Frogleaps goes worldwide
June 18th 2013Frogleaps offers actionable intelligence to jump-start change strategies with marketing expertise. The new web platform supports professionals who help implement international agreements on biodiversity, climate change and sustainable development. Frogleaps provides free e-learning courses, tools, blogs and cases. The initiators Frits Hesselink and Peter Paul van Kempen are passionate about social change for sustainable development and are dedicated to share their expertise. They strive to make a difference by providing easy-to-understand and ready-to-use free content. The first course now available on www.frogleaps.org is Strategic communication. IUCN CEC is the first partner to endorse Frogleaps.
Why is expertise needed?
Influencing behavior is difficult. It is a science, a profession and an art. It can be mastered, but people working on sustainable development usually have a different background than change management, marketing and communication. They are busy professionals. So how can they master this art while doing their jobs? Frogleaps helps them by providing easy-to-use and step-by-step courses.
Frits Hesselink: “We often hear that online resources on communication are hard to use. The content is too abstract, too bulky or uses too much jargon. If you are not a communication or marketing specialist and you don’t have the time to become one, it’s difficult to apply. We build each course around a true case, bridging theory and practice. And we offer new, handy and uncomplicated models and tools which give our users grip. For instance, to analyze stakeholders and to develop an effective strategic change strategy.”
Why does communication often fail?
Successful sustainability change, starts with strategy. So does Frogleaps. The first free course offered is Strategic communication. Users learn what strategic communication is and why it is crucial for achieving sustainability aims. Frogleaps explains the reasons why communication often fails. And shows how to prevent failure and to achieve success. The users get tips and tools to develop their own Strategic communication project. All theory is illustrated with a true case which runs through the entire course.
Future plans
Frogleaps invites feedback from users. New courses will be added to meet demand. New partners are welcome to jump on board. In cooperation with partners, experts and users, the online learning platform will develop new content and features to empower professionals working on sustainable development and conservation worldwide.
What others say about Frogleaps
“The Commission on Education and Communication of the IUCN has been looking to utilize different modalities of online or eLearning for quite some time. I think this is an excellent approach and will work quite well for conservation professionals worldwide. The Frogleaps strategic communication course offers a great start for high impact collaboration between Frogleaps and IUCN CEC.
– Keith Wheeler, CEO ZedX Inc. and Emeritus chair of IUCN CEC
Note for editors
For more information or interviews about Frogleaps and Strategic communication, please contact us.
About the initiators
Frits Hesselink has a long track record in strengthening skills of conservation and sustainable development professionals all over the world. He helps them realize change. Strategic communication is his specialty.
Peter Paul van Kempen combines expertise on marketing psychology and environmental management. What drives people? He helps professionals to hit green targets by truly connecting to their audiences.
About Frogleaps’ first partner
Frogleaps is endorsed by the Commission on Education and Communication of the IUCN, the world’s oldest and largest global environmental organization. IUCN CEC is a network driving change for sustainability. More than thousand members volunteer their professional expertise in learning, knowledge management and strategic communication to achieve IUCN goals.
Downloads
- Download rights free screen photo of Frogleaps
- Download press release
- Download rights free photo Frits Hesselink
- Download rights free photo Peter Paul van Kempen
Frogleaps is a wonderful platform for professionals to recognise the importance of behaviour change process and how communication can play a role in social change and sustainable development. I believe ‘Strategic communication’ is a functional course to know change and more importantly understand the role of communication in the change process. It is a step-by-step journey for a user to explore how you can be strategic to bring sustainable change. It provides easy-to-understand and ready-to-use tools for practitioners who do not have much time to become an expert in communication or marketing but can use this tool in their day to day practice. I hope Frogleaps will provide a fun learning experience for the members and inspire people to become change makers.
“C’est le ton que fait la musique.” Communication is of course about how we use communication means. However in conservation and sustainable development there is always a reason why we communicate. There is something we want to change. Often we are so focused on the communication means that we forget what it is what we set out to do. That is not strategic. In this course we try to introduce sustainable development professionals to that way of thinking. It is almost a way of life. Doing the right things, instead of doing things right. Making a plan is not important. Planning is. I am happy that you recognioze this from your experience in Bangladesh. And even more so I am curious to your examples of strategic communication, that could serve as extra illustrations in specific sections of this course.
I was really happy when I saw the platform. I have started the course and it is great!
Mervat Kamal Batarseh,Head of Environmental Education Section , The Royal Society for the conservation of nature, Jordan