Progress Test 6

Unit 6 Risk management

Read the article below about crisis management. Choose the correct word or phrase to fill each
gap. There is an example at the beginning, (0).

How not to make a drama out of a crisis

In business, a crisis is any situation that threatens the
integrity or (0) C of your company, and it is usually
provoked by adverse or negative media attention. The
origins of a crisis situation could be many things – the
failure of a product, damage to a product that affects the
consumer, (1) or dishonest behaviour on the part of a
representative of the company – the possibilities are too
numerous to mention them all. However, if handled
correctly, the (2) in any crisis situation can be
minimized and its (3) can be mitigated. The first thing
to remember that is crucial in a crisis is tell it all, tell it fast
and tell the truth.
The first (4) you need to take is to establish a crisis
management team to take control of the situation. This
team should be comprised of individuals who are key to
the situation and should include the CEO and the Chief
of Public Relations among others. This team’s job is to
come up with a comprehensive plan of action. As soon
as possible, the crisis communication team should devise
a(n) (5) initial response to address the emergency. This
prepared statement should then be given to all staff. An
example of a good, clear initial statement could be ‘We
are still gathering information, but there will be a press
conference before 16.00, if you give me your name and
number, I will call you back to let you know the time.’
You then need to embark on the process of ‘telling it all,
telling it fast and telling the truth’. If a mistake has been
made, it is always best to admit it up front, and begin
doing whatever is possible to re-establish your credibility
and to win back the (6) of internal and external
audiences. Never try to lie, (7) responsibility or hide
your involvement. Don’t (8) journalists and the media
because looking as if you have something to hide is the
worst thing you can ever do. Trying to ignore the situation
is also a bad (9) because it will only get worse. You
will need to involve the company lawyers because it
is their job to minimize any eventual legal costs to the
company, but don’t let them have too much say in what
is actually done. Although they will be well-intentioned,
they won’t necessarily have the required perspective. The
first and foremost goal in crisis management is protecting
the integrity and reputation of the company and this is the
role and responsibility of senior management.
People tend to remember what they hear first and last
about any given situation, so you need to be crystal clear
as regards the company’s position on what happened
and why and who the (10) were, in order that you can
communicate that information to the public in a
consistent way. To decide on a position, it is important to
step out of your role in the company and put yourself in
the situation of whoever may have been involved in the
crisis or try to view the crisis from the eye of the public.
What was the root cause of the crisis situation – human
(11) , unauthorized procedures, misuse of confidential
information or inadequate quality control? You must
establish this fast to be able to communicate it clearly to
the media and to the public. One individual, someone
with the appropriate skills and experience with dealing
with the media should be designated as the primary
spokesperson to represent the company and it is best to
(12) all interviews to this primary spokesperson or
their backup. Controlling the interview process is key to
managing the crisis. However, remember that reporters
have the right to interview anyone they want to and if they
don’t get the answers, they want from you they will get
them somewhere.

0 A principle B character C reputation D rumour

1 A unfortunate B bad C wrong D unethical
2 A damage B injury C hurt D badness
3 A influence B impact C impression D reputation
4 A stage B movement C phase D step
5 A correct B appropriate C true D right
6 A assurance B belief C confidence D loyalty
7 A reject B decline C turn down D deny
8 A stonewall B repulse C deny D discourage
9 A course B scheme C tactic D way
10 A executors B responsibles C perpetrators D performers
11 A error B mistake C wrong D fault
12 A control B restrict C contain D keep

2.0 Advanced Teacher’s Resource Disc © Macmillan Publishers Limited 2013 Tests 1
Progress Test 6