SEC403: Secrets to Successful Cybersecurity Presentation™

  • Online
6 CPEs
SEC403 shows you how to put together an effective security briefing, secure the interest and engagement of your audience, and confidently deliver presentations to a variety of groups. You will learn effective techniques to secure management approval for new security projects and tools, as well as how to handle the toughest questions and adjust on-the-fly. Designed exclusively for cybersecurity professionals, this course covers best practices for common security presentations such as penetration testing reports, security assessment reports, incident updates, after-action reports, security awareness briefings, and more.

What You Will Learn

SEC403 shows you how to put together an effective security briefing, secure the interest and engagement of your audience, and confidently deliver presentations to a variety of groups. You will learn effective techniques to secure management approval for new security projects and tools, as well as how to handle the toughest questions and adjust on-the-fly. Designed exclusively for cybersecurity professionals, this course covers best practices for common security presentations such as penetration testing reports, security assessment reports, incident updates, after-action reports, security awareness briefings, and more.

What you will learn:

The ultimate toolkit to secure buy-in, approvals for requests, and career growth

Whatever your role in cybersecurity, you'll likely be called upon to present to technologists, users, and leadership. How well you do that will impact both the effectiveness of your organization's security and the trajectory of your career.

Syllabus (6 CPEs)

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  • Overview

    You can have the best presentation material on the planet, but if your audience is not listening, the material doesn't matter. Much of your communication is non-verbal, so the effectiveness of a presentation depends on understanding how well you grab and maintain their attention. Section one provides techniques to capture and keep your audience's attention throughout your presentation.

    You Will Learn to:

    • Project authority, energy, and awareness
    • Develop effective non-verbal communication skills
    • Identify common presentation mistakes
    • Develop strategies to reduce anxiety when speaking
    • Effectively manage interruptions

    A lot of this segment illuminates errors security speakers make, and shows you how to avoid them. To help you put these lessons to work, we will also give you a score sheet that will help you anticipate some of the most important errors before you make them.

  • Overview

    It's vital that your audience grasp the most important elements of your presentation, remember what you have shared, and act on that information. Your presentation should be interesting, understandable, illuminating, and persuasive. In section two you will learn powerful techniques to focus and engage your audience, how to use tools and visuals effectively, and how to handle questions for maximum impact. You'll also learn how to apply a proven, step-by-step method to put together a persuasive presentation - it won't transform a bad idea into a good one, but it will make it more likely that your important ideas will be adopted.

    You Will Learn to:

    • Set up the presentation to gain audience trust
    • Avoid common errors when opening
    • Develop and use techniques to prevent the audience from losing focus
    • Solve voice challenges
    • Use visuals effectively
    • Respond to hard and easy and all other types of questions

    The score sheet you'll receive at the end of this section will enable you to remember and use most of the great techniques you'll learn.

  • Overview

    In this section, you will learn how to present during and after incidents. We will cover communication between responders and management as well as presentation and report recommendations for Incident Response teams. We will detail the top mistakes to avoid, plus arm you with tips to take your reports and presentations from good to great. Whether you want your audience to more carefully follow computer safety guidelines, approve funding for your proposal, or support an innovative approach to solving a problem, you are asking them to take action they may not have planned on taking when they walked into the room. That's hard! You will learn how to tailor your presentation to your audience, set the stage for success, present your findings, and clearly deliver conclusions and recommendations.

    You Will Learn to:

    • Select the best tools to engage and inspire your audience
    • Decide what should be left out and what to emphasize
    • Use visual timelines effectively
    • Use reference metrics to maximum effect
    • Use examples to cause your audiences to decide to trust what you are saying
    • Persuade management to take action
  • Overview

    Given the shift to online conferences, meetings, and working from home that occurred starting in 2020, being able to communicate professionally and effectively in a virtual setting has become as important as traditional presentations. This module covers the tips and tricks you should know to look and sound your best while on conference calls, recording content for online distribution, or any other virtual presentation. We have simplified the technical complexities into simple guidance and and solutions for a variety of budgets, and will get you on the path to setting up environment, computer, camera, and microphone to give your virtual presentation that polished look and feel. This module also covers ensuring your virtual presentation runs smoothly. Everything from locking down your meetings to limit unwanted distractions, effortless screen sharing, preparing for technical failures, and more, to producing and engaging and interactive experience for those who may be teaching online classes. Our instructors have seen it all and provide their best tips on keeping your meeting or presentation running smooth.

    You Will Learn to:

    • Configure your room and microphone to produce crisp, clear voice communication
    • Configure your environment to produce a good looking professional backdrop in which to shoot your video, live stream, or attend your meetings
    • Configure your camera hardware, for realistic colors and a natural, true-to-life look on your conference call and presentation
    • Upgrade your hardware to next level quality; whether you want to move from webcam to a smart phone or dedicated camera, or a laptop microphone to a professional full-quality podcast mic. We have suggestions that will help you make an impact
    • Underder basic room lighting techniques that will dramatically improve the look of your video
    • Utilize a wide variety of other hardware and software to put forth a professional appearance in live streams and recorded video
    • Prepare for an effortless looking and professional presentation, free from distractions, unwanted disruptions, and embarrassing mistakes

Author Statement

Two statements from security professionals who attended early versions of this course are far more eloquent than I could be in describing why this short course could be a great investment:

"I have seen my people make nearly every one of the mistakes you illustrated, but I either didn't know they were mistakes or didn't know how to coach them to fix it. Now I do. Every one of my security people as well as my marketing folks are going to be taking this course and we will all use the score sheets to build a culture of great presentations." (G. MacArthur, VP, Dell)

"Thank you! Thank you! I just got back to my office from a briefing I had to give to my boss's boss (a 2 star) about a security incident that we experienced. He told my boss it was the best security briefing he had ever seen. I think it was mostly the timeline chart you showed us how to use for incident reporting. Whatever it was, thank you!" (name withheld, U.S. Navy)

-Alan Paller

"While great technical and leadership skills are a requirement for many information security positions, you need more than that to truly excel in your position. A core part of any career is being able to present and communicate information effectively and professionally. Those who do not pay attention to these critical skills may find their efforts in other areas of expertise undermined by an inability to explain and sell your ideas to your coworkers and peers. SEC403 simplifies the key strategies that will help you deliver a strong impactful presentation and get your points across at work, and conferences, and more. It's lessons and exercises will teach you how to clearly present your message, and help you connect and collaborate with those around you, whether in-person or online."

- John Hubbard

"Most of us take training to maintain our technical skills, but what about our presentation capabilities? In the technical field of Cyber Security, we are often asked to share our findings, lead teams and present to groups. Are your methods for presenting sharp enough? Public speaking is not a skill that comes naturally to many. SEC403 is designed to provide you the tools you need to excel in front of a crowd, whether in person or virtually. You may only have one chance to get your message across to an audience."

- Heather Mahalik Barnhart

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