Clear and concise communication

Welcome back!
Previously, we discussed stakeholders and the important security roles they play within an organization.
Now, let's explore the role you play in communicating with those stakeholders.
The information that's communicated to stakeholders is sensitive.
For example, if you send an email to stakeholders about a recent security breach, it's important to be mindful of what you communicate and who you communicate to.
Different stakeholders may need to be informed about different issues.
As a result, your communications with them need to be clear, concise, and focused.
Security is a detail-driven profession, so it's essential that you stay mindful of the details when sending your communications.
Stakeholders are very busy people.
Your communication should be precise, avoid unnecessary technical terms, and have a clear purpose.
You don't want them to have to guess the reason for your email or why it matters to them.
To help with this, ask your manager or immediate supervisors questions to find out what the stakeholders you communicate with need to know.
As you may recall, earlier we discussed what it means to have a security mindset.
A part of that mindset means asking questions about the assets and data you're protecting.
For example, you could ask: What's the most important data to protect on a daily basis?
Or, what security tool has been most important or useful to protect our data and assets?
Having a security mindset also means understanding what matters most to stakeholders, so you know what information to share with them.
Effective communication involves relaying only the information that is most relevant to stakeholders.
Staying informed about security issues helps stakeholders do their jobs more effectively.
Your role in communicating with stakeholders is to help them obtain that information.
This is yet another example of how essential your role is within a security team.
Coming up, we'll discuss the information that is most important to communicate with stakeholders.