KNOWING YOUR AUDIENCE PAPER AND COMMUNICATION RELEASE

William Challenor BCom/275 9 Apr 2012 Reinaldo Fernandez

Knowing Your Audience Paper And Communication Release Knowing your audience is a major component of communication of any kind. By knowing the proper type of communication to use and the proper information to include in your message, will ensure that the recipients will understand the message being delivered. Knowing your audience will ensure that the message is delivered appropriately and that the audience completely understands the message without any misunderstandings or confusion. In the event of a disaster or other catastrophe, knowing the audience that you will be delivering this message to is extremely vital and important. The communications that went out to the public and families of the Chilean miners of the copper mine collapse in South America will reflect the importance of knowing your audience in this essay. On August 5, 2010, a small copper mine in northern Chile collapsed trapping inside of it 33 miners (Weik, 2010). The 33 miners were trapped 300 meters below ground with very little food, oxygen or water. News of the collapse spread around the world and many feared that the miners would all perish before being rescued (Illiano, Wade, 2010). The world held a collective breath when after seventeen days of drilling contact was made and all 33 miners appeared to have survived the ordeal. Initially the miners were told that it would take up to 4 months to pull them up to the surface (Guardian.co.uk, 2010). A total of 69 days after the collapse, the first miner was pulled up by s specifically designed steel capsule (Illiano, Wade, 2010). One by one each of the 33 miners were rescued to safety. Chilean President Sebastian Pinera stated that he would launch an extensive investigation into the incident (Weik, 2010). When the miners were asked how they survived such an ordeal, they stated

that they each ate about 2 teaspoons of tuna and one biscuit/cracker along with a sip of milk every 2 days (Time.com, 2010). Communication to employees The small San Jose copper mine was owned by a company called Minera San Esteban Primera. The Minera San Esteban Primera Company does not have a good track record over the years in regards to safety, which have included several fatal accidents at the worksites. The person issuing a public statement regarding the Chilean copper mine collapse must know the audience that is receiving the message. In a case like this, The company should the company must be aware that this will shed a very bleak picture of their company to the recipients. understand what their employees might need to here from them. Employees would need to be assured that measures will be taken to improve work conditions, which will make for a safer work environment. The employees would also need to hear that the The company can address company is going to compensate the workers appropriately for working in such dangerous conditions. risk management (ORM) program. these issues by establishing some type of safety or operational As for the compensation, the company could tell the employees that a workers compensation program is being developed, which would enable the workers to be at ease if something like this were to happen again. about them and not just the money. This would also show the employees that the company does actually care Also, when communicating to the employees the company can acknowledge or accept their failures to ensure a safe work environment. Communication to families

Communicating with family is the difficult part for the company. The families will require a lot more details and for the person delivering the message to be sensitive to the families current state of mind. As for the details, the family will want to know They will also need to be given what and how this happened. ones.

information about what the company is doing to save their loved By giving this information the family will be a little Now to the less hostile toward the company, knowing that everything possible is being done to save their family members. part about being sensitive, the person delivering the message must understand that the families are in a fragile state of mind at the moment. The company spokesman could show compassion by A group setting is staying throughout the rescue and talking to each family individually rather than in a group setting. too impersonal. The tone that the spokesman will go a long way towards showing sympathy for the families and their loved ones. The company must also keep in mind that there will be several precautions that they will need to take prior to delivering the messages. One is that the company has an obligation to ensure that the family of the victims be notified before they are made aware of this by the media. They must also keep the family updated as the rescue progresses. Because the family members may be emotional and distressed over the event, every communication to them must be delivered in a compassionate and tactful manner. The company must also be time sensitive when delivering the message(s) to the family members. When delivering the message to the media, the company must ensure to provide factual information delivered in a professional manner.

Draft Communication to the Families of the Miners

Initial Communication with Miners Families It is with deep regret that I most inform you of the recent accident at the Minera San Esteban Primera Mine. At 2:00 p.m. today, reports came into the office stating one of our mines had collapsed. Initially the trapped miner tried to escape through a ventilation shaft, but was unsuccessful. Rescuers are attempting to drill holes to locate the workers (Weik, 2010). We are doing everything to ensure the safe return of your loved ones. Communication with Miners Families August 8, 2010 I regret to inform you that our recent attempt to drill holes to the miners has had a temporary setback. As workers were trying to descend through the ventilation shaft another cave in blocked their way. We have come up with a plan to bore a six inch hole to locate the exact location of the survivors. Communication to families on August 22, 2010 I am happy to report the rescue plan was successful; the bore hole has reached your loved ones. They have sent a message saying they are alive and well. Food, water, and lights are being sent down the bore hole to the survivors. Rescuers plan to widen the hole to enable the miners to be pulled out one by one. This will be a long process because rescue workers will have to drill through several layers of hard rock. We need to carve out a hole 26 inches in diameter to pull out each miner. The estimated time for drilling this hole ranges from 30 days to four months. The reason it will take this long is that the drill can cut through only 50 feet of rock a day and if a drill bit breaks it will slow down the process (Parry & Rettner, 2010). The Chilean government is consulting with National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) on how to keep the miners mentally and physically fit during their confinement. During their confinement the miner will be able to send and receive messages from you through the bore hole.

In conclusion, company must be aware of their audience. For the employees, they must be assured that every precaution is being made to ensure a safe work environment and that if something were to happen to them, the company would take care of them. For the family, they must be assured that everything is being done to save their loved ones from this disaster. Also, the families must be convinced that the company does not care more about money than their employees.

Draft Communication to Employees | Minera San Esteban Primera | Memo To: All Minera San Esteban Primera Employees Date: August 9, 2010 ------------------------------------------------Re: Copper Mine Collapse As of August 5, 2011 there has been an unfortunate accident in one of our copper mines in San Jose, Chile. The roof of the mine collapsed leaving 33 of our employees trapped inside. Officials and rescue workers were notified immediately and have been working to locate and rescue the copper miners. The 33 survivors are believed to be trapped at a depth of 670 meters below the surface. Initial rescue efforts were suspended for a few hours on Saturday because of a second cave-in during rescuers attempts to descend a ventilation shaft. The rescue workers plan to drill a hole six inches in diameter holes to locate the 33 trapped miners.

Despite recent questions regarding the safety practices of our mines and organization. We are still adhering to all safety procedures, practices, and protocol set forth by both the Federation of Chilean Mining Workers and the Confederation of Copper Workers. We will continue to operate the mines according to the policies and procedures of these organizations (Parry & Rettner, 2010). Employees will be kept up-to-date on the rescue efforts as the information comes in. Our thoughts and prayers go out to all miners, families, rescue workers, and employees of Minera San Esteban Primera. References: Retrieved from: Weik, J. (2010, August 6). Over 30 workers trapped after Chilean copper mine collapse. Metal Bulletin Daily, (224), 65. Retrieved from: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/23/miners-trappedalive-chile Retrieved from: Illiano, C. and Wade, T. (2010). http://www.reuters.com/article/2010/10/13/us-chile-minersidUSN0925972620101013 Retrieved from: Kraul, C. (2010). http://articles.latimes.com/2010/oct/14/world/la-fg-chile-minerrescues-20101014 Retrieved from: http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2013137,00.html#ix zz1jVHOF2zs Parry, W., & Rettner, R. (2010). Chile Mine Collapse: Facts about the Amazing Survival Story. Retrieved from http://www.livescience.com