Career-Booster | Advanced Training
Communications Strategy Development for Conservation Projects
Learn how to develop a communications strategy, and become more employable and impactful as a conservationist.
Introducing 'Communications Strategy Development for Conservation Projects'
This is a new online course brought to you by the team at Conservation Careers. The structure of the course follows a detailed analysis of what employers are looking for when hiring conservationists, and is taught by communications expert Lloyd Gofton.
During the course you’ll learn how to:
Develop a communications strategy. Follow a clear model to build a solid strategy foundation.
Research the situation. Use workshopping to gather insights that shape your approach.
Identify key audiences. Analyse and segment audiences to understand their needs.
Develop and target messaging. Craft compelling messages tailored to each audience.
Create a communications plan. Design a plan with clear goals, channels, and success metrics.
Complete a living communications strategy. Combine all elements into a flexible, evolving strategy.
Why Is Communications Important In Your Career?
Within conservation there is a growing realisation that we need to do much more to share our messages and encourage more support and action. As a result, conservation employers are rapidly looking for people with communications skills.
They want staff who can plan communications activities, write effectively, get press and media attention, engage audiences on social media, deliver campaigns, write blogs, produce podcasts and more.
We analysed 29,767 conservation jobs, from over 100 countries, and 41% explicitly wanted people with communications skills or experience. Of these, 2,726 were communications specialist roles like Communications Officers. Marketing Managers or Social Media Officers.
If you want to succeed as a professional conservationist you need communications skills.
Inside 'Communications Strategy Development for Conservation Projects'
Six Step-by-Step Modules to attack at your own pace. You’ll learn how to plan and deliver effective communications, as part of your duties as a conservation professional.
Support from the experts. You’ll have support from us via email, Zoom, and in our private CC Pro community. We’ll be with you every step of the way. Find out more below.
Go at your own pace. With our self-paced flexibility, you’ll have access to the course for a full year. You can work entirely at your own pace and around your busy life and work commitments. You don’t need to stick to a schedule.
CC Pro community. You’ll be welcomed into our new private online community for 12 months. Get answers to burning questions, enjoy regular live events, participate in growth challenges, share your coursework, celebrate your successes and more. Find out more below.
Certificate. Everyone who completes the course receives a certificate.
Rock-solid guarantee. Try it for 14 days. Not happy for whatever reason? We will refund 100% of your money.
Lloyd Gofton
Lloyd is your key trainer on the course. He has over 25 years of communications experience in the agency and conservation sector, working in public relations, social media, content marketing, digital marketing and strategy disciplines.
During his career, he has worked with various organisations, including O2, WWF, Greenpeace, RSPCA, Médecins Sans Frontières, Samsung, Honda and Pizza Express.
He started in PR in 1998 and launched his first communications agency running campaigns in the UK and across Europe, The Middle East, Africa, North America, Asia, Australia, and New Zealand.
In 2019, Lloyd decided to focus his career on conservation and animal welfare. He has since worked with organisations such as World Animal Protection, Cheetah Conservation Fund, and Wildlife Heritage Areas. He is also a Director at two marine conservation not-for-profits: Sussex Dolphin Project and Blue Planet Society.
Dr Nick Askew
Nick is the Founder and Director of Conservation Careers and holds a PhD in the behavioural ecology of Barn Owls. He is a member of the International Coaching Federation.
As a professional conservationist over the past 20 years he has worked across the Academic, Private, Public, Charity and Enterprise sectors.
During his career, he has raised over £2,500,000 for conservation projects across 120 countries, and has ten years’ experience in professional communications and marketing within the conservation sector.
Nick’s work involved promoting the work of BirdLife International – the largest conservation partnership in the world – to a global audience using press releases , social media, content marketing and digital marketing.
He can’t wait to help you take your communications activities to the next level to be a better conservationist, and become more employable.
Kristi Foster
Kristi is the Head of Engagement at Conservation Careers and has a Master´s in Conservation Biology.
Her conservation work has led to Africa, UK, Australia and Latin America, including 8 years’ experience in science and creative communications in support of people and nature.
She has developed science communications for the World Agroforestry Centre (Kenya), acted as Communications Officer with Fauna & Flora International (UK)’s Business & Biodiversity Programme, and promoted ecotourism for Ecotourism Australia.
Kristi is an Accomplishment Coaching Graduate (Coaches’ Training Program) and has coached over 100 conservationists in career planning, job applications and personal transformation.
Kristi is passionate about helping conservationists fulfil their potential in the sector, and is looking forward to helping you build your communications skills!
Course Outline
Module 1 | Developing a Communications Strategy
Follow a clear model to build a solid strategy foundation. In this module, you’ll learn:
– A simple overview of communications strategy: what it is, and why it’s essential.
– How to differentiate between strategy, planning, and tactics.
– The Conservation Communications Strategy Framework.
– How to become an Agile Strategist for adaptive, impactful campaigns.
Module Outcome | Gain a solid understanding of communications strategy and learn a structured model to develop your own.
Module 2 | Researching the Situation
Use workshopping to gather insights that shape your approach. In this module, you’ll learn:
– The essentials of communications strategy workshopping, including participants, agenda-setting, messaging, differentiation, and story-hunting.
– Techniques to research your organisation’s objectives, campaigns, content, and competitors.
– Methods to research and define clear, effective objectives.
Module Outcome | Discover how to gather crucial insights needed to shape your communications strategy.
Module 3 | Identifying Key Audiences
Analyse and segment audiences to understand their needs. In this module, you’ll learn:
– How to identify stakeholders linked to your objectives and develop detailed audience profiles.
– Techniques for segmenting audiences by type, classification, and criteria.
– How to recognise and prioritise target audiences for your campaign.
– How to use the audience mapping tool to fine-tune your targeting.
Module Outcome | Confidently identify and understand the key audiences essential for a successful communications campaign.
Module 4 | Developing and Targeting Messaging: Storytelling for Your Audience
Craft compelling messages tailored to each audience. In this module, you’ll learn:
– How to apply the COM-B model to understand capability (C), opportunity (O), and motivation (M) that drive behaviour (B) change.
– Strategies to develop messages that engage each identified audience using the most effective channels.
– Techniques for combining individual messages into cohesive storytelling for greater impact.
Module Outcome | Develop targeted messaging and communications tactics to effectively reach and engage your audience.
Module 5 | Creating a Communications Plan: Metrics and Success
Design a plan with clear goals, channels, and success metrics. In this module, you’ll learn:
– How to build a Communications Plan that brings your strategy to life.
– Models and tools to assist in planning.
– Essentials of campaign management, including the “fail fast” approach for quick adjustments.
– Techniques for setting KPIs, measuring performance, and reporting results.
Module Outcome | Construct a campaign plan with clear metrics to track and assess success.
Module 6 | Completing a Living Communications Strategy: Bringing It All Together
Combine all elements into a flexible, evolving strategy. In this module, you’ll learn:
– How to think strategically and apply strategic thinking effectively.
– Practical techniques for organising layouts, presentation options, and delivering your strategy seamlessly.
– How to create an ideal feedback and revision process to keep strategies relevant and adaptive.
Module Outcome | Develop and deliver a dynamic, “living” strategy document ready for real-world use.
Bonus | CC Pro!
Join our totally new private, growing community of aspiring and professional conservationists in CC Pro. You’ll be welcomed into our private community. Get answers to burning questions, enjoy regular live events, participate in growth challenges, share your coursework, celebrate your successes and more. You’re not alone in this.
Inside Conservation Careers Pro
Private Community
Monthly challenges that encourage, support, and reward member growth. Private channels for focused discussions among member cohorts. Private 1:1 messaging between community members. It’s a safe space.
Regular Events
You’ll get access to our growing list of recorded webinars and workshops, plus an events calendar which you can subscribe to and come along to, such as Q&As, Ask us Anything, hotseats & more. Hang out with us.
Coursework Feedback
Submit your tasks directly into CC Pro for feedback from your course guides, ask questions, and ensure you’re getting the most out of the course. Stay on track.
Direct Access to CC Team
We’re here to help, guide, encourage and support you all the way to career success in the sector. You’re not alone.
Who is the course for?
This is an advanced training course for people who have experience in communications or have taken our foundation-level, Communications for Conservation Projects training and want to go further.
Career Switchers
Have you always had a passion for wildlife and want to work in nature conservation, but don’t know where to start? You might be working in a totally unrelated field right now, and need some clarity on what’s needed to get going. We’re here to provide you with the key skills sought-after by conservation employers.
Students
Are you currently at university or college, and planning to try and find work in the conservation sector when you finish? There’s no better time to start building the key skills which employers are looking for in the sector, so you can hit the ground running on your graduation day.
Professional Conservationists
Are you working as a professional conservationist, and wanting to improve your communications skills, be better in your role and improve your career prospects? Through the course you'll learn how to confidently plan and deliver effective communications activities as a key part of your job.
Job Seekers
Are you currently hunting for a conservation job but struggling? The course will help you to stand out from the crowd better, by learning key skills sought after by 41% of conservation employers.
FAQs
The course starts when you enrol.
All the modules are pre-recorded so you can work at entirely your own pace and you have access to the modules for a FULL YEAR. So there’s no rush if life comes along and gets in the way.
Modules are released one per week from the start date.
We’ve worked hard to fast-track your learnings and condense everything into just what you need to know. All shortcuts, no extra fluff.
You have access to the course videos for the full year of your membership to the site, so you don’t have to do a module a week if it doesn’t suit your schedule for any reason.
- If you have always had a passion for wildlife and want to work in nature conservation, but don’t know where to start. You might be working in a totally unrelated field right now, and need some clarity on what’s needed to get going. We’re here to provide you with the key skills sought-after by conservation employers.
- If you’re currently working as a professional conservationist, and wanting to improve your communications skills be better in your role and improve your career prospects. Through the course you’ll learn how to confidently plan and deliver effective communications activities as a key part of your job.
- If you are currently at university or college, and planning to try and find work in the conservation sector when you finish. There’s no better time to start building the key skills which employers are looking for in the sector, so you can hit the ground running on your graduation day.
- If you are currently hunting for a conservation job but struggling. The course will help you to stand out from the crowd better, by learning key skills sought after by 41% of conservation employers.
You’ll have support from us via email, two live Zoom events, and in our private CC Pro commuunity. We’ll be with you every step of the way.
The cost for the course is $495 / £375 / €450. This includes a years access to CC Pro.
Once you sign up you’ll get a confirmation email with full details about the course, your modules and invites to the CC Pro Community and two live Q&A events. If you miss a live event, we’ll send you a recording.
If within 14 days, if you are unhappy for whatever reason just email us and you will receive a full refund.
You can email us directly at mail@conservation-careers.com
I’m afraid we’re not offering scholarships or student discounts at this time.
We’ve helped some of the biggest names in conservation
We work with hundreds of conservation employers from across the globe to find new staff. We are also teaching career-planning and employability skills at over 40 universities and higher-education institutions.
What do people think of the course?
What they are saying
More Kinds Words...
“I joined Communications for Conservation Projects in December 2021, and it’s been nothing short of life-changing. That may seem exaggerated, but in fact, it’s entirely true. I joined the course as a follow-on from the Conservation Career Kick-Starter programme, where I firmly cemented that my ‘career compass’ was pointing in the direction of working in the Conservation Communications sector. I used the course to ‘fill the gaps’ in my knowledge and career experience, thanks to the opportunity to study real-world, worked examples of effective communications strategies; and gain access to a professional PR and Communications expert with significant experience. This access to information and knowledge is second to none, and teamed with challenging and engaging tasks where tailored feedback is offered, plus access to a growing community of fellow learners and peers; it made this a much more valuable and bespoke experience than I was expecting.
“Thanks to this course, I have just secured a dream job as Head of Communications for a UK based conservation charity, and I have been able to perform confidently both at work and at interview stage, drawing directly upon my learning from this course!” Kate Stephenson (Kate On Conservation), UK.
“I’m writing to let you know that, after two and a half years of volunteering and taking courses, I’m about to start my first job with a conservation charity! Thanks to my participation in the Communications for Conservation Projects course I’ve just started as Communications Manager at the World Cetacean Alliance. I’m thrilled to be starting my career in wildlife conservation and feel very grateful for your expert advice and support along the way. Thank you!” Miki Tillett, UK, Cohort 1.
“Just wanted to reach out and say thank you so much to you and Lloyd for creating the conservation communications course. I recently secured a job for the Cornwall Seal Group Research Trust as a Marine Stories Ranger … a large part of why they were impressed was because of my participation in the course and the skills it has equipped me with. I know you like to hear feedback, so just wanted to let you know. Thanks again!” Charlie Gill, UK, Cohort 1.
Whether you want to raise awareness on a conservation issue, fundraise for a conservation project, or attract new supporters, the Communications for Conservation Projects course takes you step by step through the media campaign process. Real-life examples and guidance from experts give you a solid launch pad and clear direction for your own campaigns. Enroll and get ready for take-off! Tracy Brighten, Cohort 1.
The course provides you with the tools needed to create a communications project and help it reach a wide audience. Susan Dugan, USA, Cohort 1.
Excellent preparation if you are considering a role in communications, but also very helpful if your role is not directly in communication (e.g. conservation scientist) as it will improve your understanding of the communication processes. Sonja Ludwig, UK, Cohort 1.
A really good course to help you understand the lifecycle of a communications or media project. The modules take you from start to finish of the process making it easy to understand! Emily Fox, UK, Cohort 1.
Great course, really well taught, easy to follow and great that you can complete at your own pace. Lloyd’s emails were always open and he was a great support. Would definitely recommend- especially to Zoology graduates like myself, who learnt virtually nothing about communications in their degree, but need to know heaps about it for future jobs- I learnt a lot of really valuable information in this course! Jodie Velarde, UK, Cohort 1.
That the course is very useful and not only for conservation careers, but communication and PR are a fundamental part of many different jobs. Eleonora Rovegno, Italy, Cohort 1.
There is much more to communications than you would think, this course breaks it down and makes things make sense! Cary Googind, Colorado, USA, Cohort 1.
The structure allows you to learn at your own pace and Nick & Lloyd are so supportive, don’t hesitate because you’ve not done anything like it before. Rebecca Salt, UK, Cohort 1.
How much does it cost?
The investment in the training programme is $495 / £375 / €450.
This includes support, access to our CC Pro community, career guides and more for a full year.
The course also comes with a 14-day 100% money-back guarantee. If within 14 days, if you are unhappy for whatever reason just email us and you will receive a full refund. No questions asked.
Are you ready?
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Contact Us
If you have any questions, comments or problems please don’t hesitate to get in touch by mail@conservation-careers.com