Government agencies, corporations, consultancies, movement leaders, security professionals, and other organizations understand the importance of professional training to strengthen team decision making, practice crisis communication and response, test procedure or message effectiveness, and improve problem-solving under realistic conditions.
ICONS Training builds on more than 40 years of experience in creating simulations for education and training to deliver highly participatory programs for professionals across a wide range of disciplines in a wide variety of institutions and networks. All ICONS trainings use a simulation-based approach, challenging participants to practice skills repeatedly against complex scenarios and real-world dilemmas, allowing them to test strategies without real-world risk. Experienced facilitators use these dynamic, self-directed events to provide immediate feedback and coaching to trainees to reinforce the lessons learned during their interactions.
These trainings can be offered either in person or fully remotely, but all use ICONSnet, our advanced interaction and simulation platform. ICONSnet 4.0 offers access to a full range of direct and group communication channels, negotiation tools, multimedia assets, and AI and computational modeling capabilities. These advanced technical capabilities are offered entirely in service of enhancing the centrality of the human experience, which has been at the core of the ICONS team's expertise for over four decades. Clients use ICONS training when they want to deepen trainees' engagement with the growing complexity of the challenges they face in their work today.
Foundational Training Capabilities
We offer foundational programs designed to strengthen core organizational function and preparation for challenging, complex environments.
- Complex Operational Environments. Prepares mission personnel for operating in complex and fragile environments, which often bring great risk to lives and resources. These programs use a flexible, portable toolkit to capture many levels of complexity in assessment and planning tasks, with scenarios tailored to specific missions.
- Fundamental Organizational Capacity. Deliver key skills and knowledge in communication, negotiation, and crisis leadership. These simulations elicit participant responses that directly reflect the challenges encountered in professional life, empowering trainees to maneuver more effectively through real-world dilemmas.
Specialized Leadership & Skill Development
ICONS Training also offers targeted programs for specific, high-impact professional needs across all sectors. Examples include the following, but we can build custom simulations for nearly any profession and learning objective.
- Crisis Leadership. The ICONS team delivers specialized training for upper-level leaders—including senior civil servants, C-suite executives, and emergency responders—who must manage dynamically shifting crisis situations. This training equips senior leaders to apply techniques drawn from psychology, communication, and decision-making research. Participants test their knowledge against scenarios such as public health crises, complex negotiations involving stakeholders, compromised facilities, or public safety emergencies that demand action under time constraints.
- Negotiation. The ICONS Project teaches negotiation as a critical leadership competency, distinguishing it from simple bargaining. Our focus is on collaborative negotiation techniques that promote positive relationships between the negotiating parties while creating lasting solutions that address their underlying concerns. These skills are essential for any organization or leader whose success depends on long-term professional relationships. ICONS has delivered this training to senior federal leaders, managers, and emerging leaders.
- Communication. Effective and precise communication is essential to the success of complex initiatives. ICONS' training introduces strategies for defusing intensity during difficult conversations, helps participants identify challenges related to culture and identity, and teaches techniques for recognizing the disconnect between “message sent” and “message received”. Participants develop essential skills like engaging in active listening and checking for understanding. The training can be tailored to suit professionals from any sector seeking to improve communication skills and build positive working relationships that boost productivity.
Getting Started
- Consultation. We begin by discussing your training objectives, design and logistical requirements, and methodological needs to determine how ICONS can best support your work and what the likely resource requirements will be.
- Configuration. We develop a custom training to fit your specific goals and needs and custom tools when needed. You focus on your mission; we handle the implementation.
- Support. We provide technical and methodological assistance from the training development through the exercise and debrief.
To discuss custom training options, contact icons@umd.edu or reach out to ICONS Director Dr. Robert D. Lamb.