The Application of Rhetorical Theory in Designing Effective Information Security Messages for Different Leadership Styles

Abstract

Fear appeal has been widely explored in designing information security messages. However, our understanding of how to design an effective one has yet to be fully explored. This study aims to enhance the effectiveness of fear appeal messages by drawing upon Aristotle’s rhetorical theory (pathos, logos, ethos appeals). Furthermore, we employ the elaboration likelihood model (ELM) as a bridging framework to integrate the fear appeal literature with leadership literature, explaining which messaging styles are more effective under different leadership styles (transformational vs. transactional leadership). Therefore, this paper provides a significant theoretical contribution to the fear appeal literature. We anticipate that our planned experiment will yield substantial managerial implications, enabling security managers to strategically craft security compliance messages tailored to the leadership style within their organization.