How To Do Policy Training Better

Because nobody learns from a snoozefest.

Policy training isn’t just a formality — it’s a core part of policy management process any effective GRC program. When people don’t understand the policies that govern their work, even the best-written procedures fall flat.

Training can help bridge the gap between documentation and day-to-day behavior. It ensures employees know what’s expected of them, how to act in line with regulations, and how to spot red flags before they become incidents.

All good and well, but let’s face it most policy trainings that any of us have been part of, are a snoozefest that you suffer through.

In this post, I’ll cover how to reduce the suffering of your policy trainings, or to be honest this advice should be pretty universal for any training.

Why Most (Policy) Trainings Fail

Let’s be honest — the bar is low.

Here’s why most policy training efforts fall flat:

• ✖️ They’re too long. No one wants to sit through an hour-long video or read a wall of text.
• ✖️ They’re not relevant. Generic, one-size-fits-all content doesn’t speak to your audience’s actual risks.
• ✖️ They’re just a checkbox. If your goal is “just get it done,” that’s all your team will aim for too.

What Happens When Training Is Actually Engaging and what if training was something people looked forward to?

People remember it.

They apply it.

And they become your first line of defense, not your weakest link.

Let’s break down how to make your policy training something people talk about — in a good way.

1. People remember stories — not rules.

Instead of repeating dry rules, talk about what really happens when security fails.

Example:

Tell the story of how one employee’s weak password led to a full-blown breach. Make it real. Make it relatable.

2. Even Basic Gamification Boosts Retention and Engagement.

Gamify and make it fun. You don’t need to organise a scavenger hunt to make training fun and stick (although, wouldn’t that be super cool!).

A few tweaks can go a long way and have the added benefit of being top of mind for many for a lot longer than a single annual training.

• ✔️ Run the allmighty phishing simulations with actual rewards
• ✔️ Use leaderboards to spark friendly competition between divisions

3. Make It Short and Actionable – Microlearning Wins Against Classroom Training

Ditch the single 60-90 minute training marathon.

It’s famously known that you’ll need to communicate things in the corporate world at least 7 times before it really sticks. So use this knowledge and instead of doing it once in a single go, drip-feed the information using different channels and mediums. Everyone’s different, using different channels will allow you to catch them all.

Here are a few ideas:

• ✔️ Drop quick tips in Slack regularly
• ✔️ Share podcasts to listen to, news articles to read
• ✔️ In everything you share, focus on teaching one concept at a time

4. Know Your Audience

Tailor content to the audience. Different teams use different tools, work in different ways and face different risks. So why give them the same training?

Engineers probably don’t need to know too much about handling sensitive personal data, but for HR it’s a key concept they need to understand, compared to supply chain risks that can lurk in the open source coding libraries.

Relevance makes training feel personal — and important.

5. Learning is Social. Use That To Your Advantage.

Make it a conversation, not a lecture. If your training is one-way, you’re missing a big opportunity.

Instead:

• ✔️ Ask teams to share personal experiences / close-call security moments
• ✔️ Encourage discussions
• ✔️ Publicly recognize participation

When People Enjoy the Learning, They Remember What Matters

The best training isn’t about the content alone — it’s about how you deliver it.

• ✔️ Keep it real.
• ✔️ Keep it short.
• ✔️ Make it interactive and relevant.

Because policy training isn’t just about compliance. It’s about building a culture of awareness and action.

Special Prize To Anyone Who Scrolled This Far

Kordon’s Co-Founder Martin Ojala shares that he has never gotten as good of feedback to annual training than the time he asked all employees to listen to this Darknet Diaries Podcast episode.

Read the transcript or listen to it here. Still super relevant even today April 10th, 2025.

https://darknetdiaries.com/transcript/86

P.S. If you’re working on information security policies, then we’ve created super simple starter templates to start from. No e-mail or signup required. Just download the docs from Google Drive.

Check them out here: Free Policy Templates – Download Editable GRC Policies.