“He came back a different person. And it changed him immensely, in a positive way.”
Said about a March cohort member, by someone who knows him best
A course session in St. Louis. Eight seats, one room, no lecture hall.
A Philosophy for Professional Interaction
This course will teach you how to negotiate with confidence, tell stories and engage in meaningful conversations, resolve difficult conflicts and present so that others are interested in what you have to say.
Created by Vance Crowe, the course offers students practical ways to improve how they connect with others. Students are encouraged to use their authenticity and understanding to make every situation they encounter better.
What A Client Company Says
“I was able to walk out of every single session and put to work immediately what we had practiced that day.”
Steve, Broadview Group
Is This You?
- You negotiate things that matter: deals, partnerships, succession, parenting
- You need to be able to say the hard thing well
- You are better at your work than at explaining your work, and you know it costs you
- You don't want to do role-playing or be lectured
What Happens Here
3Consecutive days
8Seats
Course Overview
The course is built around five core sessions:
- Interest-Based Negotiations
- Introductions and Storytelling
- Conversations and Listening
- Resolving Conflicts
- Presenting
Your host will begin by sharing a story, teach a lesson and then students are given the opportunity to practice new skills using situations from their own lives (no role playing). Each session concludes with a class discussion and candid feedback from the host.
Day One
Day One · 1–3 PM
Interests & Mirroring
Participants learn the concept of Interests, the underlying needs beneath the positions people state out loud, through case studies of typical negotiations they find themselves in. Students then practice Mirroring, a structured listening technique for confirming what another person actually means.
Day One · 3–5 PM
Introductions & Storytelling
Participants learn what makes stories memorable and persuasive, then tell their own story to the group and receive direct feedback on how it landed.
Day One · 6–8:30 PM
Dinner & The Mirror Exercise
The cohort breaks into small groups for an exercise in storytelling and listening over a family-style dinner in St. Louis. The night offers an opportunity to practice new skills and a chance to get to know each other better.
Day Two
Day Two · 9 AM
Conversations & Listening
Participants learn how to stay present in a conversation and ask questions that deepen the exchange, including a short meditation practice, followed by an extended one-on-one discussion.
Day Two · Afternoon
Conflict & Alignment
Participants learn to address complex situations where parties are becoming frustrated. Students practice techniques for getting others to share their real concerns and learn how to focus on the issues rather than the individuals.
Day Two · Evening
The Dissent Paradox
After dinner on your own, the group reconvenes for an intense discussion exploring Dissent Paradoxes using the conflict skills learned during the afternoon. Then each person develops their own concept: something they believe, that might get pushback.
Day Three
Day Three · 9 AM
Presenting
Students learn what makes a compelling presentation. The group learns about stage presence, slide design and other techniques that keep an audience engaged with your presentation.
Day Three · 12–2 PM
Integration & What Comes Next
The final session belongs to the group. Participants bring a real situation from their own work or life and work through it with coaching and cohort feedback. Class ends at 2:00 PM.
What Alumni Say
“Selfishly, I'll get more from the conversation if I focus more selflessly on them. I enjoyed this thoroughly. I'll be recommending it to everybody I know.”
Stephen Matic, OODA Group Holdings
“Caring would be the word I'd use. And a light. I have clarity for how I can take what I learned and change the trajectory of my life.”
Eric Farrand
“I don't think I've learned more in a three-day period than I have throughout the course of a year.”
Charlie Gildehaus, Purdue University
Reserve a Seat
August 31 – September 2, 2026 · St. Louis
Includes all sessions, materials, lunches, and the first-night dinner.
Eight seats per course, first come, first served.
Course Calendar
A company can reserve a whole week for its own people. The Ag View Solutions weeks went before this calendar was public.
Bring IBC to Your Whole Team
Private Cohort · At Our St. Louis Studio
A room that is entirely yours.
We will host your team (up to 10 people) for a customized Interest-Based Communication course. Your team will work on issues specific to your organization. At night we will host strategy sessions around a topic that will move your team forward.
Inquire about a Private Cohort →Corporate Delivery · We Come to You
The full program, on site.
We deliver the full program at your location, for anywhere from ten to two hundred people at one price. Choose five half-day sessions spread out so people apply what they learn between sessions, the format we recommend, or a two-day intensive that compresses the same material into two consecutive full days.
Inquire about Corporate Delivery →