CMP CMP Communication Planning 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which tool is commonly used in communication planning to map stakeholder influence versus interest?
- SWOT matrix
- Stakeholder power-interest grid (Correct answer)
- Gantt chart
- RACI matrix
Correct answer: Stakeholder power-interest grid
A power-interest grid plots stakeholders by their level of influence and interest, helping communicators determine appropriate engagement strategies.
Question 2: In a communication plan, the 'channel mix' refers to:
- The budget divided across departments
- The combination of communication channels selected to reach target audiences (Correct answer)
- The number of messages sent per day
- The hierarchy of approval for communications
Correct answer: The combination of communication channels selected to reach target audiences
The channel mix identifies which platforms and formats — digital, print, face-to-face, etc. — will be used to deliver messages to each audience segment.
Question 3: A communication timeline or editorial calendar primarily helps teams:
- Reduce headcount in the communication department
- Coordinate message delivery to avoid overlap and meet deadlines (Correct answer)
- Approve final budgets before publication
- Replace the need for a situational analysis
Correct answer: Coordinate message delivery to avoid overlap and meet deadlines
An editorial calendar schedules content and activities across channels so teams stay organized, meet deadlines, and avoid redundant or conflicting messages.
Question 4: Which budget approach allocates communication funding based on a percentage of projected revenue?
- Zero-based budgeting
- Competitive parity budgeting
- Percentage-of-sales budgeting (Correct answer)
- Objective-and-task budgeting
Correct answer: Percentage-of-sales budgeting
Percentage-of-sales budgeting sets the communication budget as a fixed proportion of expected or past revenue, making it simple but potentially misaligned with actual needs.
Question 5: What is the benefit of using an objective-and-task budgeting method for communication planning?
- It is the simplest method requiring minimal data
- It aligns spending directly to the activities needed to achieve specific objectives (Correct answer)
- It matches competitor spending automatically
- It requires no prior communication history
Correct answer: It aligns spending directly to the activities needed to achieve specific objectives
Objective-and-task budgeting builds the budget by identifying each task required to meet communication objectives, ensuring resources are allocated strategically.
Question 6: When a communication plan is reviewed and updated regularly throughout implementation, this process is called:
- Formative research
- Contingency planning
- Iterative planning or rolling review (Correct answer)
- Channel mapping
Correct answer: Iterative planning or rolling review
Iterative or rolling reviews ensure the plan remains responsive to new information, feedback, and changing conditions during execution.
CMP CMP Communication Planning 2
Which tool is commonly used in communication planning to map stakeholder influence versus interest?