The quarterly publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/411912
PEER TO PEER: THE QUARTERLY MAGA ZINE OF ILTA 58 high skepticism score are more cynical, questioning, argumentative and self- protective. These traits help lawyers serve the interests of their clients, but they can also lead lawyers to challenge stories that feel threatening due to the extraordinary consequences of someone's actions. The goal is for the story to be a cautionary tale rather than a horror story. KEEP IT SHORT How long is your story? To have the most impact, it should make its point quickly. We're all aware of the culture of the billable hour still prevalent in law firms, and, as a result, the saying "time is money" is more true in law firms than in many other organizations. The importance of choosing stories that have a high impact in a short amount of time is especially critical in telling stories to attorneys. Apart from the billable hour, we can again turn to the research of Dr. Richard for more insight. In addition to high skepticism scores, the majority of lawyers have exceptionally high marks in urgency. Some of the characteristics associated with the urgency trait include impatience, a driving need to get things done, and a sense of immediacy. The stories we select need to illustrate relevant points quickly so lawyers don't disengage. USE THE RIGHT VOICE Once you've found good stories to tell, the final thing determining a story's impact is the storyteller. Stories have the greatest impact when they come from our peers; if my peer thinks this story is relevant and realistic, I'm more likely to listen and give it weight. Fortunately, the ranks of lawyers in our firms are likely filled with storytellers — we just have to recruit them to tell our stories. A quick search of online bookstores will yield several books on the subject of storytelling skills for lawyers. Depending on their practice, storytelling is already a part of the work they do. They tell stories to clients to win their business, they tell stories to juries to win cases, they even tell war stories to each other to bond and share knowledge. Recruit sponsors for your security awareness initiative who can be effective storytellers to their peers, and then arm them with the right stories. WIN THE HEARTS AND MINDS OF EMPLOYEES When we communicate facts and figures that illustrate widespread threats to information security and the real impact on businesses, we're establishing a strong foundation for our security awareness program and giving employees an understanding of why security awareness is a critical part of how we work every day. To change behavior, we need to follow the facts and figures with effective storytelling. When the right stories are told by the right storytellers, behaviors change, minimizing risk and protecting your firm and clients. Storytelling is a longstanding part of the human experience precisely because of its power to engage people on an emotional level. When we share both data and stories, we win the hearts and the minds of our employees, and they become allies in our security awareness efforts. FEATURES Think about how lawyers work today. They live in email. They are mobile. They need to share information across environments. They are under tremendous pressure to deliver timely and responsive results. The nature of their work creates content in motion. Once a lawyer hits Send on a confidential email with a proprietary document attached, the firm's ability to control the future of that document has been relinquished. Senders must trust the recipient will not amend the document, expose the content or forward it to inappropriate recipients. What if lawyers had tools that enabled them to protect email attachments beyond the firm's "fortress" and into the future? What if lawyers could control their content remotely, sharing only what they want with intended recipients at intended times and under their own terms? What if lawyers could do so leveraging existing desktop applications like Microsoft Outlook and Microsoft Office? Imagine if lawyers could protect content in motion. Digital rights management (DRM) enables firms to control access to documents over time. With DRM, lawyers can hit Send on a secure email with peace of mind that they retain control over future document access. Historically, DRM solutions have been difficult — if not impossible — for law firms to implement. However, the market is changing, and tools now exist that enable DRM reliably without the need to change lawyer workflow. If you haven't looked at DRM lately, now is the time! Digital Rights Management To Control Content in Motion by Joy Heath Rush of Litéra