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Behavioural Design Training for Communication

Design communication that|

Everything you do as a communication professional, from campaigns and intranet to press releases and change communication, comes down to influencing behaviour. In our Behavioural Design programmes you learn how to shift that behaviour for the better. Grounded in science, made usable for people in practice, and amplified by AI.

Nine behavioural challenges for communication professionals → Or jump straight to our programmes →

10.000+

trained

9.3/10

Springest

4.8/5

Google Rating

EQAC

accredited

Communication professionals during the Behavioural Design Fundamentals programme at SUE Amsterdam

Communication is a behavioural craft

Every communication professional runs into these behavioural challenges.

Campaigns, intranet, press releases, change programmes, stakeholder communication: all of it comes down to whether people will actually do something. Time after time it shows: reaching is not moving, and informing is not persuading. The question isn't whether you recognise this. The question is how you break through it.

01 · Reach versus behaviour

Why does no one act on the message we put so much care into?

High views, low action. The reach numbers look fine on paper. In practice, nothing changes.

02 · Change communication

How do I communicate a change people would rather not have had?

Polished words, stubborn reality. The room nods and goes back to doing things the old way.

03 · Persuasive writing

How do I write a text that doesn't just get read, but actually moves people to act?

Clear, correct, professional. And no one feels addressed enough to do anything.

04 · Internal communication

Why does our internal message never land the way we meant it?

Intranet, mailing, town hall. Every channel covered, all the attention you could ask for. And still: noise, rumours, personal interpretation.

05 · Framing

Why does my message land so differently from how I meant it?

Not what you say, but how you frame it shapes the reading. One word changes the whole interpretation.

06 · Campaigns

How do I make a campaign that's not just well-liked, but actually works?

High scores in the focus group, low translation on the street. Creativity without behavioural logic.

07 · Stakeholders & buy-in

How do I get buy-in for a message that not everyone wants to hear?

Plenty of arguments. But influence isn't the same as information. And resistance isn't a question of logic.

08 · AI & content

What stays my added value when AI can produce content too?

AI handles production. But behavioural logic, framing and influence: that stays human work. Or does it?

09 · Showing impact

How do I show that communication is more than a cost line?

Reach, opens and likes don't convince a board. Behavioural change does. But that won't measure itself.

Why the SUE Behavioural Design Method

Behavioural science made usable for professionals who aren't behavioural experts.

Most behavioural science knowledge is locked away in academic papers and consultancy reports. SUE built its own method, the Influence Framework, that translates the science into a practical step-by-step process any communication professional can apply, without a scientific background.

Read: the SUE Influence Framework explained →

SUE Influence Framework, the five forces shaping every human behaviour

No academic theory, you work on your own communication case during the programme and leave with a worked-out plan

Built on Kahneman, Cialdini and Thaler, scientifically grounded but accessible for practitioners

Our own method, the Influence Framework can be learned nowhere else, described in the #1 management bestseller

16 years of experience, from Rabobank to ABN AMRO and Philips: communication advisers took our programmes to learn how to design behaviour into campaigns, channels and internal communication

9.7/10

★★★★★

4.8/5

★★★★★

5.0/5

★★★★★

Accredited by

What communication professionals say after the programme

10.000+ professionals have taken a SUE Behavioural Design Programme.

The communication professionals among them, from Rabobank to ABN AMRO and Philips, have one thing in common: they look at their messages differently afterwards.

Thank you for two days full of knowledge and practice in Behavioural Design. I will keep the frameworks close, and I already know they will give me direction. Excellent trainer.

Mirte Hoedemaker

Communication Adviser · Rabobank

★★★★★

I had really enjoyable and inspiring days, with both insights and practical tips and examples to apply in my work as a communication professional.

Karine van den Noort

Communication Expert · De Communicatie Experts

★★★★★

Fun, interesting and informative day. A good balance of theory and practice. Delivered in a really pleasant way. I think my whole team is going to be happy with this.

Julia Bloemendaal

Copy/Content Manager · ABN AMRO

★★★★★

In two days, an excellent and concrete overview of Behavioural Design. A solid theoretical base at a comfortable pace, and properly stretched in the exercises. With this base and these insights I'm going to optimise my communication approach from A to Z.

Frank Heuts

Sr. Communication Adviser · Obvion

★★★★★

A really well-designed programme. The integration of scientific insights and practical application makes it directly usable. I leave with a completely new perspective on how I approach communication.

Sarah Claes

Internal Communication Adviser · Belfius

★★★★★

The programme changed how I think about my work. I now know why some messages land and others don't. That's a completely different level of understanding from where I was.

Marleen Verbeke

Change Communication Manager · Philips

★★★★★

As a content specialist it's important to know and understand what's really going on with the audience. From now on I'll do that better with the Influence Framework, so my content lands closer to the job-to-be-done.

Annette Abels

Content Specialist

★★★★★

The programme was really enjoyable to follow. The balance between theory and application is just right. You can apply the theory directly in everyday life and at work, and that's brilliant.

Juliette van den Dungen

Content Specialist · StiPP

★★★★★

I'm going home properly recharged. Behavioural Design as 'profound, insightful simplicity'. A really welcome refresher that reminded me how powerful this alternative way of thinking is.

Michiel Gerbranda

Cross-sell Communication Specialist

★★★★★

After the programme

What communication professionals do differently after the Behavioural Design programme

No abstract knowledge. Concrete shifts in how you approach campaigns, intranet, press releases and change communication.

You analyse reader behaviour before you write a communication message

You use the Influence Framework as your starting point: which pains, gains, anxieties and comforts are at play with this reader, and which job-to-be-done sits underneath?

You design communication context, not just messages

You know how to design campaigns, channels and intranet so that the desired action becomes the easiest action, not just the most-argued one.

You speak the language of behaviour in communication strategy

You have a shared framework to explain why an audience decides the way they do, and how to design for that without losing clarity or credibility.

Frequently asked questions

Frequently asked questions about Behavioural Design for communication professionals

Most participants start without prior knowledge. The programme teaches you the behavioural science you need, directly applied to your own communication practice. No academic theory, but usable insights you can apply the next day in your campaigns, intranet posts or change communication.

You learn the SUE Influence Framework: a method to analyse why people don't do what your communication asks of them, and to design your message, channel and context so that the desired action becomes the easiest action. You work on your own communication case during the programme and leave with a worked-out approach.

It is precisely for experienced communication professionals that this is most valuable. You have the practical experience. The programme gives you the scientific framework that grounds your intuition and sharpens your approach. Many participants say afterwards: I was already doing some of this, but now I finally understand why some campaigns work and others don't.

Deliberately a mixed group: communication advisers, marketers, HR professionals, policy makers, lawyers and managers together. Maximum 16 participants. That mix is what makes it valuable: you learn from the content and from how professionals in other sectors handle similar behavioural questions.

Yes. We invoice on company name and the programme is EQAC-accredited, which makes claiming with employers and L&D budgets easier. Get in touch if you need a quote or additional information for your application.

Start with the Fundamentals. It gives you the complete Behavioural Design framework: the Influence Framework, the JTBD method and all the core tools. Deep Dives such as Persuasive Writing or Building Buy-in build on top of that with specific applications. Without Fundamentals, the Deep Dive lacks its base.

The Fundamentals course is the broad foundation programme: 2 days live (or 33 online lessons) in which you learn the complete Behavioural Design framework. After that, you can apply it to any communication context. A Deep Dive lasts 1 day and goes into depth on one theme, such as Persuasive Writing or Building Buy-in. If you do both, the Fundamentals course is always the first step.

Ready to take the step? Browse the next start date or get in touch with a question.

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10.000+ professionals went before you · 9.7/10 rating · EQAC accredited

Behavioural Design is the missing layer.

Why a sharply written message doesn't automatically change behaviour

Behavioural Design for communication professionals is the application of behavioural science to the communication craft: campaigns, intranet, press releases, change communication and stakeholder communication. The method helps you understand why employees, customers and stakeholders do what they do, and how to design your message and context so that the desired action becomes the easiest action.

96% of behaviour is automatic. Most communication addresses the conscious mind: read, understand, agree. The Behavioural Design Method teaches you to read the unconscious and design for it.

Five forces shape every behaviour. Pains, gains, anxieties, comforts and jobs-to-be-done. The SUE Influence Framework teaches you to spot them in employees, customers and stakeholders, and to use them to design communication that works.

Behaviour is designable. The Behavioural Design Method gives you a step-by-step process to change your communication context, not the people, so that follow-through and behavioural change become natural.

Design communication that|

Every communication professional runs into these behavioural challenges.

Why does no one act on the message we put so much care into?

How do I communicate a change people would rather not have had?

How do I write a text that doesn't just get read, but actually moves people to act?

Why does our internal message never land the way we meant it?

Why does my message land so differently from how I meant it?

How do I make a campaign that's not just well-liked, but actually works?

How do I get buy-in for a message that not everyone wants to hear?

What stays my added value when AI can produce content too?

How do I show that communication is more than a cost line?

Behavioural science made usable for professionals who aren't behavioural experts.

Three featured programmes for communication professionals

Behavioural Design Fundamentals Course

Behavioural Design Team Masterclass

Deep Dive Persuasive Writing

Or browse all our programmes

Behavioural Design Fundamentals Course

Behavioural Design Advanced Course

Behavioural Design Summer School

Deep Dive Behavioural Interviews

Behavioural Design Fundamentals

Navigating Conflict and Getting Buy-in

Leading Change and Transformation

Behavioural Design Masterclass

Behavioural Design Sprint

Behavioural Design Accelerator

Influential Leadership Programme

10.000+ professionals have taken a SUE Behavioural Design Programme.

What communication professionals do differently after the Behavioural Design programme

You analyse reader behaviour before you write a communication message

You design communication context, not just messages

You speak the language of behaviour in communication strategy

Frequently asked questions about Behavioural Design for communication professionals

Why a sharply written message doesn't automatically change behaviour

Would you rather discuss the options with us?

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