Storytelling: Making Cybersecurity Engaging
The Challenge: Abstract Topics Don’t Resonate
The solution to a major challenge in my professional life lay in my childhood. Like many professionals striving to communicate digital topics effectively, I grappled with making cybersecurity both engaging and understandable. The core issue? Digital transformation topics are often abstract, and—to most people—frankly, quite boring.
Neuropsychologist Michael Gazzaniga describes this struggle perfectly:
“Although attention may be present, it may not be enough for a stimulus to make it to consciousness. You are reading an article about string theory, your eyes are focused, you are mouthing the words to yourself, and none of it is making it to your conscious brain, and maybe it never will.”
Had I remained within professional circles of academics and industry experts, this wouldn’t have been a problem. After all, these groups are passionate and knowledgeable about cybersecurity, making for insightful discussions. However, CYRENZH‘s mission extends beyond these circles—to bring cybersecurity awareness to society and empower people to protect themselves, their families, and their workplaces. The question remained: how could we make cybersecurity compelling for a broader audience?
The Breakthrough: Leveraging Storytelling
As I wrestled with this question, I came across tech journalist Eva Wolfangel’s LinkedIn profile. Reading her award-nominated article on virtual reality, I didn’t just understand her experience—I felt it. I shared in her excitement and fear, understanding so much more about the risks and opportunities of this new technology.
This reaction wasn’t coincidental—it was neurological. Mirror neurons enable us to feel what others experience, even in fictional stories. Storytelling, then, wasn’t just an artistic tool but a scientifically supported method for fostering understanding.
Despite technological advances, human nature remains unchanged. Since not every process can be automated, humans are still essential to digital transformation. Storytelling can integrate people as a security resource, maximizing the benefits of technology while reinforcing security awareness.
Cybersecurity Has All the Elements of a Great Story
Reflecting on my childhood, I remembered my love for detective stories—Hercule Poirot, Miss Marple, and Sherlock Holmes. These narratives captured my imagination, and I realized that cyber attacks follow a similar pattern: mystery, investigation, and resolution. Here’s how storytelling can bring cybersecurity to life:
–> The Protagonist: Every compelling story needs a hero. In cybersecurity, this could be:
- An employee navigating workplace security challenges.
- A security professional protecting their company from threats.
- A pentester testing an organization’s defenses.
Through their perspective, we can explore their goals (e.g., protecting a company, gaining recognition, or making an impact) and internal struggles (e.g., dealing with the lack of support from leadership, doing a stressful job while keeping a work/life balance, establishing security that considers user needs).
–> The Plot: A great story needs conflict and obstacles that affect and challenge the protagonist. Cybersecurity provides real-world dilemmas and antagonists, such as:
- A cybercriminal targeting a company.
- An authority prioritizing compliance over real security.
- A careless colleague undermining security efforts.
By following the protagonist’s journey, audiences learn from their mistakes and successes, shaping norms for cybersecurity behavior concerning how people ought to behave when faced with similar situations.
–> The Theme: A story should convey a deeper truth about human nature—loyalty, revenge, love, trust…
The digital transformation has greatly impacted our sense of self, raising the question what it means to be human in a hyper-connected, yet anonymous digital world. Cybersecurity requires, for example, both holding back information such as business secrets and the need to share information with others about security threats and effective measures. This is one of many interesting trade-offs that makes for great opportunities to explore human nature and behavior.
Creating the “Storytelling for Digital Transformation” Course
Recognizing storytelling’s power, we decided to explore it as a method for teaching cybersecurity and digital transformation topics. After reaching out to Eva Wolfangel and consulting with the CYRENZH team, we hatched a plan. By the end of 2024, our storytelling team was complete, and the desired learning outcomes were defined.
The Storytelling-Team
- Eva Wolfangel – Tech journalist specializing in storytelling for cybersecurity, AI, and digital transformation.
- Melanie Knieps – CYRENZH volunteer-lead and motivational psychologist with experience in the financial sector, focused on building resilience against cyber threats.
- Leyla Ciragan – CYRENZH education-lead, literature-PhD-turned-computer-scientist, passionate about making technical topics accessible.
- Regula Sprecher – CYRENZH project communication & coordination-lead, leveraging her university network to develop and promote the course with the various target groups in mind.
- Irene Gonzalez – Educational expert providing key feedback on course development and advancement.
Learning Objectives
By the end of the course, students will:
✅ Turn complex digital concepts into engaging, clear stories.
✅ Make digital transformation topics relatable to diverse audiences.
✅ Evaluate storytelling’s strengths and limitations across formats.
✅ Create narratives that educate and empower decision-making.
Looking Beyond Spring Semester 2025
We are launching this course for the first time in the 2025 spring semester. As of now, student enrollment is nearly full. This marks the beginning of our storytelling journey, with the goal of making it an annual offering. Beyond students, we also plan to adapt and expand the course for practitioners, academics, and professionals from various industries.
Interested in collaborating, exchanging ideas, or learning more about our approach to storytelling for cybersecurity and digital transformation? Contact us at .