Knowing Your Audience

Knowing Your Audience

A company or represent of the company must note the critical component to delivering and communicating a message in the event of a catastrophe or disaster. Comprehension of his or her audience is vital for the delivery and design of all communications. A poor understanding of the recipients of the message can lead to issues in miscommunication, resentment, and uncertainty. The mining company must communicate quickly and accurately to ensure creditability with the audience, such as in the small copper mine collapse, in northern Chile.

The world watched curiously for more than two months, as rescue efforts transpired for 33 Chilean miners trapped 2000 feet underground (Volk, 2011). Jeff Hart, one the rescuers, operated the Schramm T130XD drilling rig in an attempt to reach the miners with no official confirmation if the miners were alive (Another Look at Plan B -- The Effort that Rescued 33 Chilean Miners, 2010). The miners trapped for more than four days with limited food, water, and oxygen (Weik, 2010). When managing and reporting on sensitive information, the representative of the San José mine owned by Minera San Esteban Primera must consider the blend of cultures, values, and needs of each receiver of his or her message. Everything counts when eyes are on the speaker, the audience will observe every gesture, posture, eye contact used (or lack of), and vocal inflictions (Cheesebro, O'Connor, & Rios, 2010). The representative of the mining company must deliver the first official communications with clarity, reassurance, and empathy.

In order for Chile's president Sebastián Piñera to establish trust of the community and families he must take into account the language barriers, not all words translate the same to all parties, and specific information instead of general with all communications (Cheesebro, O'Connor, & Rios, 2010). According to Volk (2011), Chile’s president Sebastián Piñera had a great deal to gamble and gain with his...