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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 Illinois Urbana-Champaign

      Accounting for Mergers and Acquisitions: Foundations

      Skills you'll gain: Mergers & Acquisitions, Financial Accounting, Investments, Business Valuation, Accounting, Financial Statement Analysis, Financial Reporting, Balance Sheet, Income Statement, Consolidation

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      38 reviews

      Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      U

      University of Colorado Boulder

      Fandom, Social Media, and Authenticity in the Digital Age

      Skills you'll gain: Digital Publishing, Self-Awareness, Literacy, Content Creation, Personal Development, Blogs, Diversity Awareness, Instagram, Media and Communications, Sociology, Electronic Media, Critical Thinking, Social Studies, Social Sciences, Culture, Storytelling, Analytical Skills, Writing

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      11 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • Status: New
      New
      Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      U

      University of Michigan

      Green Skills for a Sustainable and Just Future

      Skills you'll gain: Social Justice, Geographic Information Systems, Organizational Change, Environmental Policy, Environmental Issue, Environmental Regulations, Geospatial Mapping, Culture Transformation, Spatial Data Analysis, Datamaps, Environmental Social And Corporate Governance (ESG), Organizational Strategy, Corporate Sustainability, Spatial Analysis, Organizational Leadership, Systems Thinking, Sustainability Reporting, Leadership, Health Equity, Environmental Laws

      4.9
      Rating, 4.9 out of 5 stars
      ·
      15 reviews

      Beginner · Specialization · 3 - 6 Months

    • U

      University of Virginia

      Effectuation: Lessons From Expert Entrepreneurs

      Skills you'll gain: Ideation, Resource Management, Entrepreneurship, Dealing With Ambiguity, Creative Problem-Solving, Growth Mindedness, Innovation, Problem Solving, Strategic Thinking, Adaptability, Risk Management, Relationship Building, Collaboration

      4.9
      Rating, 4.9 out of 5 stars
      ·
      8 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • U

      University of Colorado Boulder

      (Successful Presentation) العرض التقديمي الناجح

      Skills you'll gain: Public Speaking, Presentations, Verbal Communication Skills, Communication, Influencing, Storytelling, Non-Verbal Communication, Composure, Creativity, Rapport Building, Adaptability

      4.8
      Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
      ·
      473 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      M

      Macquarie University

      Excel Regression Models for Business Forecasting

      Skills you'll gain: Forecasting, Regression Analysis, Time Series Analysis and Forecasting, Business Mathematics, Microsoft Excel, Statistical Modeling, Trend Analysis, Statistical Analysis, Data Visualization Software

      4.9
      Rating, 4.9 out of 5 stars
      ·
      109 reviews

      Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • U

      University of Copenhagen

      Personalised Medicine from a Nordic Perspective

      Skills you'll gain: Precision Medicine, Health Informatics, Healthcare Ethics, Patient Education And Counseling, Patient Treatment, Risk Management, Health Policy, Risk Analysis, Data-Driven Decision-Making, Medical Science and Research, Healthcare Industry Knowledge, Health Care, Health Care Procedure and Regulation, Preventative Care, Health Systems, Clinical Research, Pharmaceuticals, Data Ethics, Biostatistics, Data Analysis

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      50 reviews

      Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • É

      École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne

      Economie du sol et de l'immobilier II

      Skills you'll gain: Property and Real Estate, Real Estate, Land Management, Economic Development, Market Dynamics, Supply And Demand, Commercial Real Estate, Financial Market, Market Data, Economics, Price Negotiation, Market Analysis, Construction Estimating

      4.7
      Rating, 4.7 out of 5 stars
      ·
      53 reviews

      Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      I

      IESE Business School

      The Role of the Media

      Skills you'll gain: Media Relations, Oral Expression, Journalism, Public Speaking, Strategic Communication, Communication, Interviewing Skills, Non-Verbal Communication, Persuasive Communication, Storytelling

      4.8
      Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
      ·
      16 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • U

      University of California, Irvine

      Initier et planifier des projets

      Skills you'll gain: Stakeholder Management, Stakeholder Engagement, Conflict Management, Project Documentation, Project Planning, Project Management, Project Coordination, Influencing, Organizational Structure, Communication Strategies

      4.3
      Rating, 4.3 out of 5 stars
      ·
      47 reviews

      Mixed · Course · 1 - 3 Months

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      U

      University of Michigan

      Environmental Hazards and Global Public Health

      Skills you'll gain: Demography, Environmental Regulations, Environmental Policy, Environment Health And Safety, Environmental Issue, Pollution Prevention, Sanitation, Public Health, Water Resources, Environmental Science, Radiation Protection, Community Health, Hazard Communication (HazCom), Chronic Diseases

      4.8
      Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
      ·
      77 reviews

      Beginner · Course · 1 - 4 Weeks

    • Status: Free Trial
      Free Trial
      R

      Rice University

      Key Concepts in Organizational DE&I

      Skills you'll gain: Diversity Equity and Inclusion Initiatives, Diversity and Inclusion, Diversity Awareness, Intercultural Competence, Cultural Diversity, Organizational Change, Human Resource Policies, Business Ethics

      4.8
      Rating, 4.8 out of 5 stars
      ·
      68 reviews

      Intermediate · Course · 1 - 3 Months

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

    • Accounting for Mergers and Acquisitions: Foundations: University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
    • Fandom, Social Media, and Authenticity in the Digital Age: University of Colorado Boulder
    • Green Skills for a Sustainable and Just Future: University of Michigan
    • Effectuation: Lessons From Expert Entrepreneurs: University of Virginia
    • (Successful Presentation) العرض التقديمي الناجح: University of Colorado Boulder
    • Excel Regression Models for Business Forecasting: Macquarie University
    • Personalised Medicine from a Nordic Perspective: University of Copenhagen
    • Economie du sol et de l'immobilier II: École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
    • The Role of the Media : IESE Business School
    • Initier et planifier des projets: University of California, Irvine

    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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