Stories build community. Share yours with other CXOs
Dan Ballmer, Sr. Transformation Analyst, Zscaler
Storytelling is a crucial art form that is often neglected among technology professionals. Our industry favors factual narratives based on analytics, mathematics, and performance metrics. While cybersecurity minutiae may be intriguing to our inner techies, it is not particularly engaging for a wider audience. Similarly, a pro athlete may enjoy reading the nutritional label on their food items, but this same text is unlikely to interest anyone else. Much of cybersecurity is like a nutritional label – fascinating to those who need to know, but unbearably dull to those not invested in the process.
How does one become better at telling their cybersecurity story?
One key factor is knowing your audience. If you are reading this, it is likely your listeners are other executives, directors, and board members. Finding a common point of interest among this diverse group of professionals can be challenging. Yet, technology leaders around the world are making compelling presentations every day. Like any skill, captivating storytelling can be learned from those who have perfected the craft.
The CXO REvolutionaries Community Forum is a meeting place where technology leaders can learn from each other’s experiences. Whether looking to crowdsource questions from peers, improve training, or discuss the pressures of the job, the forum has something for everyone. Connecting with your peers can bring countless benefits, including presenting cybersecurity stories in ways that impact a top-level audience.
Now is a great time to take charge of your own storyline.
Please join us today.
How AI can deliver the next phase of scalability
Howie Xu, Vice President of AI and Machine Learning, Zscaler
Shortly after Zscaler acquired TrustPath (where I was the CEO and co-founder), I was out on a hike with a non-technical business friend. During the hike, my friend asked, “I know what AI can do for self-driving cars, but what can it do for the cybersecurity industry?”
For the next 20 minutes, I explained the fine details of why artificial intelligence was needed in cybersecurity and how more companies should be leveraging it, but it didn’t resonate with my friend. I didn’t get the “aha moment” I was looking for.
How could I hone my AI/ML elevator pitch, I wondered?