This PhD aimed to test and identify existing and new strategies that can be used by key motivators such as vets and farm assurance assessors to spread best practice and promote continuous animal welfare improvement. The first experimental chapter focussed on the development of an online tool for the acquisition of the basics of communication skills. The online tool was aimed at veterinary undergraduates and proved to effectively improve the students' ability to start a consultation, listen actively to the client and display empathy and understanding. The second experimental chapter aimed to identify strategies used by key motivators to promote discussion with animal owners about the welfare of their animals by running facilitated workshops with veterinary undergraduates, farm assurance assessors and staff of re-homing centres. A variety of strategies were identified during the workshops and were later mapped onto the principles behind the spirit of Motivational Interviewing. This was done in order to determine whether it is at all possible to include elements of MI within the aim of spreading best practice amongst animal owners and promoting uptake of animal welfare advice. It was concluded that key motivators do not lack strategies but rather might be in need of ways to implement them. Finally, the last experimental chapter aimed at monitoring a new-style animal welfare assessment that was developed as part of the AssureWel project. The monitoring process was carried out via telephone interviews with both FF and SA producers, some of which had been assessed using the new-style assessment and some of which hadn't. The results indicated that there was not a big variation in responses between those producers that had received the new-style assessment and those that hadn't. Some gaps were also identified with regards to the assessors initiating a discussion with the producers and offering referral for advice from animal welfare advisors Ca role specifically designed for the AssureWel project). The results of the study were fed back to the AssureWel project.