DRI Crisis Management & Communication 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: During a crisis, what is the PRIMARY purpose of a holding statement issued before full facts are known?
- To avoid legal liability by saying nothing substantive
- To acknowledge the situation and signal that the organization is responding (Correct answer)
- To redirect media attention to a competitor
- To satisfy regulatory reporting requirements
Correct answer: To acknowledge the situation and signal that the organization is responding
A holding statement acknowledges the event, expresses concern, and confirms a response is underway while details are still being gathered.
Question 2: Which crisis communication principle states that the organization should be the first to report bad news about itself?
- Transparency
- Steal thunder (Correct answer)
- Inoculation theory
- Agenda-setting
Correct answer: Steal thunder
The 'steal thunder' principle holds that self-disclosing bad news before it leaks externally reduces negative audience reactions and preserves credibility.
Question 3: In the CERC (Crisis and Emergency Risk Communication) model, which phase involves providing consistent updates as the situation stabilizes?
- Pre-crisis
- Initial
- Maintenance (Correct answer)
- Resolution
Correct answer: Maintenance
The Maintenance phase of CERC focuses on sustaining public trust through regular, consistent updates while the situation is still ongoing but under control.
Question 4: A spokesperson delivers technically accurate information during a press conference but uses jargon unfamiliar to the public. Which communication principle has been violated?
- Accuracy
- Audience appropriateness (Correct answer)
- Timeliness
- Consistency
Correct answer: Audience appropriateness
Effective crisis communication must be tailored to the audience's knowledge level; technical jargon alienates the public and undermines understanding.
Question 5: What does the term 'dark site' refer to in crisis communications planning?
- A classified government emergency website
- A pre-built website activated only during a crisis (Correct answer)
- A social media monitoring dashboard
- An encrypted internal communications channel
Correct answer: A pre-built website activated only during a crisis
A dark site is a fully prepared but unpublished website that an organization activates immediately when a crisis occurs to provide timely public information.
Question 6: Which framework describes crisis responses along a continuum from deny to accommodate based on the organization's responsibility level?
- Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT) (Correct answer)
- Image Restoration Theory
- Chaos Theory of Crisis
- CERC Model
Correct answer: Situational Crisis Communication Theory (SCCT)
SCCT, developed by Timothy Coombs, matches crisis response strategies to the level of organizational responsibility attributed by stakeholders.
Question 7: During a prolonged crisis, rumor control is best achieved by:
- Ignoring rumors to avoid amplifying them
- Issuing a single denial and moving on
- Providing frequent, factual updates through trusted channels (Correct answer)
- Restricting all media access until the crisis ends
Correct answer: Providing frequent, factual updates through trusted channels
Frequent, factual updates fill the information vacuum that rumors exploit, reducing their spread and credibility.
DRI Crisis Management & Communication 2
During a crisis, what is the PRIMARY purpose of a holding statement issued before full facts are known?