We will be releasing more details of speakers and sessions in the run-up to the conference. This is a preview of some of the many talks, workshops, case studies and conversations we have planned – and the programme is still evolving.
There is a huge range of content planned for across the week, from practical behaviour-change workshops and real-world case studies to reflective sessions, research, leadership and conversations about how we create change in complex systems.
Keynote talks
There will be keynote talks throughout the week, including:
Dr Tom Moorhouse – Understanding the psychology of consumers of wildlife products to inform work towards demand reduction: Wildlife consumption can occur without consumers fully understanding its impact on animals and ecosystems. Dr Tom Moorhouse will explore how behavioural science, demand reduction and conservation marketing can help shift consumption patterns through evidence-based messaging.
Dave Neale – Changing elephant tourism in Vietnam: Dave Neale from Animals Asia will share work to transition elephant-riding tourism in Vietnam, including creative approaches to changing perceptions and encouraging more positive human–animal interactions.
Casey Jackson – Working with the brain to create behaviour change: Internationally recognised Motivational Interviewing trainer Casey Jackson will explore how understanding the brain can strengthen communication and support behaviour change. His keynote will lead into a practical, interactive workshop exploring how these ideas can be applied in real conversations.
Workshops and interactive sessions
We want the week to be more than something you simply sit and watch. There will be opportunities to try things out, reflect, discuss and develop practical skills.
Beyond First Impressions – how a more grounded approach to photography can shift your mindset: Sam Lympany will explore how our patterns of thinking and unconscious biases influence what we notice and how we interpret the world. This interactive session will use photography as a tool to explore perception, perspective and the way we make sense of information.
Motivational Interviewing for Managers and Leaders: John Whitson-Russell will introduce practical Motivational Interviewing skills that managers and leaders can use to have more motivating and effective conversations. Drawing on decades of research, the session will explore communication skills that promote change and the habits that can undermine it.
Why Playfulness Outperforms Persuasion: Using LEGO® Serious Play to Pull, Not Push, People Toward Engagement: Lucy Hawthorne from Climate Play will explore how playfulness can support engagement and behaviour change. Using LEGO® Serious Play, participants will consider how playful approaches can build relationships and invite people into conversations about serious issues.
Finding Joy on Your Doorstep: A Guided Nature Connection Experience: Jade Hooper will invite participants to step outside and explore the nature immediately around them. Through simple sensory and exploratory activities, participants will be encouraged to slow down, notice what is around them and discover curiosity and joy in everyday nature.
Participatory democracy and collective imagination: Marte will explore participatory democracy and the use of collective imagination to support people to engage with the challenges and decisions that affect their communities.
Ripple Effects Mapping: Dr Zoe Helme will introduce Ripple Effects Mapping, an emerging qualitative evaluation method designed to understand the wider effects of programmes over time. The session will explore where the method came from, how it has evolved, how it can be adapted to different contexts and how the resulting maps can be analysed to generate useful insights for research, policy and practice. Participants will also have the opportunity to try the approach themselves.
20-minute talks and case studies
There will be talks, both live and recorded, throughout the week covering a wide range of behaviour-change applications.
Funnel to Future: Reimagining Rehoming Through Behaviour Change: Jane Clements from Blue Cross will share how behavioural science was embedded into the redesign of a digital pet adoption platform. The session will explore how behaviour change principles and user experience design can help encourage informed decision-making, reduce unsuitable applications and create more engaging adoption journeys.
Navigating Climate and Cultural Change: The 3C Pathway to Resilient Animal Care: Shirley Ferber will introduce the 3C Pathway, a practical framework designed to help animal care professionals respond to environmental and cultural challenges. The framework brings together animal welfare and behaviour change principles to support more resilient approaches to animal care.
Changing Minds for Crustaceans: A Decade of Decapod Protection: Laura Poulson from Crustacean Compassion will share the organisation’s journey in changing perceptions and behaviour towards animals that many people have rarely considered. The session will explore how science-led advocacy, collaboration and behaviour change have helped shift attitudes, influence policy and improve welfare outcomes for decapod crustaceans.
The Transformative Power of Mentoring Young People: Liz Grace from MCR Pathways will explore how trusted mentoring relationships can influence outcomes for young people facing disadvantage and adversity. The session will also consider the benefits to mentors and communities, and how people can get involved.
From Evidence to Action: Applying a Behaviour-Change Framework in the Real World: Dr Karen Luke will share what she and colleagues have learned from taking a published welfare science framework out of the journal and into one of the most challenging behaviour-change contexts she knows: horse racing. The session will explore systems modelling, identifying leverage points, designing interventions and pressure-testing ideas before they reach the real world – including some unconventional uses of AI. Although the case study is equine, the lessons apply to any context where human decisions shape animal welfare.
Behaviour Change and the Move from Car to Bus: A real-world case study from Behaviour Change will explore a three-year programme designed to shift journeys from cars to buses. Using behavioural science principles including moments of change, trusted messengers and social norms, the project tested interventions across multiple cities before scaling the most effective approaches.
Climate Change Education and Learners with SEN: Dr Jennifer Rudd will explore the barriers teachers face when trying to deliver climate-related education to children with special educational needs and disabilities. Drawing on case studies from special schools and alternative provision settings, she will share practical, research-based ideas for developing climate and sustainability education that works for a wider range of learners.
The Economics of Doing Good: Applying CBA to Charities: Ben Gardiner will demystify cost-benefit analysis in the charity sector, exploring how charities can quantify and communicate their impact while recognising the assumptions, limitations and methodological choices behind the numbers.
Supporting Veterinary Staff to Signpost to Behavioural Guidance: Tamsin Durston will share work from Dogs Trust exploring how veterinary teams can be supported to routinely signpost dog owners towards reliable behavioural guidance.
The project uses behaviour-change approaches to understand barriers facing veterinary professionals and support more confident conversations around dogs’ emotional wellbeing.
Supporting Dogs and Owners During Fireworks Season – How Can Research Help? Dogs Trust’s research team will explore what research tells us about the impact of fireworks on dogs, how owners support their dogs during fireworks season and how sound characteristics and building environments can influence dogs’ responses.
Tactics in Practice: The Science of Plant-Based Defaults and Nudges: Jenna Reidi from Faunalytics will explore whether changing the food environment can influence dietary choices without relying on changing people’s minds first. The session will examine research into plant-based defaults and other dietary nudges, including how small changes to menus and presentation can influence what people choose.
Simple Changes, Meaningful Impact: A Behaviour Change Journey: Kerry Taylor from Blue Cross will explore how behaviour change does not always require large-scale interventions or significant investment. Using examples from Blue Cross’s education work, Kerry will share how small changes in thinking, planning and delivery can lead to measurable improvements – and how organisations can incorporate behavioural science into their work one step at a time.
Changing Behaviour: Lessons from Horse-Human Relationships: Debbie Busby will explore behaviour change as a fundamentally relational process, drawing on interdisciplinary research into horse-human relationships. The session considers how communication, interpretation, authority and care influence people’s willingness and ability to change, and why lasting change may depend on collaborative meaning-making rather than simply communicating expert knowledge.
Leadership and Strategy: Ten Years On: Richard Casey will reflect on a decade-long journey from influencing individual behaviour to supporting organisational transformation. Drawing on leadership experience and doctoral research, Richard will explore how lasting organisational change is often less about structures and processes and more about creating environments where people feel heard, trusted and empowered to contribute.
The Last Ten Years of Behavioural Influence: What We Have Learnt, What We Don’t Know and What Is to Come: Professor Jeff French will look back at a decade of developments in behavioural influence, including new thinking, research and good practice. He will explore what we now know about developing effective interventions, as well as ethical challenges associated with AI and social media and the limitations of simplistic approaches to behaviour change.
Building Community Capacity for Lasting Change: A Case Study from Ethiopia: Tsedeke Desalegn will share a case study from Ethiopia in which the rehabilitation of a solar-powered water system was combined with a community-led behaviour-change programme. The project demonstrates how community dialogue, household engagement and shared ownership can help ensure that infrastructure leads to sustainable behavioural and social change.
Woodgreen: From Helping Pets to Helping People and Communities: Chris Bennett from Woodgreen Pets Charity will share how its Community Outreach programme has evolved from addressing individual welfare concerns towards a more proactive, targeted and place-based approach. The session explores the use of COM-B, the Behaviour Change Wheel, systems thinking, partnerships and community insight to build lasting capacity to identify and address welfare concerns earlier.
Looking Back, Looking Forward: Alison Bard will lead a reflective session looking back over the last ten years and forward to the next ten, with opportunities for participants to explore their own experiences and perspectives through live breakout discussions.
There is much more…
This is only a selection of the content we are planning. We are deliberately bringing together different perspectives, sectors, approaches and experiences. Some sessions are highly practical; others are research-focused. Some explore established behaviour-change frameworks, while others are about reflection, relationships, systems, leadership, creativity or simply seeing a problem differently. The common thread is creating change – and the many different ways we can understand, influence and support it.
Looking after ourselves too: We don’t want you sitting at a screen for six hours a day! Throughout the week there will be opportunities to move, reflect, connect and take a break. We are building in wellbeing activities and more experiential sessions alongside the talks and workshops.
Resources: We will also be adding resources, links, offers and other useful materials to the conference platform throughout the week.
HBCL Behaviour Change Conference Week 2026
📅 4–9 October 2026
💻 Online
There is still plenty more to come – so book your place and join us for the week!
