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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
      A

      Arizona State University

      Strategic Thinking for Everyone

      Skills you'll gain: Strategic Thinking, Visionary, Research, Influencing, Strategic Decision-Making, Data Collection, Systems Thinking, Strategic Planning, Investigation, Proactivity, Negotiation, Business Strategy, Complex Problem Solving, Communication Strategies, Creative Thinking, Scientific Methods, Decision Making, Active Listening, Cognitive flexibility, Research Methodologies

      4.5
      Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
      ·
      74 reviews

      Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      R

      Rice University

      Relationship Management

      Skills you'll gain: Conflict Management, Professional Networking, Meeting Facilitation, Relationship Management, Relationship Building, Communication, Mentorship, Active Listening, People Management, Constructive Feedback, Influencing, Coaching, Stakeholder Management, Leadership

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      389 reviews

      Advanced · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      T

      The Chinese University of Hong Kong

      Selling to Chinese Consumers

      Skills you'll gain: Consumer Behaviour, Brand Management, Marketing, Global Marketing, Digital Media Strategy, Market Dynamics, Advertising, E-Commerce, Cultural Sensitivity, Cultural Diversity, Social Sciences, Sociology

      4.8
      Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
      ·
      287 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • U

      University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

      Genomics for Law

      Skills you'll gain: Intellectual Property, Medical Science and Research, Criminal Investigation and Forensics, Medical Privacy, Law, Regulation, and Compliance, Legal Research, Legal Proceedings, Regulation and Legal Compliance, Case Law, Ethical Standards And Conduct, Lawsuits

      4.8
      Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
      ·
      159 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • D

      Duke University

      Civic Engagement in American Democracy

      Skills you'll gain: Political Sciences, Policy Analysis, Social Sciences, Social Studies, Advocacy, Public Policies, Governance, Public Administration

      4.8
      Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
      ·
      105 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • T

      The University of Sydney

      Ethical Social Media

      Skills you'll gain: Social Media, Social Media Strategy, Social Media Content, Professional Networking, Data Ethics, Analytics, Culture, Drive Engagement, Content Creation, Ethical Standards And Conduct, Research, Information Privacy

      4.5
      Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
      ·
      111 reviews

      Mixed · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      M

      Macquarie University

      Adapt your leadership style

      Skills you'll gain: Organizational Leadership, Team Leadership, Business Leadership, Leadership Development, Strategic Leadership, Leadership, Leadership and Management, Organizational Change, Influencing, Diversity and Inclusion, Self-Awareness, Communication

      4.8
      Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
      ·
      977 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • C

      Coursera Instructor Network

      Digital Marketing Trends

      Skills you'll gain: Digital Advertising, Campaign Management, Brand Management, Marketing Strategies, Brand Awareness, Digital Media Strategy, MarTech, Customer Engagement, Social Media Marketing, Marketing, Digital Marketing, Consumer Behaviour, Content Creation, Market Trend, Social Media Management

      4.5
      Rating, 4.5 out of 5 stars
      ·
      86 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      L

      L&T EduTech

      Sustainable Design Practices in Building Design

      Skills you'll gain: Waste Minimization, Environmental Engineering, Construction, Natural Resource Management, Construction Management, Environment and Resource Management, Energy and Utilities, Building Codes, HVAC, Building Design, Environmental Regulations, Water Resources, Architectural Engineering, Landscape Architecture, Thermal Management, Project Management, Architectural Design, Product Lifecycle Management, Environmental Science, Human Factors

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      45 reviews

      Intermediate · Specialization · 1 - 3 Months

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      U

      University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

      Creativity Toolkit II: Creative Collaboration

      Skills you'll gain: Presentations, Collaboration, Creativity, Team Building, Innovation, Persuasive Communication, Cultural Sensitivity, Team Management, Influencing, Communication, Decision Making

      4.8
      Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
      ·
      402 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      U

      University of Colorado Boulder

      Technical Communication

      Skills you'll gain: Proposal Writing, Interpersonal Communications, Verbal Communication Skills, Active Listening, Public Speaking, Constructive Feedback, Business Writing, Grammar, Technical Writing, Business Communication, Technical Communication, Writing, Communication, Presentations, Business Correspondence, Persuasive Communication, Storytelling, Non-Verbal Communication, Rapport Building, Trustworthiness

      Build toward a degree

      4.6
      Rating, 4.6 out of 5 stars
      ·
      68 reviews

      Beginner · Specialization · 1 - 3 Months

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      U

      University of California, Davis

      Social Network Analysis

      Skills you'll gain: Network Analysis, Data Wrangling, Social Sciences, Graph Theory, Statistical Visualization, Data Visualization Software, Predictive Analytics, Scientific Methods, Simulations

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      237 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months

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

    • Strategic Thinking for Everyone: Arizona State University
    • Relationship Management : Rice University
    • Selling to Chinese Consumers: The Chinese University of Hong Kong
    • Genomics for Law: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
    • Civic Engagement in American Democracy: Duke University
    • Ethical Social Media : The University of Sydney
    • Adapt your leadership style: Macquarie University
    • Digital Marketing Trends: Coursera Instructor Network
    • Sustainable Design Practices in Building Design: L&T EduTech
    • Creativity Toolkit II: Creative Collaboration: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

    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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