🎯 Start with context they know—compare a phishing email to someone tricking their way into your home by pretending to be a friend 🎯 Use business impact language: instead of “data breach,” say “customer trust loss” or “financial penalties” 🎯 Walk them through real incidents that happened in similar industries 🎯 Create short, role-specific threat scenarios so they see how risks apply to *their* day-to-day 🎯 Build a culture of curiosity—encourage questions and reward secure behavior 🎯 Don’t just teach—embed security into workflows so it's part of how they already work

Start with real-life examples they can relate to—like how leaving a door unlocked invites theft. Explain that clicking unknown links or using weak passwords is the digital version of that. Use simple terms, avoid jargon, and highlight how their actions protect not just themselves but the whole team.

Utilizing chess as an analogy: King is data Pawns, rooks, knights, bishops and queen act as security measures to protect the king aka data. The threats for the king can be explained as hackers. If we make moves without thinking strategically, the king aka data will be in danger Compare cybersecurity to locking the front door of the house Visual summarization through charts, graphs and images can prove to be a useful tool Interactive dashboards serve as a hands-on experience and can facilitate a better grasp of the security posture Offer simplified, bullet-point presentations to outline complex security issues Translate cybersecurity terminology into everyday words and phrases that are familiar to a general audience

"Security isn't just a tech issue, it's everyone's responsibility." Here’s how to explain security risks to non-technical colleagues: Use Analogies: Compare risks to everyday situations, like a password being a house key. Focus on Impact: Explain how breaches affect them personally or the business. Tell a Story: Share relatable real-world examples of security breaches. Relate to Daily Life: Show how security is like locking doors or using cameras at home. Highlight Benefits: Explain how security protects both the business and their personal data.

To make them understand, you need to first try to think from their point of view. This is so that you would know what parts of the explanation about the security risks that they might not understand. You need to also use simple layman term when explaining to them. This is to avoid them from becoming blur and misunderstand your explanations. You should also show them real life examples of the types of security risks. This is because it's easier for them to relate to real life incidents.

Avoid highly technical language or jargon. Speak in simple, plain terms using relatable analogies (where appropriate) to create helpful and useful points of reference. Where possible, provide or reference real-world examples, cases, or published reports to support the conversation.

Explaining security risks to non-technical colleagues requires making the concepts relatable and easy to grasp. One effective strategy is to use real-life analogies like comparing phishing emails to someone pretending to be your friend to steal your house keys. Avoid technical jargon and focus on the impact, such as data loss, financial damage, or reputational harm. Sharing short, real-world examples or news stories can also help connect the dots. Most importantly, emphasize how their actions—like clicking suspicious links or using weak passwords directly affect overall security. Clear, relatable communication builds awareness and encourages responsible behaviour.

Use simple, relatable examples like comparing phishing emails to fake delivery notices or explaining data breaches as someone breaking into a digital filing cabinet. Focus on the real-world impact and how their actions help prevent risks, avoiding jargon and emphasizing practical steps.

When explaining security risks to non-tech people, I like to: • Use simple examples 🏠: For example, I say, “Clicking on a shady link is like leaving your front door wide open.” • Talk about everyday stuff 🚗: “Using weak passwords is like leaving your car keys on the seat...easy for anyone to take.” • Explain what could really happen 💰: Instead of saying “data breach,” I will say, “If we don’t protect our info, we could lose customers or get fined.” • Use real-life situations 📱: Like how someone might pretend to be you online and trick your friends. It shows how small mistakes can cause big problems. I try to keep it simple, no tech talk, just real stuff people can relate to.

Risks are not technical by definition, cyber is "just another" dimension. E.g. cybercrime is a crime; digital fraud is a type of fraud; digital identity theft is identity theft and is a theft; cyberattack is an attack; data loss is a loss; ransomware is for ransom. Understanding that, will help to tailor the message. Another important aspekt is to understand and describe impact.