How do you communicate data privacy policies and expectations to your stakeholders and partners?

In the finance industry, it's critical to communicate data privacy issues clearly. Understanding varied stakeholders was one of my top priorities while implementing a new data privacy policy. We arranged practical training sessions for our internal personnel and sent our clients comprehensive infographics outlining our preventive procedures. Adapting our strategy to the targeted audience guaranteed lucidity and strengthened confidence over all platforms.

In such innovative world of today, data privacy policies must be communicated to different stakeholders through best channel that best suit their understanding and comprehension. From suppliers to contractors and partners, the mode of communication may vary and should be done appropriately. It could be FAQ, surveys, feedbacks, infographics presentation, training and so on.

Having a layered approach to data privacy communication is key. For example, what you might need in the background to satisfy regulators that you have appropriate policies in place, won't be the same as the higher level policies you will need to have to ensure your staff understand the main points, and that they know where to find more detail as required. We structure these for clients as: (i) High Level Data Protection Standards - the Top 10 things staff need to understand in different GDPR compliance areas. (ii) A Staff Data Protection Policy - setting out key areas needed for compliance in more detail. (iii) Data Protection Guidelines - detailed guidance/ procedures/ templates to handle lots of different GDPR compliance issues.

- Publish privacy policies on your company's website and make them easy to find. - Provide clear privacy notices at the point of data collection. Ensure that stakeholders and partners understand how their data will be used. - Use consent forms to obtain explicit permission from stakeholders and partners for data collection and processing activities. - Email: Send emails to stakeholders and partners with updates of privacy policies, especially when there are changes. - Include specific data privacy clauses in contracts with partners. - Incorporate data privacy expectations into SLAs to ensure that partners understand their obligations.

When it comes to privacy , it all about safaguarding a PII whcih is very crucial. First we have to understand who are our users.. It can be of the below nature: 1. Employees : Come up with the privacy policies and procedures at the organization. Communicate to the org via announcement and keep them aware. Awarensess can be brought out by the campaings, bay shows, Privacy test. 2. Client : Share your privacy policies with the client. You can also maintain the startegy in the contracts amd look for compliance. Privacy policy can be circulated or posted in your web sites. Include those polcies in your project meetings. 3. Vendors : The one who is going to help you deliver product snd services are also of importance.do privacy due deligence

Raise Awareness: Increase awareness among stakeholders and partners about the importance of data privacy and the potential risks associated with mishandling personal or sensitive information. Promote Understanding: Ensure that stakeholders and partners have a clear understanding of your organization's data privacy policies, procedures, and expectations, as well as relevant laws and regulations. Build Trust: Build trust and confidence in your organization's commitment to protecting individuals' privacy rights and safeguarding their personal data from unauthorized access, use, or disclosure. Encourage Compliance: Encourage stakeholders and partners to comply with data privacy policies, procedures, and legal requirements.

Tailor communication strategies to the specific needs and preferences of different stakeholders and partners, taking into account their level of expertise, cultural background, and language proficiency.

Overall, the goals of a data privacy policy revolve around protecting personal information, complying with legal requirements, building trust, and ensuring responsible data handling practices to safeguard individuals' privacy rights.

Define clear goals for your data privacy communication based on whether you want to inform, educate, persuade, or engage stakeholders. Tailor the tone and content accordingly, using methods like emails or webinars depending on your specific objectives.

Before speaking to any audience on any topic, it's important to work backwards and know the end in mind. What do you want the audience to think or do differently at the end of the conversation? Do you want to scare them with fines and regulation requirements? Or do you want to focus on building trust and how privacy helps the company? Knowing the goal will help craft the call to action or change in thinking desired.

Clearly communicate data privacy expectations, policies, and practices in plain language that is easy for all stakeholders and partners to understand. Provide examples and practical guidance where possible.

Maintaining consistency in data privacy communication requires: 1. Simplicity: Use layman's terms to clarify complex privacy concepts, making them easily comprehensible for all stakeholders. 2. Transparency: Clearly explain how data is collected, used, and protected in the organization. 3. Regular Updates: Keep stakeholders informed about policy changes or data breaches promptly. 4. Training: Regularly educate employees about privacy practices. 5. Balance: Frame communication in a way that highlights the need for privacy while also supporting the business objectives. This approach can help ensure stakeholders are well-informed and trust your organization's privacy practices.

Keep your data privacy messages aligned with your policies and values. Ensure accuracy and transparency, using clear language. Avoid vague or misleading statements, providing specific information to build trust with stakeholders and partners.

Understand Your Audience: Start by understanding the needs, preferences, and knowledge levels of your stakeholders and partners regarding data privacy. Tailor your messages to resonate with their interests, concerns, and communication styles. Clarify Key Messages: Identify the most important points you want to convey about your organization's data privacy policies and expectations. These may include the purpose of the policies, the importance of compliance, key responsibilities, and available resources for support. Use Clear and Accessible Language: Communicate in clear, straightforward language that is easy for stakeholders and partners to understand, regardless of their level of expertise in data privacy matters. Avoid technical jargon.

Understand Your Audience: Start by understanding the needs, preferences, and knowledge levels of your stakeholders and partners regarding data privacy. Tailor your messages to resonate with their interests, concerns, and communication styles. Clarify Key Messages: Identify the most important points you want to convey about your organization's data privacy policies and expectations. These may include the purpose of the policies, the importance of compliance, key responsibilities, and available resources for support. Use Clear and Accessible Language: Communicate in clear, straightforward language that is easy for stakeholders and partners to understand, regardless of their level of expertise in data privacy matters. Avoid technical jargon.

Different stakeholders and partners may have varying levels of understanding and awareness regarding data privacy, requiring tailored communication strategies. Data privacy discussions often involve technical terms and concepts that may be difficult for non-technical stakeholders to understand, leading to misunderstandings or confusion. Tailor communication strategies to the specific needs and preferences of different stakeholders and partners, taking into account their level of expertise, cultural background, and language proficiency.

Still a primary area that so many organisations fail to address. If the communications are incomprehensible, no audience will engage with them - particularly privacy notices (websites and apps), instant fail... put yourself in the position of the consumer (external or internal) and what they might want to know, and if you can't genuinely get a basic understanding of what's going on with that data, rewrite it. Then read it again, then give it someone who has no real stake in the business, and if you and they now understand what's happening to the data, you're getting there. Don't mistake that for dumbing down, or leaving stuff out, but customisation is critical. Also a great exercise to double down on keeping on top of your own processing.

Segment Your Audience: Divide your stakeholders and partners into distinct groups based on factors such as their role, level of familiarity with data privacy, industry sector, and organizational function. Understand Audience Needs: Conduct audience research to understand the unique needs, concerns, and knowledge levels of each segment. Gather insights through surveys, interviews, or focus groups to identify what information is most relevant and useful to each group. Customize Messaging: Customize your communication content to address the specific interests, concerns, and priorities of each audience segment. Tailor the language, examples, and emphasis to resonate with their experiences and perspectives. Use Personalization: Where possible.

Tech Savvy + Talk Savvy Culture Success = Technical (Knowledge and Experience) Skills + Communication (Talking and writing) Skills Success = TS + CS It is not enough to be 10/10 in your technical skills whilst being terrible at communicating. If you cannot articulate what you are trying to say, in word, writing or imagery then you will never be perceived as technically apt. You will be considered as a know it all or portrayed as unsure and lacking in confidence. Equally, you can be great at communicating however if you are winging it (Lack of knowledge and experience) you will be caught out and your reputation potentially tarnished. Do not underestimate how important it is to grow your communication skills as much as technical.

Establish mechanisms for monitoring compliance with data privacy expectations and reporting any breaches or incidents promptly. Provide clear instructions on reporting procedures and escalation paths.

Surveys and Feedback: Conduct surveys or gather feedback from stakeholders and partners to assess their understanding of data privacy policies and expectations, as well as their satisfaction with the communication materials and methods. Ask questions about clarity, relevance, and helpfulness to gauge effectiveness. Comprehension Assessments: Administer comprehension assessments or quizzes to measure stakeholders' understanding of key concepts, procedures, and responsibilities outlined in data privacy policies. Compare pre- and post-communication knowledge levels to assess improvement. Participation Rates: Monitor participation rates in communication activities, such as training sessions, webinars, or informational meetings, to gauge the

Additionally, positive feedback and trust from customers, clients, and other stakeholders can indicate the effectiveness of the data privacy policy. If individuals feel confident and trust the organization's commitment to protecting their personal data, it can be seen as a positive outcome and an achievement.

Privacy is continuously evolving and messaging should too. How is the audience receiving the content and what new information needs to be shared? Keeping people abreast of the latest news in an easy to understand manner will show the importance of privacy to the organization.

Updating data privacy communication is vital in maintaining transparency and compliance. In our experience, regular updates reflect a commitment to adapting to evolving regulations and best practices. For instance, when GDPR was implemented, our communication strategy underwent a thorough review to align with the new requirements, ensuring clarity for stakeholders. Learning from industry trends, such as adopting layered consent forms, has proven beneficial through other organisations' experiences. Aligning communication with our data privacy culture builds trust and shows dedication to safeguarding stakeholders' information, necessitating regular reviews for maintaining communication integrity and relevance in data privacy.

Data privacy is a dynamic and evolving field, with new regulations, technologies, and threats emerging regularly. Continuously monitor changes in the regulatory landscape and industry best practices, and update your communication materials accordingly. Keep stakeholders informed about any updates or changes to data privacy policies, expectations, or procedures, and provide ongoing education and training to ensure compliance and awareness.

Bring in communications professionals who specialize in messaging, whether that be to your internal teams or external customers. Couple your policy and regulatory expertise with the splashy skills of a seasoned comms professional to catch and maintain the attention of your stakeholders and partners.

There is something about communication we tend to implicitly overlook as risk and security practitioners. It's the fact that risk is the action of uncertainty on objectives while COMMUNICATION REMOVES THE UNCERTAINTY to a great extent; it's a good de-risking strategy. Communication management should be taken seriously and well tailored to suit it's audience and objectives. The human link remains the weakest link and most pervasive threat vector internally and externally and the only hack that works on them is communication -- training and development.

Bring privacy policies to life by explaining the *why* behind key concepts. Analogies help, and so does helping stakeholders envision they are a consumer whose personal information is affected. Not everything in data privacy is intuitive. A counterintuitive concept I have to explain often is that the *process* of de-identification creates risk because it is difficult to do perfectly - and can ultimately lead to mischaracterization/mishandling of data that should have been treated as identifiable (PII). So while perfectly de-identified data is privacy protective, de-identification is more of a mixed bag and is often prohibited contractually.

Don’t forget that privacy is a team effort from start to finish. Don’t wait until you have drafted privacy policies and expectations to engage stakeholders. Give them a seat at the table during policy development and updates. Let them speak into the policy and procedures developed to enhance privacy. Privacy by Design and Default is a cultural thing, so having those stakeholders at the table can begin to instill a privacy culture in the organization. It can provide perspective to stakeholders and privacy professionals alike which are otherwise missed. When those who must obey policy can speak into it, communication barriers that could pop up later don’t form. Your audience communicates for you, and you’ve built privacy evangelists!

In my experience, face to face meetings (or via teams if spread all over the world) with small groups are very helpful to get your message across. You can also than easily retain their point-of-view and you are able to customize best the message you want them to remember. I understand this costs much time, but in the end you will gain so much more ambassadors to help you spread the message than in any other way.