Knowing Your Audience

Knowing Your Audience

BCOM 275

NOVEMBER 7 2011

TIM WOLFE

Knowing your audience is important for any company but it proves to be even more important when a company must deal with the outcome resulting from a disaster. The disaster of the Chilean copper mine is an example of why knowing your audience is a very important issue. When you are dealing with an audience during an event like the Chilean mine collapse you need to consider how much you need to tell them. And what it is you are going to be telling them. An event like this is something that many people never have to go through. While you are dealing with family and friends of the miner’s you must choose your words wisely. When a disaster of this extent occurs, the company has the obligation to keep the family members knowledgeable of every step of the rescue. It is essential for them to inform the loved ones with as much information as soon as possible. You want to keep them updated and hopeful of the outcome of their friends and family that are trapped in the mine. While the company is communicating the message they must remember that these are loved ones, friends, and co-workers that are receiving this message. And they have to remember the proper use of body language and wording not to send the wrong message in stressful time such as this. Communication between the company and the families of the miners is very important because you don’t want the families to feel like you are keeping something from them. From a BBC News article about the incident a family member says “"We hope they are all fine, but we are also angry because we have no information about our relatives." (BBC News, 2006) You need to assure the families that you are doing everything you can to get the miners out. And keep them updated. Rescuers were able to get a video camera threaded deep underground that captured the first images of the miners, all apparently in good health. The discovery sparked celebrations nationwide and...