Are live presentations best for Security Awareness Training?

by | Oct/26/2011

My last post covered Security Awareness Training via videos and/or internet. What about using a live presenter?

Points about live training by a qualified presenter:

  • Live “in person” presentations by a qualified presenter capture attendees’ attention and will improve their security awareness dramatically more than attending a web meeting.
  • It is easy for a qualified presenter to keep attendees’ undivided attention for 90 minutes and increase their security awareness significantly.
  • Qualified presenters know how to “read” the audience to know when to speed up or slow down, to use specific people’s names if that person starts to doze off since they were up all night with their newborn baby, etc.
  • Require your qualified presenter to use live demonstrations. Nothing can replace “seeing the process in action.”
  • Live presentations provide a unique opportunity for attendees to experience the reactions of their peers—and especially the reactions of the mangers they report to.
  • Live presentations make it easier for attendees to ask questions and have them answered immediately. Usually when one person asks a question, several other people had the question too, so they benefit from the answer as well.

I’ve presented both online and in person many times. Experience has shown that in almost every case you will have a higher ROI with live training. ROI is measured based on feedback from my clients who say the live presentations dramatically increase user retention and they feel that retention provides the organization with increased protection against social engineering attacks.

Please post your comments on this blog.