⁠Mikko Hyppönen⁠ describes himself as a geek, nerd, hacker, hunter of cybercriminals and Finn. I adore him. Mikko is the Chief Research Officer at F-Secure, a company he joined 30 years ago. We chat about David Hasselhof, getting nervous with live streams and how to go from reverse engineering malware to standing on a ⁠TED Global stage⁠.

As well as telling fantastic stories from the coalface of the international conference circuit, he suggests replacing music with educational English-language podcasts during times like travel and sport, to enhance language skills and professional knowledge.

He emphasizes the power of storytelling in communication. Even if you don’t have a real story, creating one related to your topic, like the importance of passwords, can be effective. It’s not about fabricating events but using relatable examples to engage your audience, as storytelling is deeply rooted in human nature.

Finally, Mikko recommends using props in presentations. He gives examples of using a floppy disk and physical bitcoins to illustrate points about technology and cryptocurrency. These tangible items help make complex topics more understandable and engaging for the audience.

This is a fascinating episode, especially if you’re not a native English speaker but must present in English.