Issue link: https://insights.oneneck.com/i/1476866
3 CAPTURING EXECUTIVE TEAM ATTENTION If there is a secret sauce to getting your executive team's attention, then it lies in these three things: 1. What's in It for Them When you're addressing the "So What" elements within your pitch, make sure you also make clear what's in it for each member of your executive team. This means understanding what matters most to them when it comes to the outcomes of security awareness training. You can hit this from both a positive and negative angle. You can talk about the pain that can be experienced when this isn't done right, such as data or people's accounts being compromised, or the organization looking bad. People always respond to fear. But you can also look at the positives, such as things like increased resilience, which can lead to greater stabilization of the environment, which in turn can give rise to increased employee productivity. These can then be tied to organizational goals and objectives that are important to the specific executives, for even greater impact. 2. Outline Clear Connections Another part of answering the "So What" is showing a direct connection between the action of what you are trying to train on and what's important to the executive. Maybe that's a specific system or organizational outcome, project, or even a regulatory requirement. Creating clear connections to things that an executive is already concerned about for the organization makes the whole program more relatable for them. 3. Measurement and Stories This is where you can really start to sell your program. Explain what will be measured as part of the program and then get into the morality side: "here are the things that will happen when we don't do this, and here are the things that will happen if we do this right." Don't be afraid to use all the facets of emotion here. While you need to steer clear of overtly selling FUD (fear, uncertainty, and doubt), you shouldn't be afraid to dip down into fear – every morality tale, story, or cautionary tale does this. Just make sure you use them in ways that are relevant and transparent.