Communicating Safety: One Message, Two Audiences

Sometimes messages will have multiple audiences. When analyzing these audiences, you need to be aware of your relationships with and to the various audiences, the audiences needs, and your goals in communicating with each audience. This activity requires you to analyze the two primary audiences for a message regarding employee and customer safety.

The goal of this exercise is to demonstrate your understanding of audience analysis and of how the audience influences the content of a message. You will demonstrate your understanding by answering questions based on the following case.

Read the case regarding one message that addresses two audience. Use the information in the case to answer the questions about Mikes two audiences for this message.

The Eden Cooperative is the parent company for a franchise of vegetarian restaurants. Recently, as the result of a pandemic, all of the Eden Cooperatives stores closed their dining areas for three months, although they were opened with a limited staff to provide curb-side pick up and delivery service.

The pandemic has not ended, but restaurants are able to open their dining rooms, although seating will be limited, and both customers and employees must follow certain rules. Because the president thinks it is important to send the message that safety is everyones responsibility, she has asked Mike, the corporate communications specialist, to craft one message outlining the customers and the employees responsibilities. This message will provide information that enables The Eden Cooperative to reopen safely by communicating to customers and employees the safety practices they must observe. The message will be posted in each franchise restaurant.

Knowing his business and communication goals, Mikes first step, of course, is to analyze the audiences. In doing so, he has to decide what his audiences have in common as well as what distinguishes one audience from the other. He thinks he has figured it out and has crafted the following message.

The Eden Cooperatives mission has always been to provide healthful food that is locally sourced. In this time of uncertainty, we are no less committed to this mission. As we, along with the rest of the country, move forward in the midst of this pandemic, we believe our customers must be our partners in keeping one another safe and healthy.

What Our Customers Can Expect from Us:

• Employees temperatures will be taken when they arrive for their shift.
• Employees will wear face masks at all times.
• Employees will remain six feet from one another (when possible) and from customers.
• Employees will regularly clean and disinfect work spaces, equipment, counters, tables, and other high-touch areas. Each night, restaurants will be thoroughly decontaminated.
• All restaurants will provide seating options that observe practices for safe social distancing.
• All restaurants will close their restrooms to the public.

In Return, We Ask That You:

• Wear a face mask unless you are eating. A face mask is optional, but it is a great way to protect others and yourself.
• Take advantage of curb-side pick up or delivery if you are not feeling well, have a temperature, or have been exposed to someone who has been ill.
• Use only the tables that are designated for seating.
• Place your order at the counter; table service will not be available.
• Remain at least six feet from other customers and employees.

1. What are The Eden Cooperative's business and communication goals?

• to reopen safely by communicating to customers and employees the safety practices they must observe

• to reopen but place the responsibility for safety on the customers by telling them what they must do

• to reopen but not assume responsibility for anyones safety; safety is the customers and employees responsibility

• to reopen safely by making sure employees know that they are solely responsible for everyones safety

• to generate more curb-side and delivery business while providing a safe option for dining in the restaurant

2. What is Mikes relationship to each audience?

• Customers: Equal rank; Employees: Client-customer (neither a superior rank nor an equal rank)

• Customers: Superior rank; Employees: Equal rank

• Customers: Client-customer (neither a superior rank nor an equal rank); Employees: Superior rank

• Customers: Superior rank; Employees: Superior rank

• Customers: Equal rank; Employees: Equal rank

3. What is Mikes likely relationship with each audience?

• Neutral or no relationship. Mike does not have a personal relationship with his audiences.

• Friendly and informal. Mike knows his audiences well. He communicates with them often and has a social business relationship with them.

• Friendly and formal. He has met these audiences and has a cordial, business-like relationship with them.

• Unfriendly or hostile. Mike knows these audiences personally, and they do not like him.

• Love-hate relationship. Mike has an inconsistent relationship with his audiences. They know him well. Sometimes they get along, and sometimes they do not.

4. Based on Mikes message, what can you assume the audiences reactions might be?

• Negative. Customers will hate the new policies and will likely not observe them anyway.

• Mike has no way to know how customers and employees might react.

• Neutral. Customers and employees will not have any reaction to the new safety policies.

5. What would Mike want the audience to think, feel, do, or believe as a result of his message?

• Mike wants the audiences to understand that if they see people being unsafe, they should report them to the company.

• Mike wants the audiences to know that The Eden Cooperative values safety and that safety is everyones responsibility.

6. What does Mike assume that each audience already knows?

• Mike can assume that customers will know what employees will do to be safe.

• Mike can assume that employees will know what customers can to do be safe.

• Mike can assume that no one knows anything about being safe in a pandemic.

• Mike can assume that everyone knows about the pandemic and that businesses are taking precautions as they reopen.

• Mike can assume that customers and employees will already know what to do to be safe.

• Mike wants the audiences to know the consequences of not following the safety policies.

• Mike wants audiences to use curb-side or delivery service rather than visit their local restaurants.

• Mike wants the audiences to know that they are responsible for their own safety; the company is not responsible.

• A mix of positive, negative, and neutral emotions. Customers and employees may not like the new rules, but they will be happy to be open and understand the need for the safety policies.

• Positive. Customers and employees will be so happy to be back, they will not care about the policies.