Hello class!
A challenge that a cybersecurity team might face when introducing
technical problems and solutions to a non-technical audience, such as a
board of directors, could be not communicating effectively to them in a
language they understand. It may be easy to stray from commonly used
terminology and begin to start speaking in "computer jargon", such as
words "VPN", "nmap", "IDS/IPS systems".
A suggestion I would first make is to build a foundation layer of baseline
information so that the problem & solutions begin from the ground up. The
first part of the presentation should focus on simple basic understanding of
the system and the problem that is arising, and use terminologies that they
can understand. I would suggest to compare it to something the board may
know, dependent upon the background of the organization. Perhaps also
leaving a static screen on a whiteboard that defines important terminologies
associated with the presentation could put the audience at rest, and allow
them to refer to these vocabulary pieces at any time.
Secondly, the presentation should focus on the impact the system could
face, not the actual process that it goes through. Avoiding the technical
roadmap of the topic could be the key to success, instead, speak about the
impacts the organization could face with changes, upgrades, problems, and
solutions. This is a topic that the board of directors will be more invested
in, especially since they can make decisions that can positively impact the
process.
Thirdly, I would recommend a lot of illustrations. Perhaps a presentation
that can be aided with visual aid can also help non-technical people
understand the presentation. These executives most likely look at charts and
diagrams that pertain to their profession, and they can make vital business
decisions even though they may not know every little detail of what they
are seeing. Executives often make decisions that affect finances, and
providing them with illustrations may also grab their attention.
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