For who → Communication professionals

Behavioural Design for Communication Professionals

Communicating means changing behaviour. Everything you write, say or design has one single goal.

Everything you do as a communication professional, from writing campaigns to presenting to the board, depends on human behaviour. The question is whether you can read, predict and design that behaviour. That is exactly what Behavioural Design teaches you.

View the Fundamentals Course → Does this sound familiar?

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9.7/10

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EQAC

accredited

€1.190

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Communication professionals during the Behavioural Design Fundamentals training at SUE Amsterdam

Familiar challenges for communication professionals

"How do I write texts that actually move people, rather than just informing them?"

The core of the problem

Does this sound familiar?

Click on a situation you recognise.

The text that moved nobody

Well written. Clear message. Strong argument. And yet nobody responded. Persuasion works through a different channel than providing information, and most communication training never addresses that channel.

The change communication that triggered exactly the resistance you wanted to avoid

Carefully communicated, at the right moment, through the right channels. And still: suspicion, rumour, resistance. Change communication rarely fails because of poor wording. It fails because of a misunderstanding of how people psychologically process change.

The campaign that raised awareness but didn't change behaviour

Awareness was there. Willingness too. But the behaviour didn't change. Because the step from knowing to doing doesn't happen through information. It happens through environment design. Through framing. Through social norms.

The email with a clear call to action that still wasn't followed up

You made the action easy. You explained the benefit. You sent a reminder. And still: no response. A call to action only works if you understand the psychology of the recipient, not just their diary.

The board presentation that didn't convince the room

The plan was good. The data was solid. You were well prepared. But the decision went a different way. Boardrooms rarely decide on pure rationality, and compelling presentations take that into account.

Behavioural Design is the missing layer.

There's an explanation for this.

Behavioural Design for communication professionals is the application of behavioural science to communication challenges: from campaigns and change communication to internal messages and board presentations. The method helps you understand why people respond to your messages the way they do, and how to design the frame and context so that the desired behaviour becomes the natural choice.

96% of behaviour is automatic. Most communication training focuses on the rational argument. The Behavioural Design method teaches you to read the unconscious, and to write, frame and design for it.

Six forces shape every behaviour. Goals, anxieties, habits, context, friction and triggers. The Behavioural Design method teaches you to recognise and use them to design messages that actually work.

Behaviour is designable. The Behavioural Design method gives you a step-by-step process for changing the context so that the desired behaviour becomes the logical choice, not just the most communicated one.

Behavioural Design × AI

What makes you an indispensable communication professional in the age of AI?

Understanding, predicting and influencing behaviour is the one skill AI cannot replace.

The context

AI is changing how communication professionals work, from copywriting to campaign strategy.

But AI only makes you more effective if you understand how people actually decide. Without that foundation, you use AI to write the wrong messages faster. The technology amplifies what you already understand, not what you can't yet see.

Behavioural Design × AI

AI gives you speed. Behavioural Design gives you direction.

The communication professional who understands behaviour gets more out of AI than the one who only knows how to use AI. All SUE training programmes have AI applications built in as standard.

Read our view on Behavioural Design and AI →

Why the SUE Behavioural Design method

Behavioural science made practical for professionals who are not behavioural experts.

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

No academic theory, you work on your own communication case during the training and go home with a fully worked-out plan

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

Our own method, the Influence Framework is not taught anywhere else, described in the #1 management bestseller

16 years of experience, from ING to Heineken to the Dutch Government: the method has been proven on the biggest communication challenges in the Netherlands

9.7/10

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4.8/5

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Certified by

What communication professionals say after the training

10.000+ professionals have followed a SUE Behavioural Design training.

The communication professionals among them have one thing in common: afterwards they look at their messages differently.

Thank you for two days packed with knowledge and practice in Behavioural Design. I will definitely keep the frameworks close at hand, and I already know they will give me direction. Top trainer!

Mirte Hoedemaker

Communication Adviser · Rabobank

★★★★★

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

Karine van den Noort

Communication Expert · De Communicatie Experts

★★★★★

A great, interesting and informative day. Good mix of theory and practice. Delivered in a very enjoyable way. I think my whole team is going to love this.

Julia Bloemendaal

Copy/Content Manager · ABN AMRO

★★★★★

In two days, an excellent and concrete introduction to Behavioural Design. With this foundation and these insights, I am going to optimise my communication approach from A to Z.

Frank Heuts

Sr. Communication Adviser · Obvion

★★★★★

Very well-composed training. The integration of scientific insights and practical applications makes it immediately usable. I leave with a completely new perspective on how to approach communication.

Sarah Claes

Internal Communication Adviser · Belfius

★★★★★

The training changed the way I think about my work. I now know why certain messages land and others don't. That's a completely different level of understanding than I had before.

Marleen Verbeke

Change Communication Manager · Philips

★★★★★

As a content specialist, it's crucial to really understand what drives your target audience. From now on I use the Influence Framework for that, so my content connects even better with the job to be done.

Annette Abels

Content Specialist

★★★★★

The training was great fun to follow! The balance between theory and application is just right. You can apply what you learn directly in your daily work, and that makes all the difference.

Juliette van den Dungen

Content Specialist · StiPP

★★★★★

You are surprised by insights that change the way you think about behaviour change. Within 2 days you have a new approach you can use immediately in your own work. The enthusiastic trainers make these 2 days a real celebration!

Michiel Gerbranda

Cross-sell Communication Specialist

★★★★★

The best first step

Understanding persuasion is the skill that changes everything.

And the Behavioural Design Fundamentals is the training that teaches you that. In two days, or 33 online lessons, you learn the method that changes how you approach everything afterwards.

Behavioural Design Fundamentals

You learn the complete Influence Framework, the JTBD method and all core tools of Behavioural Design. You work on your own communication case and go home with a worked-out intervention plan you can apply the next day.

Three ways to participate

Live in Amsterdam, 2 intensive days, max 16 participants Online self-paced, 33 lessons at your own pace With your team, in-company, at your location or in Amsterdam

View the Fundamentals → See start dates

Want to explore which format suits you best first? Choose the format that fits you →

After the training

What you do differently from then on

Not abstract knowledge. Concrete changes in how you approach communication challenges.

You analyse before you write

You use the Influence Framework as your starting point: what drives this recipient, what is holding them back, what context shapes how they receive your message?

You design context, not messages

You shape the frame and the situation so that the desired behaviour becomes the logical choice, not just the most communicated option.

You speak the language of behaviour

You share a common framework with your team: goals, anxieties, habits, context, friction, triggers. Communication decisions become more concrete and better grounded.

Frequently asked questions

One more thing

Most participants start without any prior knowledge. The training teaches you the behavioural science you need, linked directly to your own communication practice. No academic theory for its own sake, just actionable insights you can apply the very next day in your campaigns, copy or change communication.

You learn the SUE Influence Framework: a method for analysing why people respond to your messages the way they do, and for designing communication interventions that actually work. You work on your own communication challenge during the training and go home with a fully worked-out strategy you can apply the next day.

The training is most valuable for experienced communication professionals. You've got the practical experience. The training gives you the scientific framework that backs up your intuition and sharpens your approach. Many participants say afterwards: I was already doing parts of this, but now I understand why some campaigns work and others don't.

A deliberately mixed group: communication advisers, marketers, HR professionals, policymakers and leaders all together. Maximum 16 participants. That mix is what makes it valuable, because you learn not only from the content but also from how people in other sectors deal with similar persuasion challenges.

Yes. We invoice in the company name and the training is EQAC-accredited, which makes reimbursement easier. Get in touch if you need a quote or additional information for your request.

Start with the Fundamentals. That gives you the complete Behavioural Design framework: the Influence Framework, the JTBD method and all core tools. The Deep Dive Persuasive Writing builds on that with communication-specific applications. Without the Fundamentals, the Deep Dive lacks its foundation.

Ready to take the step? View the next start date or ask your question.

View start dates → Ask a question

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

Communicating means changing behaviour. Everything you write, say or design has one single goal.

Does this sound familiar?

There's an explanation for this.

What makes you an indispensable communication professional in the age of AI?

AI is changing how communication professionals work, from copywriting to campaign strategy.

AI gives you speed. Behavioural Design gives you direction.

Behavioural science made practical for professionals who are not behavioural experts.

10.000+ professionals have followed a SUE Behavioural Design training.

Understanding persuasion is the skill that changes everything.

Behavioural Design Fundamentals

Choose the format that fits you

What you do differently from then on

You analyse before you write

You design context, not messages

You speak the language of behaviour

One more thing

Communication & behavioural science: the most-read articles

1.5 minutes of Influence