The present invention enables a user to develop his/her leadership skills by participating in virtual business meetings with animated characters. The animated characters are managers and/or employees who work for the user in a fictitious corporation. Utilizing real-time animation and an advanced artificial intelligence and physics system, the software program enables the user to introduce, support, and oppose ideas and characters during virtual meetings. The logic of the program is built around a novel three-to-one leadership methodology. The user may participate in a number of meetings--each meeting configured to build upon the prior meeting. The user's progress is measured by metrics that graph various aspects of the user's and the animated characters' activity during each meeting based upon the three-to-one leadership methodology and provide a story-line continuation based upon the outcome of each meeting.