A Negotiation Course Within a Day's Drive
If you are searching for serious in-person negotiation training near Kansas City, Chicago, Indianapolis, Memphis, Nashville, Louisville, or Springfield, the honest answer is that small-cohort negotiation courses are rare outside the coasts. Most of what exists regionally is one day workshops or online video. St. Louis sits in the middle of all of those cities, which is why participants regularly drive or fly in for the three days.
Drive times to St. Louis
| Starting city | Approximate drive |
|---|---|
| Springfield, IL | 1.5 hours |
| Kansas City, MO | 3.5 to 4 hours |
| Indianapolis, IN | 3.5 to 4 hours |
| Memphis, TN | 4 to 4.5 hours |
| Louisville, KY | 4 to 4.5 hours |
| Chicago, IL | 4.5 to 5 hours |
| Nashville, TN | 4.5 to 5 hours |
St. Louis Lambert International Airport also has direct flights from most major hubs, and the $3,000 fee includes meals and materials for all three days, so the only additional cost is travel and lodging.
Why people travel for this course
Eight seats. That number is the reason. In a room of eight over three consecutive days, every participant practices every technique out loud, on a real negotiation they are inside right now, and gets corrected until it works. That format does not survive being scaled into a hotel ballroom, so the course stays small and people come to it.
Who teaches it
Vance Crowe was the Director of Millennial Engagement at Monsanto, where he engaged the company's fiercest critics face to face during the GMO controversies. Before that he was a communications strategist at the World Bank Group and a Peace Corps volunteer in Kenya. He holds a Master's in Cross-Cultural Negotiations from Seton Hall's School of Diplomacy, serves on the Board of Directors of FCS Financial, a seven-billion-dollar agricultural lending cooperative, and has spoken to more than 300,000 people across more than 200 keynotes. He created the Interest-Based Communication methodology, codified into a workbook and structured course materials; facilitator Heath Hunter also delivers the course.
What participants say
“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
“That interest-based communications course, which was phenomenal — we had a lot of people that attended the conference go ask about it.”
Shay Foulk, AgView Solutions
Upcoming St. Louis sessions
October 12 to 14, 2026 · November 9 to 11, 2026 · January 25 to 27, 2027 · March 22 to 24, 2027. Eight seats per session. Register at the course page below.
Common questions
- Is lodging included?
- No. The $3,000 covers tuition, meals, and materials for all three days. Participants book their own hotels; recommendations near the venue are provided after registration.
- Do people really travel from other states?
- Yes. Participants regularly drive or fly in from across the Midwest and beyond. The course runs three consecutive days precisely so travelers make one trip.
- Is there an online version?
- No. The course is built on live practice in a room of eight. The techniques are drilled out loud, which is the part video cannot replicate.