On Wednesday 29 January 2025, the Information Systems Audit and Control Association (ISACA) Luxembourg chapter held an event at the Espace Namur in Luxembourg-Cents.

Many people hate public speaking - this also holds true for technologists and cyber security professionals.; there are, however, certain situations where it is imperative that technical people communicate effectively. Imagine that one's company had a ransomware attack, and one's data was no longer accessible. What does one tell the board of one's company who have very little technical expertise?

After communicating his key messages related to public speaking, this was the exact scenario given at this event by Derek Borthwick, an award winning international best-selling author, certified coach and communications specialist, with over 30 years of experience in sales, marketing and distribution. Derek said, “I like to use examples to make what I say relevant to my audience. I always think about WIIFM - what’s in it for me - or in this case my audience. It was great to work with the enthusiastic members of ISACA Luxembourg.’

"Tell a story. The content is remembered for longer." One ISACA member explained to his imaginary board that a ransomware attack was similar to when you were a child, and another child took your toy away and locked it up. You could only get it back by giving chocolate. The board will need to make decisions without being cyber security experts. The story about the children and the chocolates has made the situation relatable. Normally, people can only be convinced if they think that they understand what is happening. "It is also more persuasive to articulate what could be lost rather than what could be gained". Finally, other effective communication points identified are related to posture, handshakes and the tonality of the voice. 

Phil Frimpong, ISACA Luxembourg’s President said, “This is was a great opportunity to learn some new skills, to network with ISACA Luxembourg’s Chapter members, and to take home Derek's books.’

ISACA is a global professional association and learning organization with 180,000 members who work in digital trust fields such as information security, governance, assurance, risk, privacy and quality. With a presence in 188 countries and with 225 chapters worldwide, ISACA is recognised around the world for its guidance, credentials, education, training and community. The ISACA Luxembourg Chapter is focused on bringing high quality presentations to members in Luxembourg and to advance the visibility of cyber and technology related issues in Luxembourg.  

The next meet up will be in March focusing on women in technology. To find out more about ISACA: https://www.isaca.org/about-us