3 Reasons to Ditch Your Annual Security Videos (Do This Instead)

If you asked your team what they remember from the last annual security compliance video, we bet they’d be hard-pressed to remember anything of importance. That’s because most small business security training is like going to the dentist; you go once a year, and only because you have to. The unfortunate reality is that most people are going about security training from the “annual compliance” perspective, which isn’t doing your business any favors, and more importantly, doesn’t change their behavior.

Instead, you can embrace “micro-learning” to turn your team into a true human firewall and a vital security asset. Here’s how to make the shift from “annual compliance” mode to “micro-learning” mode.

Micro-Learning Defeats the Forgetting Curve By Using Constant Reinforcement

What does your brain do with information that isn’t immediately helpful or immediately relevant?

In the world of psychology, there’s a phenomenon called the “Forgetting Curve,” where the brain discards unhelpful knowledge to make room for more pertinent information. If you only train your employees on security once per year, the brain isn’t going to see that knowledge as helpful, and it will quickly forget about it. Instead, you can send out a series of bite-sized tips throughout the month to constantly refresh the brain’s memory and ensure security stays at the top of your staff’s minds.

With this drip-feed of security information, you can effectively defeat the forgetting curve through constant reinforcement.

Micro-Learning Respects Your Employees’ Time and Attention Spans

If your annual security training takes multiple days to complete, it’s probably not serving your business well.

In fact, these training videos or presentations can have the exact opposite effect, creating an environment of boredom or even resentment for the task at hand. Micro-learning, on the other hand, can occur during the cracks in the workday, where an employee can watch a small three-minute video or read about a security tip while having their morning coffee. The ask here is so small that there’s no risk of zoning out or any temptation to multitask.

With the training being much more palatable and consumable, your team will be more likely to engage in learning the material in a way that doesn’t feel like a major disruption to their work.

Micro-Learning Focuses On One Habit at a Time to Achieve Mastery

Security is a skill you have to develop, and like with any other skill, doing too much too fast can have a negative impact on your ability to learn.

What happens when you try to teach password security, phishing, physical security, and data privacy all at the same time? None of it actually sticks, leading to cognitive overload. Micro-learning helps your team focus on mastering one habit at a time, allowing the lessons to stick and for your business to actually benefit from the training over time.

By layering on security habits over time, your staff will become much more well-rounded and knowledgeable as far as network security is concerned.

With the right approach, you can shift your business’ security mindset from “compliant” to “vigilant.” Knowing the difference is vital; compliance is about staying out of trouble, but vigilance is actively caring for your business and looking out for its future. If you don’t want your team to look at security training as just another thing to check off on their to-do list, consider embracing the micro-learning model.

Accucom can help you build out an appropriate strategy that suits your schedule and your employees’ needs. Learn more by calling us at (02) 8825-5555.