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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

      Leading Through Effective Communication

      Skills you'll gain: Team Leadership, Influencing, Team Building, Leadership, Teamwork, Leadership and Management, Leadership Development, Visionary, People Development, Communication, Verbal Communication Skills, Self-Awareness

      4.8
      Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
      ·
      24 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      U

      University of Colorado Boulder

      What is Climate Change?

      Skills you'll gain: Environment, Persuasive Communication, Environmental Issue, Scientific Methods, Civil Engineering, Political Sciences, Community Development, Environmental Science, Water Resources, Natural Resource Management, Energy and Utilities

      4.9
      Rating, 4.9 out of 5 stars
      ·
      147 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • U

      University of Arizona

      Introduction to the Orbital Perspective

      Skills you'll gain: Teamwork, Empathy, Visionary, Cultural Diversity, Collaboration, Critical Thinking and Problem Solving, Systems Thinking, International Relations, Environment and Resource Management, Proactivity, Planning, Innovation, Advocacy

      4.4
      Rating, 4.4 out of 5 stars
      ·
      23 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      I

      IESE Business School

      Communicating with Presence

      Skills you'll gain: Persuasive Communication, Media Relations, Public Speaking, Oral Expression, Verbal Communication Skills, Corporate Communications, Communication, Storytelling, Influencing, Crisis Management, Journalism, Business Communication, Leadership, Public Relations, Strategic Communication, Social Skills, Trustworthiness, Interviewing Skills, Media Strategy, Non-Verbal Communication

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      108 reviews

      Beginner · Specialization · 1 - 3 Months

    • Status: Free
      Free
      G

      Goldman Sachs

      Fundamentals of Leadership, with Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women

      Skills you'll gain: Leadership Development, Strategic Leadership, Visionary, Business Leadership, Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Culture Transformation, Organizational Leadership, Growth Strategies, Leadership and Management, Business Strategy, Goal Setting

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      624 reviews

      Mixed · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      U

      University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

      Global Impact: Cross-Cultural Management

      Skills you'll gain: Virtual Teams, Cultural Sensitivity, Intercultural Competence, Cultural Diversity, Team Management, Negotiation, Leadership and Management, Diversity Awareness, Conflict Management, Business Leadership, Leadership, Communication, Non-Verbal Communication

      Build toward a degree

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      D

      Duke University

      Business Value Creation

      Skills you'll gain: Resource Allocation, Cash Flows, Business Valuation, Profit and Loss (P&L) Management, Cost Control, Return On Investment, Financial Analysis, Business Metrics, Growth Strategies, Asset Management, Business Strategies, Operational Efficiency, Expectation Management, Competitive Analysis, Performance Analysis

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      60 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      M

      McMaster University

      Finance for Everyone: Markets

      Skills you'll gain: Financial Market, Capital Markets, Derivatives, Equities, Financial Policy, Finance, International Finance, Investments, Market Dynamics, Market Trend, Financial Regulation, Market Analysis, Presentations

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      405 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      U

      University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

      Accounting for Business Decision Making: Strategy Assessment and Control

      Skills you'll gain: Management Accounting, Performance Measurement, Organizational Strategy, Capacity Management, Cost Accounting, Financial Accounting, Budget Management, Accounting, Business Strategy, Financial Controls, Budgeting, Resource Allocation, Price Negotiation, Variance Analysis, Decision Making

      3.9
      Rating, 3.9 out of 5 stars
      ·
      112 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      Y

      Yonsei University

      International Entertainment and Sports Marketing

      Skills you'll gain: Global Marketing, Growth Strategies, Digital Marketing, Marketing, Content Marketing, Marketing Strategies, Brand Marketing, New Business Development, Social Media Marketing, Innovation, Influencing, Storytelling, Virtual Reality

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      483 reviews

      Mixed · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • C

      Coursera Project Network

      How to use influencer marketing to grow instagram business

      Skills you'll gain: Instagram, Marketing Strategies, Content Creation, Marketing Strategy and Techniques, Brand Marketing, Business Marketing, Social Media, Drive Engagement, Social Media Campaigns, Social Media Marketing

      1.8
      Rating, 1.8 out of 5 stars
      ·
      6 reviews

      Beginner · Guided Project · Less Than 2 Hours

    • C

      Coursera Instructor Network

      How to Build an Executive Presence

      Skills you'll gain: Executive Presence, Relationship Management, Collaboration, Trustworthiness, Professional Development, Brand Awareness, Return On Investment, Leadership, Professionalism, Emotional Intelligence, Influencing, Assertiveness, Communication, Adaptability

      4.4
      Rating, 4.4 out of 5 stars
      ·
      49 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

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

    • Leading Through Effective Communication : Arizona State University
    • What is Climate Change?: University of Colorado Boulder
    • Introduction to the Orbital Perspective: University of Arizona
    • Communicating with Presence: IESE Business School
    • Fundamentals of Leadership, with Goldman Sachs 10,000 Women: Goldman Sachs
    • Global Impact: Cross-Cultural Management: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
    • Business Value Creation: Duke University
    • Finance for Everyone: Markets: McMaster University
    • Accounting for Business Decision Making: Strategy Assessment and Control: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
    • International Entertainment and Sports Marketing: Yonsei University

    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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