CPRS Crisis Management & Reputation Control 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which social media behavior during a crisis is considered a major PR mistake?
- Posting frequent updates as facts emerge
- Deleting negative comments and critical posts (Correct answer)
- Acknowledging concerns in comment threads
- Using social media to direct people to official resources
Correct answer: Deleting negative comments and critical posts
Deleting negative comments is seen as censorship, often causes a 'Streisand effect,' and severely damages organizational credibility.
Question 2: A crisis communications plan should include which essential element?
- A list of competitors to blame if needed
- Pre-approved message templates for common crisis scenarios (Correct answer)
- A strategy to avoid all media contact
- A plan to replace social media accounts
Correct answer: Pre-approved message templates for common crisis scenarios
Pre-approved message templates allow organizations to respond quickly and consistently without having to create messages from scratch under pressure.
Question 3: What is 'inoculation theory' in the context of PR reputation management?
- Vaccinating employees against spreading rumors
- Pre-emptively exposing audiences to weakened forms of potential attacks to build resistance (Correct answer)
- Using medical analogies in crisis statements
- Isolating the CEO from media during a health crisis
Correct answer: Pre-emptively exposing audiences to weakened forms of potential attacks to build resistance
Inoculation theory suggests that exposing audiences to weakened counter-arguments prepares them to resist stronger attacks on an organization's reputation.
Question 4: During a crisis, which audience segment should typically receive communication FIRST?
- General public via broadcast media
- Internal employees and directly affected stakeholders (Correct answer)
- Industry analysts and investors
- Regulatory bodies and government officials
Correct answer: Internal employees and directly affected stakeholders
Employees and directly affected stakeholders should be informed first to prevent leaks, maintain trust, and ensure alignment in messaging.
Question 5: What does 'bridging' mean in a media interview during a crisis?
- Connecting with multiple journalists simultaneously
- Transitioning from a difficult question to key organizational messages (Correct answer)
- Building a relationship between the company and the reporter
- Linking the crisis to a competitor's past failures
Correct answer: Transitioning from a difficult question to key organizational messages
Bridging is a media training technique where the spokesperson acknowledges a question and pivots to deliver a prepared key message.
Question 6: Which metric best measures the effectiveness of crisis communication efforts post-crisis?
- Number of press releases issued during the crisis
- Restoration of brand trust scores and sentiment metrics (Correct answer)
- Total media impressions generated
- Number of social media followers gained
Correct answer: Restoration of brand trust scores and sentiment metrics
Restored brand trust and improved sentiment metrics directly reflect whether crisis communication successfully repaired the organization's reputation.
Question 7: What is the 'two-way symmetrical' communication model's role in crisis management?
- Broadcasting information one-way to control the narrative
- Using dialogue and listening to adjust organizational behavior based on stakeholder feedback (Correct answer)
- Ensuring messages are sent simultaneously to all audiences
- Mirroring competitor PR tactics during shared industry crises
Correct answer: Using dialogue and listening to adjust organizational behavior based on stakeholder feedback
Two-way symmetrical communication involves genuine dialogue that can result in organizational change, building greater trust with stakeholders.
CPRS Crisis Management & Reputation Control 3
Which social media behavior during a crisis is considered a major PR mistake?