2025-10-30 –, Main Hall
In cybersecurity, technical know-how is only half the battle—the real challenge often lies in getting people to care enough in order to take action. Whether you’re trying to convince an executive to invest in controls, or coax a client into following your recommendations, success depends on your ability to influence.
Join me in learning the ways of the Force and become a security Jedi.
In cybersecurity, technical know-how is only half the battle—the real challenge often lies in getting people to care enough in order to take action. Whether you’re trying to convince an executive to invest in controls, persuade a board to act on risk, or coax a client into following your recommendations, success depends on your ability to influence. But how do we do that, in the absence of a good crisis to leverage?
Drawing from behavioural science and psychology, this talk will cover off some common cognitive biases and mental shortcuts that underlie how we all think and process information, and how we can use these cognitive biases to nudge people toward making better security decisions.
The talk takes the form of jedi training, guiding you from simple human hacks like active listening, framing and the halo effect, through to mirroring and then Mastery of the Force– like cognitive dissonance, and commitment bias.
You will leave this talk with insight into how people tick, and with a toolbox of human hacks to try on those around you, to help you make people listen, understand, and take action.
Antoinette has a Masters degree in Relationship Psychology and a background working in New Zealand’s Intelligence Community.
She is passionate about empowering organisations and their people to make more informed security decisions by ensuring security is relatable and understandable to everyone. Often this comes down to being able to persuade, influence, and manipulate motivate non-technical people.