Feedback nobody wants to give. Conflict nobody wants to name. In The Lab, you don't memorize a script. You test real tactics on real conversations, get coached in the moment, and try again until it works.
Not sure which one your team needs? Let's talk.
Most managers already know which conversation they're putting off. The direct report whose performance keeps sliding. The peer conflict that's been quietly draining a team for months. The moment they have to explain their own value to a room that isn't paying close attention. They freeze, undersell it, or overexplain.
None of these get easier by waiting. They get more expensive.
Naming a gap before it becomes a pattern, without the conversation turning defensive or vague.
The tension a team has learned to work around instead of resolve, because nobody's been taught how to name it without making it worse.
Helping a manager address a direct report's performance or interpersonal behavior clearly and constructively, in a way that moves things forward instead of putting someone on the defensive.
This is also where The Leadership Lab picks up →Most difficult-conversations training hands you a framework: four steps, a script, a model to memorize. It's the same material you could find in a book or a free video online. It rarely survives contact with an actual conversation, because the real thing never goes the way the slide deck says it will.
Public Speaking Lab works differently. Every session is built around live experimentation: participants bring a real conversation they're facing, test an approach in the room, get specific coaching on what actually happened, and try it again. Nobody leaves with a script. They leave having already had a version of the hard conversation, with the reps to prove it.
An interactive keynote for conferences and leadership offsites. Audiences test listening and persuasion tactics live, in real time, on a conversation reset that shows what changes when people feel genuinely heard.
See The Listening Lab →A hands-on working session (not a lecture) where managers practice the actual conversations they're avoiding, get coached in the room, and adjust in real time. Available from 90 minutes to a multi-day program.
See The Leadership Lab →Many organizations open with the keynote at a conference or all-hands, then bring the Training Lab back for the team that needs to put it into practice.
Every engagement starts with time spent understanding your organization: your terminology, your team structure, the specific conversations your managers are actually avoiding. Scenarios used in the room are built from real (anonymized) situations, not generic case studies.
"He provided practical tools that we could implement straight away. He was energetic, fast-paced and very engaging."
"His approach is very practical and refreshing. Ivan's delivery is very charismatic and he can easily relate to his audience."
"I cannot speak highly enough of Ivan's unique and well-researched approach to teaching communication."
Most training hands you a framework to memorize. Ours is built around live practice: you bring a real conversation you're facing, test an approach with the group, and get specific coaching on what actually happened, not a generic script.
Both. The core training is built for managers navigating feedback and accountability conversations, but the underlying skills (naming conflict, addressing behavior directly and constructively) apply just as directly to individual contributors and technical experts.
The Listening Lab keynote is a 45 to 60 minute interactive session built for a conference, all-hands, or leadership offsite. It introduces the science and strategy of listening and persuasion to a larger audience. The Leadership Lab is a hands-on working session, from 90 minutes to a multi-day program, where a smaller group actively practices and gets coached on real conversations.
Yes, many organizations open with the keynote at a conference or company event, then bring the Training Lab back for the team that needs to put the skills into practice.
Yes. Every engagement starts with time spent understanding your organization's terminology, structure, and the specific conversations your managers are actually facing: scenarios used in the room are built from real situations, not generic case studies.
It depends on format: keynotes scale to a full conference audience, Training Labs range from up to 100 participants at 90 minutes down to 50 for full-day and multi-day cohort programs, since longer formats mean more individual coaching per person.
Tell us what your team is avoiding, and we'll help you figure out whether the keynote, the Training Lab, or both is the right place to start.
Public Speaking Lab is an international training and consulting institute reshaping communication to unleash individuals’ full speaking potential.