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Knowing Your Audience

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Knowing Your Audience
Kelly Fiscelli
BCOM 275
May 11, 2014
Randi Plante

Knowing Your Audience
Knowing your audience is important for successful communication. The success of a message is determined on the message being created and delivered in an appropriate manner. Time needs to be spent finding out about an audience’s needs and concerns. Some actions that need to be taken before and after a message is delivered to ensure that it is received as intended include a knowledge of the audience characteristics, the needs of the audience, and using an appropriate communication. This essay is about conveying the importance of knowing how to effectively communicate information of a collapsed San Jose copper mine to family members and employees.
Audience Characteristics are important to help adapt the message to the audience. Demographic characteristics are observable or measurable (Cheeseboro, 2010). Age, race, and gender are examples of demographic characteristics. When analyzing an audience, you begin by finding out what types of demographic characteristics the audience have. Understanding the characteristics of the audience and their needs will help to communicate an effective message.
Psychographics are not as obvious as demographic characteristics and include elements such as attitudes, likes, and values. How the audience feels about a speaker, subject, or information that will be shared is critical to effetely communicate.
On August, 5, 2010, San Jose mine located in northern Chile experienced a cave-in that trapped 33 employees approximately 300 meters underground. After four days and no official confirmation whether the workers were alive, rescuers drilled holes to try to locate the workers. To make matters worse, there was a second cave-in which forced rescuers to stop work for several hours. Seventeen days later, the rescuers discovered the miners alive and well, but it took almost three months to rescue all of them.
The potential needs of the families of the trapped Chilean miners in receiving a message about this incident would include encouragement, support, and empathy. The potential needs of the company's employees, when receiving a message about the incident, would include stating positive points as to how the situation is going to be resolved.
An effective message of delivery would include delivering an indirect approach using empathy and common sense. This approach uses a buffer opening which is more accepted because it provides a statement designed to cushion the bad news that will follow. It is important how the information that follows the buffer is shared with the audience. The nature of the information should provide clear, convincing reasons as to what happened and include how the message will benefit the families and employees. The families and employees should be informed about the action taken already to find the miners and what actions will be taken to try to resolve the problem.
The appropriate communication channel to use is oral communication. Some of the advantages in using this approach include establishing trust, minimizing misunderstandings, and encouraging openness from those who are receiving the information (Cheesebro, O'Connor, & Rios, 2010, p.86).
Message to Family
On August 5, 2010 a copper mine located in San Jose and owned by San Esteban Mining Company caved in leaving 33 of our employees trapped below ground. Immediately after the incident, rescue workers were notified and have been working diligently to find the miners. At the present time, we do not have an official confirmation on what supplies the miners have with them or access to. Rescuers are drilling holes into the collapsed rocks to try to find the workers. It has been brought to our attention that questions have arisen about the safety practices of our company. The company adheres to the policies placed by the CTC (Confederation of Copper Workers) and the FMC (Federation of Chilean Mining Workers), as well as following their mandated safety procedures. We will continue to update family members and the public when new developments are brought to our attention. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families and employees of the San Esteban Mining Company.

Message to Internal Employee’s
On August 5, 2010 a copper mine located in San Jose and owned by San Esteban Mining Company caved in leaving 33 of our employees trapped below ground. Immediately after the incident, rescue workers were notified and have been working diligently to find the miners. The cause of the accident has yet to be determined. It is of upmost importance to ensure the safety of our employees. Updates regarding the trapped miners will follow as more developments arise.
San Esteban Mining Company adheres to the policies mandated by the CTC (Confederation of Copper Workers) and the FMC (Federation of Chilean Mining Workers), as well as following their mandated safety procedures.
After speaking, there are several ways to tell how the audience responded to the message they received. There are nonverbal, verbal, and behavioral responses. Some examples of nonverbal responses include applauding and facial expressions. Examples of verbal responses are comments made to the speaker after the speech. Behavioral responses are changes in the audience’s behavior from before the speech to what it is after the speech.
In conclusion, having knowledge of the audience characteristics, concerns, and needs helps support successful communication. It informs the speaker about the people he or she is talking to. The Demographic and Psychographic characteristics of the audience determine what type of content should be included in the message. Common sense and empathy are two important tools used in audience analysis. One way to deliver negative news is to use the Indirect Approach for Negative Messages. The five steps included in using this approach are using a buffer opening, stating the facts to the reasons, share the negative news, provide alternatives, and close on a positive forwarding looking note.

References
Cheesebro, T., O'Connor, L., & Rios, F. (2010). Communication in the Workplace. Upper Saddle, NJ: Prentice Hall Weik, J. (2010, August 6). Over 30 workers trapped after Chilean copper mine collapse.. Metal Bulletin Daily.. Retrieved from http://web.a.ebscohost.com.ezproxy.apollolibrary.com/ehost/detail?sid=64745e99-8492-4d66-ac48-2d2249931e90%40sessionmgr4001&vid=1&hid=4206&bdata=JnNpdGU9ZWhvc3QtbGl2ZQ%3d%3d#db=bth&AN=53129236

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