Why this programme
Because the most powerful interventions start with the right questions — and those can’t be found in reports or surveys alone. In an age of automation, insights are increasingly pulled from dashboards, sentiment analysis, and algorithmic trends. But public and social change doesn’t happen in a spreadsheet. It happens in real people’s lives.
This course invites you to go under the surface — to listen more deeply, question more intentionally, and design interventions rooted in behavioural science and lived reality. As AI takes over routine tasks, your role isn’t to keep up — it’s to go deeper. The real value lies in your human ability to sense, listen, and interpret what matters — not just what’s said, but what’s unsaid. It blends ethnographic research, design research methods and behavioural frameworks like UNICEF’s BDM and SEM to sharpen how you gather, make sense of, and act on insight.
You’ll leave with tools that aren’t just rigorous — they’re human, ethical, and useful.
Date
8 – 9 April, 2026
Duration (Hours)
16
Time
9am – 6pm
Format
In-person in Singapore. Venue details to follow.
Price
$800 excluding 9% GST
Who is this for
Public sector leaders and teams responsible for shaping services, communications, or policies
Researchers and data analysts wanting to deepen research skills in the areas of understanding people’s behaviours – what’s spoken and unspoken
Changemakers and programme designers who want to do more than surface-level engagement
NGO or social innovation teams looking to link community voices to meaningful solutions
Anyone working at the intersection of policy, people, and systems
Learning outcomes
Learn to design research that matters
Learn how to design immersive research and fieldwork that will provide meaningful inquiries that reflects how people behave, what people really think and feel.
Apply behavioural insight frameworks
Use tools such as Social-Ecological Model and UNICEF's Behavioural Drivers Model to decode what shapes behaviour in the psychological, social and environmental aspects and across multiple levels of influence.
Turn insights into action
Learn how to move from research to insights, narratives and possible interventions — whether for service improvement, behaviour change, communications strategy or policy reviews — with clarity and impact.
What you'll learn
Reclaiming the Field — The Power of Firsthand Observation
In a world of AI dashboards and automated sentiment analysis, leaders must return to where the real stories live — on the ground. This segment reawakens the leader-researcher within, inviting participants to experience the messiness and richness of human behaviour through firsthand fieldwork. They learn how to observe what people do (not just what they say), and how context, rituals, and social environments shape real decisions. Beyond frameworks, this segment cultivates presence, openness, and humility — the foundations of meaningful insight.Making Meaning — Framing Behaviour and Influence
Understanding people’s actions requires more than statistics — it calls for a deep grasp of what drives them. This segment introduces participants to leading models like UNICEF’s Behavioural Drivers Model and the Social Ecological Model (SEM), breaking down how beliefs, norms, networks, systems, and environments shape behaviour. Participants learn to frame research questions that matter, select appropriate methodologies, and decode the layers of influence that make or break change. They begin to see behaviour not as a linear outcome — but as a dynamic system.From Insight to Action — Stories that Shift Systems
Insights that stay on sticky notes never change the world. This segment equips participants to turn field observations into compelling insights and strategic narratives that influence real change — in policy, services, or social movements. They learn how to write insights that resonate, craft personas that feel real, and frame intervention options that are not only desirable, but also feasible and system-savvy. Leaders leave with the confidence to tell stories that move hearts and shape systems — grounded in truth, felt in the field, and backed by rigour.
Meet your trainers
Dr. Debbie Ng
Regional Director,
ThinkPlace Singapore and Asia
Jervenne Teo
Lead Designer,
ThinkPlace Singapore