Knowing your audience
On the morning of August 5th, 2010 33 miners descended down below the dusty surface of Chile’s Atacama desert for what should have been another day of hard labor in the copper mine below. On this day, they would not come back to the surface (Yang, 2010). The San Jose mine, a small operation owned by Minera San Esteban Primera in the northern part of Chile, suffered a cave-in that trapped the men more than 900 feet below the surface.
Delivered will be two speeches to different audiences from the communications director of the company. The first delivered will address the families of the trapped miners, the second is a release for the employees of the company.
Considerations Given the Different Audiences The communications director must choose carefully how he shall address each of these audiences. Some considerations are the emotional state of the audience, how much information to give them, how to address that the miners may not be alive and how to describe a rescue that has never been attempted before. Some potential needs requiring consideration for the families that will be receiving this message are; on site grief counseling, private areas for families to absorb the information outside the press view, and basic amenities and shelter for them to utilize during the rescue efforts.
There also need to be considerations made for the employees of the company as well. These 33 men are friends, coworkers, and possibly even family members of the other employees. The address must carefully be presented because some of these men feel a sense of guilt for getting out safe and they are extremely emotional. Facts about rescue efforts and possible outcomes must be thorough and honest as many of the employees will be familiar with these types of operations.
Required Actions Before and After Speeches There are certain actions required both before and after the delivery of the speeches. Before, preparation of the area of delivery is important. My recommendation would be a large tent on site as most of the family members of the trapped miners will be on-site already. This must be private, secure, and have a relaxing atmosphere in it. Another action is to set up video recording equipment to tape the speech. Delivery method is face-to-face for everyone on site, and video for those who could not be here or chose not to be.
After delivery of the speeches, actions required will be counseling, an ample amount of time allotted for questions, and ensuring experts from different aspects of the rescue operations are on hand to provide accurate answers.
Message to the Families I understand that you have many questions and are very worried. I want to take a moment to explain what we know up to this point. This afternoon there was what appears to be a major cave-in of the tunnel leading down to the mine. After reviewing employee rosters at emergency mustering sites, we have determined that there are 33 men still trapped below the collapsed area. We will release of the names of these men after this announcement and post in various places as well as on video for those not able to be in attendance. Our best estimates are that the men are trapped several hundred feet below the damaged area and should have access to the emergency shelter area where there is an emergency supply of food, water, oxygen, and medical supplies. At this time we have no definite answers as of the condition of these men but remain optimistic that the have all made it to the shelter. We are currently working with several organizations as well as the government in organizing and planning a rescue operation to begin immediately. At this point I do not have the details of this operation to share but guarantee that it is our intention to be opaque through this operation and keep everyone informed of the progress and operational details.
This is an extremely delicate time. We have counselors on hand to help in any way needed. We ask for your understanding and support as we work through this horrific accident together. Please include these men in your prayers and may God watch over them and the country of Chile. I will accept questions at this time.
Message to the Employees As most of you know, there was a major collapse in the tunnel of the mine this afternoon. The details are still coming in but to the best of our knowledge the following is what we know. There are 33 men trapped beneath the cave-in. We believe the men are far below and could access the emergency shelter. We are currently working with several organizations on rescue efforts that will begin immediately. The early stages of planning show that we will be drilling several holes down into the shelter area to establish communications with the men and check on their condition. Understandably many of you have a hard time trying to understand what happened and how it could have happened. We assure you that those questions will all be answered as soon as possible. We are currently focusing all of our efforts on finding and bringing your fellow workers home to their families. We ask for your help in sharing your expertise with our rescue teams to ensure we utilize every means possible. There are counselors here for anyone feeling that he or she need to talk about anything. Please keep these men in your prayers and know that just like you, our main focus is on the safe return of these brave men to their friends and family. References
Weik, J. (2010). Over 30 workers trapped after Chilean copper mine collapse. Metal Bulletin Daily, (224), 65.
Yang, J. (2010, October 10). From collapse to rescue: Inside the Chile mine disaster. The Toronto Star. Retrieved from http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2010/10/10/from_collapse_to_rescue_inside_the_chile_mine_disaster.html
2010 Copiapo mining accident. (2013). Retrieved from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_Copiap%C3%B3_mining_accident