Persuasion Courses

Persuasion is the art of convincing someone to perform an action or adopt your beliefs. Greek philosopher Aristotle identified three primary modes of persuasion: ethos, pathos, and logos. Ethos involves establishing credibility with the audience. Pathos involves emotional appeals. Logos involves persuading people through facts and logic.‎

Learning persuasive strategies can benefit you in the workplace as well as your personal life. At work, you may want to persuade your manager to give you a promotion or persuade a new client to put their trust in you. In your relationships, persuasion can help you reach compromises during disagreements with friends and family members or steer them in a positive direction. For example, you might persuade a stubborn friend to seek out a therapist or quit smoking.‎

A wide range of careers relies on persuasive tactics, including political, sales, and legal positions. Politicians attempt to gain support from the public for their policy agendas. Lawyers use persuasive arguments to win over juries and judges in courtrooms. People in sales, advertising, and marketing positions use a variety of tactics and mediums to convince customers to spend money on a product or service. Nutritionists and therapists use persuasive language to encourage others to make healthier decisions. Agents for artists and athletes use persuasion to get their clients new contracts. Entrepreneurs must convince investors to put faith in new projects. Even religious figures use persuasion to grow their congregations.‎

Online classes can introduce you to the psychology theories that explain how social influence works. You'll also learn effective ways to reach others through rational arguments and storytelling. Public speaking and writing are common channels of persuasion, so lessons will encourage you to develop both of those skills through exercises. These courses empower you to learn whenever and wherever you want and move at your own pace.‎