Crisis Management & Communication Flashcards
7 cards from real DRI practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Crisis Management & Communication flashcards as text
A business continuity professional is reviewing the crisis communication plan after a major incident. Which document should be updated to reflect lessons learned?
Answer: After-Action Report (AAR) and the crisis communication plan itself
An After-Action Report captures what worked and what did not, and its findings should be used to directly update the crisis communication plan to close identified gaps.
When multiple organizations respond to the same incident, coordinating their public communications is the responsibility of the:
Answer: Joint Information Center (JIC)
A Joint Information Center (JIC) provides a centralized location where PIOs from all responding organizations coordinate and release unified, consistent public information.
Empathy expressed early in a crisis communication typically serves to:
Answer: Reduce outrage and build goodwill before factual information is available
Expressing empathy early signals that the organization prioritizes people over operational concerns, which reduces emotional outrage and makes audiences more receptive to subsequent factual messages.
Which type of crisis requires the MOST immediate and aggressive communication response due to direct threat to life or safety?
Answer: Workplace violence or active threat incident
Life-safety crises such as active threats demand immediate, directive communication—warning people of danger and instructing protective actions—above all other messaging priorities.
What is 'bridging' in spokesperson media training?
Answer: Acknowledging a reporter's question and transitioning to a key message
Bridging is the technique of briefly acknowledging a question, then transitioning to a prepared key message using phrases like 'What's most important to know is…'
Which DRI professional practice involves identifying in advance which external experts—such as medical officers or engineers—may be needed to support crisis communications?
Answer: Subject matter expert (SME) rostering within the crisis communication plan
Pre-identifying and rostering subject matter experts in the crisis communication plan ensures credible technical voices are available quickly when specialized information is needed.
An organization issues contradictory statements through different departments during a crisis. The BEST corrective action is to:
Answer: Activate a single, centralized communication command structure immediately
Centralizing all crisis communications through one command structure and a single authorized spokesperson eliminates contradictions and restores message consistency.