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    • Influence

    Influence Courses Online

    Explore principles of influence for effective communication and leadership. Learn techniques for persuasion, negotiation, and building credibility.

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    Explore the Influence Course Catalog

    • T

      The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

      Psychology of Popularity

      Skills you'll gain: Human Development, Psychology, Social Sciences, Behavioral Health, Behavior Management, Mental Health, Mental and Behavioral Health, Sociology, Child Development, Biology, Research

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      999 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • U

      University of Pennsylvania

      Removing Barriers to Change

      Skills you'll gain: Influencing, Persuasive Communication, Organizational Change, Change Management, Overcoming Obstacles, Cognitive flexibility, Behavioral Economics, Decision Making, Critical Thinking, Consumer Behaviour

      4.9
      Rating, 4.9 out of 5 stars
      ·
      460 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      U

      University of Pennsylvania

      Customer Analytics

      Skills you'll gain: Descriptive Analytics, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Marketing Analytics, Predictive Analytics, Customer Insights, Customer Analysis, Business Analytics, Customer Data Management, Analytics, Marketing, Data Collection, Market Research, Regression Analysis, Consumer Behaviour, Correlation Analysis

      4.6
      Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
      ·
      12K reviews

      Mixed · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      U

      University at Buffalo

      The Factors that Influence the Effectiveness of Boards and the Governance Process

      Skills you'll gain: Governance, Meeting Facilitation, Leadership and Management, Organizational Effectiveness, Leadership, Organizational Structure, Organizational Development, People Development, Performance Improvement, Culture, Diversity and Inclusion, Recruitment Strategies

      4.6
      Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
      ·
      63 reviews

      Mixed · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      U

      University of Michigan

      Speaking and Presenting: Poise

      Skills you'll gain: Public Speaking, Verbal Communication Skills, Communication, Communication Strategies, Interpersonal Communications, Self-Awareness, Creativity

      4.6
      Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
      ·
      185 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      C

      Case Western Reserve University

      Inspired Leadership

      Skills you'll gain: Employee Coaching, Coaching, Negotiation, Emotional Intelligence, Empathy, Leadership Development, Compassion, Leadership, Organizational Change, Organizational Development, Organizational Leadership, Empowerment, Culture Transformation, Strategic Leadership, People Development, Active Listening, Personal Development, Drive Engagement, Professional Development, Leadership and Management

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      2.6K reviews

      Intermediate · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

    • U

      University of Colorado System

      Inclusive Leadership: The Power of Workplace Diversity

      Skills you'll gain: Diversity and Inclusion, Diversity Awareness, Cultural Diversity, Empathy, Leadership, Interpersonal Communications, Active Listening, Communication, Cultural Sensitivity, Constructive Feedback

      4.9
      Rating, 4.9 out of 5 stars
      ·
      1.8K reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • U

      University of Michigan

      Successful Negotiation: Essential Strategies and Skills

      Skills you'll gain: Negotiation, Contract Negotiation, Conflict Management, Mediation, Sales Strategy, Arbitration, Communication, Influencing, Planning, Decision Making, Ethical Standards And Conduct, Cultural Diversity

      4.8
      Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
      ·
      20K reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      M

      Macquarie University

      Negotiation skills: Negotiate and resolve conflict

      Skills you'll gain: Conflict Management, Negotiation, Intercultural Competence, Stakeholder Management, Leadership, Leadership and Management, Organizational Leadership, Emotional Intelligence, Cultural Diversity, Self-Awareness, Communication

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      772 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • U

      University of Pennsylvania

      Microeconomics: The Power of Markets

      Skills you'll gain: Supply And Demand, Economics, Market Dynamics, Market Analysis, Resource Allocation, Policy Analysis, Tax, Consumer Behaviour, Decision Making

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      1.6K reviews

      Mixed · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      U

      University of Pennsylvania

      AI For Business

      Skills you'll gain: AI Personalization, Generative AI, Data Ethics, HR Tech, Data Governance, Big Data, Machine Learning, Personally Identifiable Information, Data Security, Governance, Business Strategy, Human Resources, Organizational Strategy, Customer Data Management, Credit Risk, Risk Management, Tensorflow, Personalized Service, Data-Driven Decision-Making, People Management

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      1.3K reviews

      Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      D

      Duke University

      Financial Management

      Skills you'll gain: Financial Statement Analysis, Financial Statements, Return On Investment, Risk Management, Balance Sheet, Accounts Receivable, Business Risk Management, Credit Risk, Income Statement, Stakeholder Communications, Operational Risk, Resource Allocation, Proposal Development, Cash Management, Accounts Payable, Key Performance Indicators (KPIs), Capital Budgeting, Financial Analysis, Cash Flows, Financial Data

      4.8
      Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
      ·
      148 reviews

      Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

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    In summary, here are 10 of our most popular influence courses

    • Psychology of Popularity: The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
    • Removing Barriers to Change: University of Pennsylvania
    • Customer Analytics: University of Pennsylvania
    • The Factors that Influence the Effectiveness of Boards and the Governance Process: University at Buffalo
    • Speaking and Presenting: Poise: University of Michigan
    • Inspired Leadership: Case Western Reserve University
    • Inclusive Leadership: The Power of Workplace Diversity: University of Colorado System
    • Successful Negotiation: Essential Strategies and Skills: University of Michigan
    • Negotiation skills: Negotiate and resolve conflict: Macquarie University
    • Microeconomics: The Power of Markets: University of Pennsylvania

    Frequently Asked Questions about Influence

    To influence someone is to affect or change their behavior without the direct use of authority, coercion, or force. Instead, the influencer creates change by shifting the mindset of individuals, groups, or entire organizations, persuading them to adopt the desired course of action of their own free will. The ability to influence can be important for everyday communication and maintaining harmonious relationships in our personal and family lives, but it is also a very important skill for many jobs and career paths.

    For instance, being able to subtly influence your customers to “get to yes” when you’re closing a deal is an essential talent of sales professionals of all kinds, whether you’re selling shoes or business software. In fact, the world of social media and digital marketing has created a new type of selling called influencer marketing, in which influential personalities and cultural figures post pictures and testimonials with the product being sold.

    The ability to influence is also essential for leadership roles in any organization, as management positions require you to motivate employees to not only fulfill their roles but to work enthusiastically at the peak of their abilities. The best executives and CEOs are talented at bringing their teams into vision alignment, with strongly shared priorities, values, and focused goal setting that allow organizations to succeed - in business as well as in the recruitment of top-flight talent.‎

    Influencing skills are important for almost any career that requires working in a team, but they are most important for roles as managers and top executives. Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People” has been a mainstay in business school curricula despite being written nearly a century ago because this skill has always been fundamental for success in the business world. The ability to get your team aligned to work together effectively is rare and highly valued; according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, top executives earned a median annual salary of $104,690 per year in 2019, including a median pay of $184,460 for chief executive officers (CEOs).‎

    Absolutely. There is a common myth that the ability to influence others is simply an innate talent that some people have and others don’t, but the reality is that influencing is a skill that is taught at every business school - including schools offering courses online through Coursera. You can learn how to influence others from leading faculty at top-ranked schools like University of Pennsylvania, University of Michigan, Northwestern University, and Macquarie University. And even though Coursera lets you learn remotely on a flexible schedule, you can still work with faculty in live virtual office hours that let you practice your influencing skills to an expert audience.‎

    Some skills or experience you might need to have before learning influence are strong social skills that allow you to get along with all types of people, such as supervisors, peers, and customers. If you have any sales experience or experience presenting information and concepts to others in person or online, you may already have the skills necessary to learn advanced influencing methods.‎

    The kind of people who are best suited for roles in influence are those who are confident in their abilities to motivate and persuade others whether or not they’re in authority roles. Types of people well suited for roles in influence can build and maintain high-quality relationships with diverse groups of individuals. People best suited for learning influence can discern other people’s attitudes, diverse social factors influencing behavior, and why people may or may not act on their intentions.‎

    Learning influence may be right for you if you want to learn how to develop it so you can become more effective in achieving your organizational goals. Studying the subject may be right for you if you want to understand the framework of power and influence and the dynamics of effective networks, persuasion, and leverage. If you're in any type of role where you need negotiation, communication, and sales skills, then learning influence may be a good choice for you.‎

    Common career paths for someone who has studied influence are often found in corporate management in general where the ability to persuade people is paramount. Specific common career paths for people who have studied influence might be product and brand management, research and development, and any leadership position in an organization’s C-suite. Another common career path for someone in influence is blogging where paid or sponsored influencers create content on various social media platforms. The most common career path for someone in influence is in sales where it’s critical to understand how to best persuade customers and clients using various tools, including neuromarketing.‎

    There are many topics you can study that are related to influence, such as emotional intelligence, which may help you to work effectively in teams, build cooperative relationships, and exercise effective influence to foster meaningful change. Another topic related to influence that you can study is social psychology to help you understand why people behave in certain ways. Marketing is another strongly related topic to influence that you might consider studying.‎

    This FAQ content has been made available for informational purposes only. Learners are advised to conduct additional research to ensure that courses and other credentials pursued meet their personal, professional, and financial goals.

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