You can write perfectly and still convince no one. Communication works through behavioural principles, not logic. And most communication training never covers that part.
Good communication breaks down on how people actually think and decide. Not on how you write. Here is the behavioural science behind each of these patterns.
Well written. Clear argument. Strong structure. Still no response. Persuasion runs through a different channel than information transfer, and most communication training never explains that channel.
Read moreYou had good news. It was received badly. The message itself was fine. How you introduced it was the problem. Framing determines how information lands, not the facts themselves.
Read moreCarefully communicated, at the right time, through the right channels. And still: suspicion, rumours, resistance. Change communication rarely fails because of poor wording.
Read moreAwareness was there. Willingness too. But behaviour did not change. The step from knowing to doing does not run through information. It runs through environment design, framing and social norms.
Read moreYou made the action easy. You explained the benefit. You sent the reminder. Still nothing. A call-to-action only works when you understand the psychology of the person receiving it.
Read moreThe plan was solid. The data was right. You were well prepared. The decision still went the other way. Boardrooms rarely decide purely rationally, and persuasive presentations account for that.
Read moreClear, concise, well-structured. But the recommendations are not acted on. Communication skill and communication influence are two different things. The second requires behavioural science.
Read moreYou know the rules of clear communication. You know how to build a structure, construct an argument, set up a presentation. But what most communication training does not include is a method for understanding how people actually make decisions. Not how you want them to respond. How they do so automatically.
People read your message and make a decision about it through System 1: fast, automatic, based on feeling. Not after careful deliberation. Communication training that only strengthens the rational argument focuses on the wrong 4%. The real levers are in framing, social norms and loss aversion.
System 1 vs. System 2The same message can trigger two completely different responses, depending on how you frame it. "9 out of 10 colleagues complete this form correctly" works fundamentally differently from "Don't forget the form." Not because of style, but because of behavioural psychology.
Framing & social normsThe strongest communication does not change people's opinions. It changes the context in which they make a choice. A well-designed message lowers the threshold, makes the desired behaviour the logical default, and ensures people do not have to think to do what you want.
Influence Framework©
The Behavioural Insights Team ran dozens of trials with HMRC to increase tax payments. In one trial, businesses with a tax debt received a letter with a social norm: "The great majority of business owners who trade in your sector pay their tax on time." Payment rates rose by 15%. In another trial, adjusting the framing of reminder letters to individuals increased payment rates by 34 to 59%. The full programme brought hundreds of millions of pounds in additional revenue to the UK Exchequer.
Same debt. Same deadline. Different framing. Different result. Making the right social norm visible does what demanding payment cannot.
We cover this principle in the Deep Dive Communication & Influence and in the Fundamentals Course.
Choose the format that fits. From a one-day Deep Dive on communication and influence to a full Fundamentals Course that builds the behavioural science foundation: every format is directly applicable to your own communication challenge.
Why do people reject plans that are clearly the best option? In this team training, you learn the behavioural science behind resistance, mistrust and buy-in, so you can de-escalate conflict and actually bring people along.
You learn the complete Influence Framework, how to conduct a behavioural analysis and how to design communication interventions based on proven behavioural science. Available live and online.
Over three months, your team works on a real communication challenge from your own organisation, guided by SUE. No theory for theory's sake: you learn the Influence Framework, the SWAC method and behavioural interventions while applying them to a campaign, policy document or change communication that was already waiting.
A mind-blowing crash course that shifted my way of thinking entirely. It helps me ask new questions and come up with new ideas. The BDA helps you come up with ideas that truly move people.
I decided to attend the Behavioural Design Academy instead of going to Hyper Island or SXSW. I wasn't disappointed. During the 2 days, my eyes opened up. A new way of thinking with unlimited possibilities.
SUE Behavioural Design gives you a powerful and practical framework to effectively influence customers. They are focused on customer insights that lead to real behaviour change.
I already did some behavioural work before, but for some reason it has never been so meaningful and understandable as it is now. Everything fell into place. You gave me a mental structure to tackle problems and challenges.
You offered a user-friendly framework packed with scientific insights. The hands-on workshop style really helped me see how I can use this knowledge every day.
Two days of excellent, concrete insight into Behavioural Design. With this foundation I'm going to optimise my entire communication approach from A to Z.
Need internal approval for communication training? Here is what concretely changes when you or your team learns behavioural communication design:
Communication professionals who understand framing and behavioural principles get more from the same channels. Existing campaigns, emails and content become more effective without additional media budget.
Teams that design change communication based on behavioural science encounter less resistance. They understand how people psychologically process change, and shape their message accordingly.
Behavioural communication training gives teams a shared language and method. Instead of deciding intuitively on tone, framing and timing, you work from proven behavioural principles.
A communication training programme teaches professionals how to communicate more effectively: from persuasive writing and presentations to change communication and internal campaigns. At SUE, communication training goes further than tips about language. We teach you the behavioural science principles behind persuasion, so you understand why certain messages work and others do not, and how to apply that systematically.
You learn how framing, social norms, loss aversion and other behavioural principles determine how people receive and respond to your message. You practise designing texts, campaigns and communication strategies that move people to act. You work on your own communication challenge and leave with a concrete approach you can apply the very next day.
You also learn the SUE Influence Framework, a method for systematically analysing why people do (or do not do) what you want, and how to change that through the right communication.
SUE offers communication training at multiple levels:
Deep Dive Communication & Influence: €7,990 excl. VAT in-company for max 16 participants.
Fundamentals Course: €1,490 excl. VAT for 2 days live, or €1,190 excl. VAT online.
Learning Journey: tailored communication programme, from €25,000 for teams.
All training is EQAC certified.
The Deep Dive Communication & Influence lasts 1 day. The Fundamentals Course takes 2 days live, or is available as a 33-lesson online course you follow at your own pace.
For teams, Learning Journeys of 4 to 8 months are available, embedding communication skills within a broader behaviour change approach. Behaviour change takes time: our longer programmes are deliberately designed so that new ways of communicating actually stick.
Yes. SUE Behavioural Design Academy is based in Amsterdam. In-company training is delivered at the location of your choice, throughout the Netherlands and Belgium. International delivery is available on request.
Regular communication training focuses on skills: writing clearly, presenting well, listening actively. Leadership and communication training combines that with the ability to persuade as a leader, build buy-in and influence behaviour at scale.
At SUE, both draw from the same behavioural science methodology. The Fundamentals Course covers both dimensions. The Deep Dive Communication & Influence focuses on the persuasion and influence side. The Influential Leadership track goes deeper into communication as a leadership instrument.
Because they stop at tips about style, structure and tone, while the real problem runs deeper. People do not read and listen rationally. They filter information through emotion, context and social expectations.
Communication training that only teaches clearer writing addresses the wrong layer. Effective communication training teaches you how the recipient's brain works, and how to design messages that work with that brain rather than against it. That is what SUE focuses on.
Ready to invest in communication that truly persuades?
