The thought of not seeing their loved ones for sixty nine days never crossed their minds. Later that afternoon, the earth crumbled and settled on top of the minors trapping them; leaving them helpless with no food, water, and very little ventilation. It wasn’t until seventeen days after the incident, that rescuers were able to drill an opening allowing them to communicate with the minors. During a stressful situation like this one, there are many roles that the people involved have to consider. The families of the minors should be thought about first as far as communicating updates on the condition of their loved ones. When addressing the conditions of the victims to the families, there are many lives that will be affected so the delivery of the message needs to be done so with great consideration to the highly sensitive situation. The delivery needs to be proper and the tone of voice needs to be accurate and comforting for the given situation. Also, the employees not involved in the accident will also need to be addressed as well. The messages to the families need to be honest and as truthful as possible but done so with consideration of the sensitivity of the situation. Coworkers will be notified as well, but there may be some information the other coworkers may need to keep confidential to keep from worrying family and friends. The media is also included in this as well. Knowing the audience is critical in delivering the most effective message. The person or persons in charge of delivering such news must be able to remain of sound mind under any circumstances. He or she must be respectful of all parties involved and always deliver the facts without being misleading in any way.

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