Learn the Coaching Skills That Make Every Conversation Count
You were never taught how to listen. Not really. Not in a way that makes someone feel genuinely heard and willing to go deeper.
That's what Conversation Edge teaches in six live, hands-on weeks.
Next cohort: January 12–February 16 · Every Tuesday · 12:00–2:00 PM CT · Virtual · Limited to 12 people · Led by Abigail Doust, ACC (ICF)
100+ graduates · hundreds more impacted
You're Doing Everything Right. So Why Isn't It Landing?
You show up for the people in your life. You try to say the right things, ask the right questions, and be present.
And still, something falls short. They nod. Then nothing changes. You try to help, and they go quiet. You walk away not quite sure what happened or whether it mattered at all.
That's not a character flaw. It's a skill gap. Most of us were never taught how to ask in a way that opens someone up or how to listen in a way they can feel. So we default to what we know: giving advice, filling silence, fixing the problem.
After more than a decade of coaching and training leaders, parents, and individuals, I've seen the same pattern. The problem was almost never the person. It was what no one had ever actually taught them to do.
What Changes After This Course?
- You stop leaving conversations wondering what just happened
- The people in your life start opening up instead of shutting down
- Hard conversations feel less like a minefield
- You stop carrying the weight of everyone else's answers
"This course was very transformational to me, especially in learning how to ask simple open-ended questions and watching firsthand how that unlocks new deepened conversations."
Conversation Edge Is for Anyone Whose Conversations Matter
This isn't a seminar built for one role. It's for anyone who knows their relationships — at work, at home, in their community — depend on what happens in the conversation.
Client-facing Professionals
Your clients trust you with their biggest decisions. Trust isn't built by having the right answer. It's built by how you listen. When clients don't follow through, it's rarely about the advice.
Pastors and Ministry Leaders
People come through your doors carrying things they haven't told anyone. Knowing how to hold that space, without saying the wrong thing or burning out, is a skill, not just a calling.
Team Leaders
You can push people with deadlines. Or you can lead them toward a vision they believe in. The difference shows up in a one-on-one conversation.
Parents
The conversations get harder as they get older. When you know how to ask instead of advise, the door stays open.
Spouses and Partners
Caring deeply about someone doesn't automatically make it easier to talk to them. These tools work just as well at home as they do at work.
Non-Profit and Community Leaders
You're trying to connect, not just communicate. There's a real difference, and this course teaches it.
What Conversation Edge Equips You to Do
These aren't skills you master in six weeks. They're skills you begin to build and keep developing every time you use them. Conversation Edge gives you the framework and the practice to start.
Ask questions that invite someone forward — not questions that corner them or lead them to your answer
Listen in a way people can actually feel — tracking what's underneath what someone says, not just waiting for your turn
Reflect and summarize — so the person across from you walks away feeling genuinely understood
Stay present in hard moments — without absorbing someone else's weight or saying the wrong thing
Help people find their own clarity and next steps — so they own it, and are more likely to follow through
Apply the EFI Conversation Map across every context — one repeatable structure for any conversation, in any room you're in
"This course has helped me to not only ask better questions, but know what to do with the answers to those questions."
Six Weeks. Live, Small Group. Built Around Practice.
Conversation Edge runs for six weeks, live and virtual, in a cohort of no more than 12 people. Every session meets for two hours — join from wherever you are.
Plan for about two hours of prep work per week, and gain a total of 24 CE hours by the end of the course. Sessions are recorded if you miss one, but most people find they don't want to because the real learning happens in the room.
Each week includes:
- Live, interactive teaching with Abigail — not a lecture, a real conversation
- Partner and trio coaching labs where you practice skills in real time
- Written and verbal feedback on your coaching sessions — personalized to you
- Thought-provoking pre-work to go deeper each week
- Practiced, actionable EFI Conversation Map framework
Great conversations aren't a gift — they're a skill. Over six weeks, you'll go from understanding yourself and others more deeply, to making every conversation count.
Each week builds a different dimension of the EFI Conversation Map so by the end, you don't just know the framework, you've practiced using it.
A Lot of Training Teaches You What to Say. This One Teaches You How to Listen.
A framework that's yours to keep
Most courses give you ideas. Conversation Edge gives you a structure. The EFI Conversation Map is a five-stage approach — from opening the conversation to sending someone into action
Small by design
Every cohort is capped at 12 people. You get real attention, real feedback, and a room where it's safe to struggle and try again.
Practice before content
The coaching labs each week — where you coach and get coached — are where the real learning happens. Most participants see a shift in their conversations before the course even ends.
Skills that go everywhere
Most communication training is built for the workplace and stops at the office door. These skills don't. The way you ask a question with a client is the same way you'll hold space for a teenager who's shutting down.
Built on ICF coaching standards
The International Coaching Federation is the world's leading professional body for trained coaches. Conversation Edge is grounded in their globally recognized framework — proven, principled, and held to a rigorous standard.
Led by Abigail Doust, ACC (ICF)
Led by Abigail Doust, ACC (ICF), CPLC, and DISC consultant with over a decade of experience.
Hear It From the People Who've Done the Work
As a manager of a team of 20, my hope is to engage deeply and meaningfully with my team. This class has given me tools to reach a deeper level of communication with the people around me.
Angela King
Director, Service Specialist, Colorado Christian University
I envision both my professional (HR, bi-weekly check-ins, managing relationships) and personal (daughters, husband, friendships) life when thinking of implementing the tools/skills in EFI Coaching Mindset, and it makes me hopeful for more depth, more connection and richer relationships.
Amy Cheek
Practice Manager, Ecclesiastes Wealth Partners
I am launching a new ladies ministry and these skills will help me build powerful and intentional relationships in my cross cultural world! It is rewarding and beneficial for the one who thinks they know it all or the one who thinks they know nothing!
Pam
Missionary, Central Europe
What I learned in this course is to be less fixer and more listener. While I practice listening regularly, these tools will help me connect in a different way.
Renee Hanson
Private Wealth Advisor, Affinity Wealth Advisory Group
My daughter lately has been giving me quite the practice. The course has helped me listen with an open mind and curiosity, whereas prior to this course I would jump to condescending questions such as ‘why would you say/do such a thing?’, which didn’t help and would cut our conversations short.
Maria Ojeda Partida
Financial Advisor, Shah Wealth Advisors
Choose Your Cohort and Save Your Spot
You know something needs to change — in how you listen, how you ask, how you show up for the people who matter most to you. This is where that starts.
Next cohort
Conversation Edge
What's included
- 6 coaching labs with real-time practice and peer feedback
- A personalized growth plan based on your coaching style
- Lifetime access to all course materials
- Pre-work and resources each week
- 24 CE hours
- Practiced, actionable EFI Conversation Map framework
- Personal written and verbal feedback on your sessions
- Certificate of completion aligned with ICF standards
- Private portal with session recordings
Investment
$1,500
Or pay over four months: $380 per payment
Dates
January 12–February 16
Time
Every Tuesday · 12:00–2:00 PM CT
Format
Six two-hour sessions, live via Microsoft Teams
Want to bring your group instead of coming alone?
Teams of 5 or more can enroll in a custom cohort.
Based in Denver, CO. Serving professionals and leaders nationwide.
Honest Answers to Your Most Common Questions
I'm already a good communicator. Is this still worth it?
Most people who enroll would say the same — and most leave realizing how much was missing. Being good at talking is different from being skilled at listening and asking. This course gives strong communicators a structured framework and real practice that takes conversations from good to genuinely different.
Will these skills actually help at home, not just at work?
Yes — and this is what surprises graduates most. These aren't professional skills. They're human skills. Whether you're navigating a hard moment with a teenager, supporting a struggling spouse, or showing up better in a friendship, the tools transfer. Most people find themselves using them at home within the first week.
Do you offer anything for specific industries or specialties?
Yes! Connection Catalyst takes the same coaching foundation from Conversation Edge and is tailored specifically for financial advisors. You'll be part of a live, interactive coaching cohort with other financial advisors and planners. Rather than just soaking in information, you'll have real practice, in class, and leave with a framework to turn client meetings into real connection. Learn more about Connection Catalyst.
I've done training before and didn't apply it. How is this different?
Conversation Edge is built around practice, not just content. Every week includes live coaching labs where you apply skills in real conversations and receive personal feedback from Abigail. By the time you finish, you won't just know the skills — you'll have already used them.
How much time does this actually take each week?
Plan for two hours of live class plus about two hours of prep. Sessions are recorded if you miss one. Most participants find the time worthwhile quickly — because the friction in their everyday conversations starts to decrease as the weeks go on.
What if I decide I want to become a professional coach someday?
Conversation Edge is a strong starting point. It’s built on ICF core competencies, and if you want to go further, Equipping for Impact offers a full pathway — three additional courses that can lead to a Certified Professional Life Coach (CPLC) and the option to pursue ICF credentialing. You don’t have to decide that today. But if you’re curious whether this is the direction you want to go — this is a meaningful place to find out.
If you feel this training isn’t quite right for you, check out Messy Conversations, where you’ll learn how to handle the moments that are full of emotion, history, and hurt — and how to become a better communicator because of it.
Is Conversation Edge a good fit for ministry leaders or church teams?
Yes! The skills in this course apply directly to the hard conversations that come up in ministry contexts. Learn what makes Equipping for Impact uniquely capable to work with those in ministry.
Want to try something before committing to the full course? Start with Question Shift — a live workshop built around one core skill.
Learn About Question Shift