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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

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      U

      University of Colorado Boulder

      Speaking to a Technical Group

      Skills you'll gain: Presentations, Non-Verbal Communication, Technical Communication, Verbal Communication Skills, Microsoft PowerPoint, Public Speaking, Persuasive Communication, Storytelling, Communication, Target Audience, Influencing, Interpersonal Communications

      Build toward a degree

      4.5
      Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
      ·
      8 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      D

      Dartmouth College

      Free Will and Neuroscience

      Skills you'll gain: Neurology, Anatomy, Mindfulness, Human Learning, Biology, Psychology, Systems Thinking, Research, Experimentation

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      6 reviews

      Mixed · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      I

      Imperial College London

      Climate change and health

      Skills you'll gain: Health Policy, Policy Analysis, Environment, Environmental Policy, Health Care, Public Health, Environmental Science, International Relations, Governance, Mitigation, Research

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      7 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • U

      University of Colorado Boulder

      The Power of Sport in American Culture

      Skills you'll gain: Culture, Cultural Diversity, Sociology, Social Sciences, Social Justice, Political Sciences, Diversity Awareness, Policy Analysis, Economics, Policy, and Social Studies, Media and Communications

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      A

      Arizona State University

      Anthropometry, Biomechanics, and Motor Skills in User Design

      Skills you'll gain: Kinesiology, Human Factors, Human Factors Engineering, Physical Therapy, Mechanics, Product Design, Anatomy, User Feedback, Rehabilitation

      4.6
      Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
      ·
      11 reviews

      Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • C

      Coursera Instructor Network

      Crafting Business Presentations, Proposals, Crisis Comms

      Skills you'll gain: Proposal Writing, Business Communication, Business Writing, Writing, Crisis Management, Persuasive Communication, Strategic Communication, Corporate Communications, Verbal Communication Skills, Sales Presentations, Presentations, Public Speaking, Storytelling

      5
      Rating, 5 out of 5 stars
      ·
      9 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • C

      Corporate Finance Institute

      Analyzing Growth Drivers & Business Risks

      Skills you'll gain: Financial Analysis, Risk Analysis, Competitive Analysis, Market Analysis, Growth Strategies, Business Strategies, Business Analysis, Business Risk Management, Strategic Planning, Product Lifecycle Management

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • U

      University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

      العمل الجماعي والإبداع

      Skills you'll gain: Ideation, Creativity, Professional Development, Teamwork, Team Building, Creative Thinking, Brainstorming, Collaboration, Innovation, Creative Problem-Solving, Business, Cognitive flexibility, Open Mindset, Influencing, Communication, Critical Thinking, Decision Making

      4.3
      Rating, 4.3 out of 5 stars
      ·
      9 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      U

      University of Maryland, College Park

      Transforming Your Company's Data Analytics

      Skills you'll gain: Data Storytelling, Digital Transformation, Data Presentation, Data Visualization, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Business Transformation, Data Literacy, Infographics, Persuasive Communication, Customer experience strategy (CX), Employee Engagement, Data Strategy, Data Science, Storytelling, Analytics, Influencing, Agile Methodology, Organizational Change, Business Analytics, Leadership

      5
      Rating, 5 out of 5 stars
      ·
      7 reviews

      Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

    • C

      Coursera Instructor Network

      Behind the Scenes: Exploring EV Core Systems

      Skills you'll gain: Basic Electrical Systems, Electronic Components, Electrical Systems, Power Electronics, Electric Power Systems, Electronic Systems, Electrical Engineering, Energy and Utilities, Environment, Performance Testing, Environmental Science, Thermal Management

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      12 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • C

      Coursera Instructor Network

      The Beginner’s Guide to Business Negotiation

      Skills you'll gain: Negotiation, Contract Negotiation, Influencing, Communication, Relationship Building, Persuasive Communication, Interpersonal Communications, Rapport Building, Verbal Communication Skills, Trustworthiness, Collaboration, Personal Attributes, Active Listening, Goal Setting, Overcoming Obstacles

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      12 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • K

      Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology(KAIST)

      Signaling actions of small molecules

      Skills you'll gain: Biochemistry, Pharmacology, Molecular Biology, Life Sciences, Blood Pressure, Medical Science and Research, Biology, Microbiology, Oncology

      4.8
      Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
      ·
      8 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months

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

    • Speaking to a Technical Group: University of Colorado Boulder
    • Free Will and Neuroscience: Dartmouth College
    • Climate change and health: Imperial College London
    • The Power of Sport in American Culture: University of Colorado Boulder
    • Anthropometry, Biomechanics, and Motor Skills in User Design: Arizona State University
    • Crafting Business Presentations, Proposals, Crisis Comms: Coursera Instructor Network
    • Analyzing Growth Drivers & Business Risks: Corporate Finance Institute
    • العمل الجماعي والإبداع: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
    • Transforming Your Company's Data Analytics: University of Maryland, College Park
    • Behind the Scenes: Exploring EV Core Systems: Coursera Instructor Network

    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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