CPRS Crisis Communication 5 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which of the following best defines 'crisis vulnerability assessment'?
- A survey measuring employee morale after a crisis
- A proactive analysis identifying potential crises an organization is most likely to face (Correct answer)
- An audit of media coverage following a past crisis
- A legal review of the organization's crisis communications
Correct answer: A proactive analysis identifying potential crises an organization is most likely to face
A crisis vulnerability assessment is a pre-crisis tool that systematically identifies and prioritizes risks so organizations can prepare targeted response plans.
Question 2: What is the danger of 'organizational silence' during a public crisis?
- It gives competitors time to issue statements first
- It signals guilt or indifference, allowing others to define the narrative (Correct answer)
- It reduces media interest in the story
- It triggers mandatory regulatory reporting
Correct answer: It signals guilt or indifference, allowing others to define the narrative
When an organization stays silent, external parties — media, critics, and public — fill the vacuum with speculation, typically unfavorable to the organization.
Question 3: Which crisis communication concept refers to expressing genuine concern for victims without admitting legal liability?
- Full apology
- Symbolic accommodation (Correct answer)
- Legal indemnification
- Crisis deflection
Correct answer: Symbolic accommodation
Symbolic accommodation involves expressions of sympathy and care for affected parties that address emotional needs without constituting a legal admission of fault.
Question 4: In a crisis involving a data breach, which regulatory framework most directly governs notification requirements for US organizations?
- OSHA regulations
- State data breach notification laws and federal frameworks like HIPAA or GLBA (Correct answer)
- FTC fair advertising standards
- SEC insider trading rules
Correct answer: State data breach notification laws and federal frameworks like HIPAA or GLBA
Data breach notifications in the US are governed by a patchwork of state laws plus federal sector-specific regulations such as HIPAA (healthcare) and GLBA (financial).
Question 5: What does 'bridging' mean in the context of crisis media interviews?
- Connecting two separate press conferences
- Transitioning from a difficult question to a key message the organization wants to emphasize (Correct answer)
- Linking social media posts to press releases
- Building relationships with journalists before a crisis occurs
Correct answer: Transitioning from a difficult question to a key message the organization wants to emphasize
Bridging is a media training technique that allows a spokesperson to acknowledge a question and then pivot to a prepared key message.
Question 6: Which element distinguishes a 'smoldering crisis' from an 'acute crisis'?
- A smoldering crisis involves fire-related incidents
- A smoldering crisis develops slowly over time, often known internally before becoming public (Correct answer)
- An acute crisis can be predicted; a smoldering crisis cannot
- A smoldering crisis always results in litigation
Correct answer: A smoldering crisis develops slowly over time, often known internally before becoming public
Smoldering crises simmer internally — known to insiders — before erupting publicly, often because warning signs were ignored or suppressed.
Question 7: When applying the 'steal thunder' strategy in crisis communication, an organization does what?
- Leaks damaging information about a competitor during its own crisis
- Proactively discloses negative information about itself before others reveal it (Correct answer)
- Uses aggressive messaging to shift blame to another party
- Issues a dramatic apology to dominate media coverage
Correct answer: Proactively discloses negative information about itself before others reveal it
Stealing thunder means self-disclosing bad news before external parties break it, which research shows reduces reputational damage compared to being exposed.
CPRS Crisis Communication 5
Which of the following best defines 'crisis vulnerability assessment'?