SCENARIO-BASED QUESTIONS Adapting A Message To Different Audiences You have borrowed your boss's car to meet an important client for a working lunch. You are running late for the meeting, so you take an alternative route. You are going a little over the

Question

speed limit, and it is drizzling. As you try to stop at an intersection, you realize that the brakes of the car are not functioning. You slide about 8 feet into the intersection. Before you can do anything, you are hit on the passenger's side. It looks like you may miss lunch altogether. In small groups, consider the previous details and consider how you would relay the information to one of the following audiences assigned to you. Although you may emphasize or de-emphasize certain information or change the order of things, you should not substantially change the basic facts. Also, indicate the channel or medium you may want to select, depending on the audience. Your boss Your co-worker who has been in three accidents during the past year A co-worker who thinks you are a trouble maker A police officer who asks you to recount the events An insurance agent who will be adjusting your rates A lawyer representing you in court and needs to know all the facts A significant other who is behind you and supports you no matter what In a role play situation, retell the story to your assigned audience.

Answer 1

Depending upon your audience, "facts" of the situation may be told very differently. For instance, to your boss or a coworker who thinks you are a trouble maker, you may emphasize the importance of the meeting with the client and the benefit to the company as well as your limited knowledge of the faulty brakes. A face-to-face conversation may work best so as to read nonverbal cues and get feedback on how the message is received.
To a co-worker, your lawyer, or a significant other, you may not assign blame to factors outside yourself, talking about your lateness and your speeding. A phone call may be as appropriate as a face-to-face meeting.

Discussing the incident with a police officer or insurance agent, the facts may be related more formally, perhaps even written, at least in the case of the insurance agent.

Part of what to consider is the actual incident itself. A lane of traffic is typically about 10 feet in width, with a standard road with one lane of traffic going each way about 20 feet. Typically, people react to the lateness, the poor brakes, and the weather, but we really do not know if it was a four way stop at the intersection, if roads were two-way or one-way. If the car was only 8 feet into the intersection and was hit on the passenger side, the oncoming car may not have been in correct lane if it were a typical two-way road. This activity allows groups to consider many of the elements of the chapter in regarding audience awareness and message preparation.