Words that Work: Persuasive Language for Security and Privacy Communications
Every year, the month of October inspires a lot of discussion about how security teams engage with their colleagues. Many companies schedule special events, contests, training sessions, and marketing content – with varying degrees of performative vs. impactful investments. I respect security engagement and education programs in theory, but one thing I can’t get past is just how many of them settle for “awareness” as a sufficient objective. If that term were in my job title or PKIs, I would be advocating hard to replace it with something action-oriented.
I’ve discussed the difference between outputs, outtakes, and outcomes before because many security teams measure the wrong things and miss the opportunity to demonstrate tangible bottom line value to their organizations. With infrequent, static engagements like the ones we often see in October, there is more focus on reporting how many “things'' the security team does rather than its impact. In my experience, the most effective stakeholder engagements aren’t treated merely as informational exercises, but as integrated, coordinated, and ongoing initiatives to increase influence over the decisions made by individuals and the business.
Different words lead to different outcomes
An underrepresented source of potential influence for security and privacy organizations is the words we use. Not all words are created equal and they play a significant role in how our stakeholders interpret and process what we tell them. The persuasive power of language has been studied by social scientists for hundreds if not thousands of years, but it's only now emerging as a recognized discipline by security and privacy professionals. It is not enough to simply create rules and tools. How we advocate for them makes a big difference in how well they’re adopted.
For example, in a recent episode of Mayim Bialik's Breakdown podcast, the host Mayim Bialik — neuroscientist and star of TV’s Blossom and The Big Bang Theory — interviewed Dr. Maya Shankar, cognitive scientist and former Senior Advisor on behavior science to the Obama administration.
Dr. Shanker shared her experience working on public policy initiatives including a simple A/B test with the Department of Veterans Affairs focused on enrolling more veterans in a public benefits program after they returned from their time serving overseas. In their email to veterans, instead of saying they were eligible for the program, they reminded them that they had earned it through their years of service. That one word change led to a 9% increase in enrollment and access to benefits.
Do you know which words are most effective for the context and audiences of your security and privacy communications? If you’re not sure, now is a good time to start measuring the impact of the language you use. Counting the number of times you distribute content or engage with stakeholders is a good measurement of why you’re so busy, but are your communications as effective as they could be? Want to find out? Let us know!
Dr. Shankar also hosts her own fantastic podcast Slight Change of Plans. Check it out here!
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