CMM CMM Communication & Public Engagement 1 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which communication model best describes the two-way interactive relationship between municipal government and its residents?
- One-way transmission model
- Shannon-Weaver linear model
- Two-way symmetrical model (Correct answer)
- Agenda-setting model
Correct answer: Two-way symmetrical model
The two-way symmetrical model emphasizes dialogue and mutual adjustment between the government and the public, treating communication as a genuine exchange.
Question 2: What is the primary legal purpose of state open meetings laws (sunshine laws) for municipal governments?
- To require all city meetings to be held outdoors
- To ensure that deliberations and decisions of public bodies are accessible to the public (Correct answer)
- To mandate live streaming of all council meetings on government websites
- To prohibit closed-session discussions on all topics
Correct answer: To ensure that deliberations and decisions of public bodies are accessible to the public
Open meetings laws require that meetings of public bodies be conducted in public with proper notice, ensuring governmental transparency and accountability.
Question 3: Which public engagement technique involves randomly selected residents who deliberate together on a complex policy issue over multiple sessions?
- Town hall meeting
- Citizens' jury or deliberative poll (Correct answer)
- Public comment period
- Stakeholder advisory committee
Correct answer: Citizens' jury or deliberative poll
A citizens' jury uses a randomly selected, representative sample of residents who hear expert testimony and deliberate to produce informed recommendations.
Question 4: In crisis communication, what principle states that officials should communicate early, even with incomplete information, to fill the information vacuum?
- Inoculation theory
- Get ahead of the story (Correct answer)
- Agenda-setting
- Framing effect
Correct answer: Get ahead of the story
Getting ahead of the story means proactively releasing available information early so that rumor and misinformation do not fill the void left by silence.
Question 5: What is the term for a communications strategy that uses multiple channels — social media, print, broadcast, and in-person — to reach different audience segments?
- Integrated marketing communications
- Multi-channel engagement strategy (Correct answer)
- Earned media campaign
- Public information officer model
Correct answer: Multi-channel engagement strategy
A multi-channel engagement strategy intentionally selects and coordinates diverse communication channels to reach residents across varying demographics and preferences.
Question 6: Which federal law governs public access to records held by federal agencies, with many states having parallel laws applying to municipal governments?
- Government in the Sunshine Act
- Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) (Correct answer)
- Administrative Procedure Act
- Privacy Act of 1974
Correct answer: Freedom of Information Act (FOIA)
FOIA grants the public the right to request access to federal government records, and most states have analogous laws extending similar rights to local government records.
CMM CMM Communication & Public Engagement 1
Which communication model best describes the two-way interactive relationship between municipal government and its residents?