For universities

Soft Skills Lab for universities

Teaching at universities is part of our social responsibility. We bring the school's methodology into academic programs, help students and faculty, and are always open to new partnerships.

7 universities 15+ programs 9 years of teaching
10,000+
students taught our approach
9 years
of research in communication
15+ programs
in partnership with HSE, SKOLKOVO and Financial University
70%
of every class is hands-on practice
Our university partners
HSE UniversitySKOLKOVO School of ManagementFinancial UniversityMIPTCentral UniversityPlekhanov REU Universal University

Our programs

Real courses we already teach at universities. We can adapt one for your faculty or build a new one around your department's needs.

HSE · School of Communications · Faculty of Creative Industries

Negotiations

Required course for the bachelor's program in Advertising and Public Relations, 4th year, 2nd module. Since 2019 the average student rating has stayed above 4.5/5. HSE recognised it as the best course by three criteria: usefulness for future career, broadening horizons and novelty of knowledge.

Bachelor's · year 4 Since 2019 Rating > 4.5
SKOLKOVO · bachelor's

Negotiations and Conflict Resolution

A course on negotiations and conflict resolution for SKOLKOVO bachelor's students. Lectures and practice on the school's system.

Bachelor's
SKOLKOVO · master's

Negotiations and Conflict Resolution

A course on negotiations and conflict resolution for SKOLKOVO master's students. An in-depth format for future managers and entrepreneurs.

Master's
HSE · university-wide minor

Mindful Communication minor

A general course open to students of every HSE faculty – 200+ people per cohort. Also recognised by HSE as one of the best by student rating.

Minor 200+ students per cohort Top-rated by students
Central University · bachelor's

Negotiations and Conflict Resolution

A course on negotiations and conflict resolution for Central University bachelor's students. Lectures and practice on the school's system.

Bachelor's
Central University · master's

Negotiations and Conflict Resolution

A course on negotiations and conflict resolution for Central University master's students. An in-depth format for future specialists and managers.

Master's
HSE · LegalTech master's program

Negotiations for LegalTech

A negotiations course for the LegalTech master's program at HSE. The program is adapted for lawyers and specialists working at the intersection of law and technology – cases and exercises are built around deal-making, contracts and complex legal situations.

Master's LegalTech
SKOLKOVO School of Management · MOOVE program

MOOVE by SKOLKOVO × MTS

We taught communication and negotiations on the MOOVE educational program – a practical course on launching a startup and managing a digital product.

SKOLKOVO program With MTS
HSE · executive education (DPO)

Effective Negotiations as a Communication Tool

A continuing professional education program built on the Soft Skills Lab system. Full negotiation skill set for specialists and managers.

Executive education Built on our system
Plekhanov Russian University of Economics

Negotiations at Plekhanov REU

A negotiations course at Plekhanov REU. Taught by Marat Airapetyan, school trainer, faculty at HSE and SKOLKOVO, and former head of the negotiations club at Bauman MSTU.

Plekhanov REU Taught by Marat Airapetyan
MIPT

Negotiations – from science to business

A negotiations course at MIPT, taught by Elvina Nigametzyanova, school trainer and faculty at MIPT and HSE.

MIPT Taught by Elvina Nigametzyanova
HSE · executive education

Lectures on HSE executive education programs

We regularly give invited lectures on HSE continuing-education programs in product management and business management. Selected topics from the school's system for future product people and entrepreneurs.

Guest lectures
Universal University · British Higher School of Art and Design

Negotiations on the Product Workshop program

Negotiation lessons on the Product Workshop program at the British Higher School of Art and Design (Universal University) – for future product designers and product managers.

British Higher School of Art and Design Product Workshop
Financial University · executive education · sports management

Lectures on Sports Management executive education

We lecture on the Sports Management executive program. The school's founder also chairs the program's certification committee.

Guest lectures + certification committee
On request

And many more programs, guest lectures and webinars

We regularly run guest lectures, webinars and standalone modules across different universities and programs.

Ways we partner

We adapt to your program format and your faculty's schedule. Several ready-made formats – and always open to new ones.

  • 1

    Guest lectures

    Open lectures by the school's founders and lead trainers on negotiations, conflicts and mindful communication. From 1 to 4 hours, in-person or online.

  • 2

    Standalone course or module

    An authored module of 7–14 sessions inside an existing program. Lectures plus practice on online simulators and in small groups. Built for a department, faculty or school.

  • 3

    Full program

    A complete communication program inside a master's, MBA or EMBA. We adapt the methodology to your audience and faculty goals.

  • 4

    Master-classes and workshops

    Intensive practice formats – negotiation tournaments, case workshops, public-speaking sessions. Great for open days, career weeks and student clubs.

  • 5

    Joint research

    Open to participating in research projects on communication and negotiations, sharing data and experience with colleagues in academia.

  • 6

    Student negotiations club

    We help students launch and run a student negotiations club – providing the methodology, mentors and a training format.

What we teach

Not a scattered set of techniques, but a whole system of mindful communication – the methodology our school's courses are built on, both for general students and at universities.

  1. 1

    Analysing root causes of conflicts, not just reacting to their outward signs.

  2. 2

    Designing a strategy to reach the result you want in any interaction with other people.

  3. 3

    Moving from template thinking to unique, effective ways of solving conflicts and situations that work specifically for you.

How we teach

We use modern tools – not just lectures and cases, but our own simulators and AI-powered instruments that help students practice and get feedback.

  • AI exercises

    Assignments where students train in dialogue with an AI – practising techniques, getting instant feedback and seeing exactly where they go wrong.

  • Negotiation simulators

    The school's own online simulators – students run negotiations in realistic scenarios and debrief them with the instructor.

  • AI-graded exams

    We have a system for running exams and tests using AI and dialogue-based games.

We also wrote a book, published by MIF

Learn more

Who you'll be working with

University programs are led by the school's founders and senior trainers. The founders bring more than 20 combined years of experience in team management, negotiations and teaching on academic programs.

Yuri Klimenko

  • Chief methodologist of Soft Skills Lab
  • Entrepreneur, crisis consultant, professional negotiator
  • Faculty on 6 academic programs at HSE, Financial University and SKOLKOVO
Yuri Klimenko и Alexandra Klimenko

Alexandra Klimenko

  • CEO
  • Came up through analyst and PM roles in corporations (Deloitte, Uralsib) and startups before starting her own business
  • 10+ years leading IT teams
  • Faculty at HSE and SKOLKOVO

Want to work with us?

We believe that teaching students is an investment in the future and part of any company's social responsibility. That's why we're always open to discussing new partnerships with universities.