Gamification is highly effective—adding quizzes, challenges, and rewards like badges or leaderboards can make learning more enjoyable. Employees can engage in friendly competition, which motivates them to complete training. Incorporating real-life scenarios or simulations—such as phishing attempts—helps make the training feel relevant and impactful by showing employees how security breaches affect them directly. Microlearning—delivering content in short, digestible modules—prevents information overload and keeps training manageable. Incentivizing participation with rewards or recognition can also drive engagement.

First and foremost, clear expectations need to be set. Threats are real and participation and effort are mandatory. Once expectations are clear, then we can focus on tactics to drive greater engagement. Varying tactics and adding humor can certainly help. I prefer content that is concise and clear. I try to push longer compliance training with confirmation of learning once a year, and bite-size, thematic courses on a monthly basis.

Begin by explaining what's in it for them. How this training be valuable to them in their personal lives as well and how it can help their families, kids, spouses, parents...then, tie to to their responsibilities, expectations and potential liabilities at work. Most folks don't resist as much today as they did years ago. Also, make it brief, don't have them spend an hour watching videos and answering questions.

To overcome employee resistance to security training, it’s essential to make the experience relatable and enjoyable. Gamifying the process fosters competition and motivation, encouraging participation through rewards. Connecting security measures to personal benefits highlights how these practices protect employees' data and privacy. Sharing real-life stories of security breaches creates urgency, demonstrating the tangible risks of negligence. Interactive sessions, like workshops or role-playing scenarios, can also enhance engagement by making training more practical. Consistently gathering feedback helps refine the approach, ensuring it resonates with employees and meets their needs.

To engage employees in security training, I focus on making it interactive by gamifying the process with rewards and friendly competition. I also connect the training to personal benefits, showing how security measures protect them, not just the company. Real-life breach examples help drive home the importance of staying vigilant. This combination of fun, relevance, and real-world impact shifts their mindset and makes the training more engaging and effective.