This course will improve your ability to influence people in situations where you cannot use formal authority. You will learn about effective ways to build, develop, and sustain a power base in your organization. You will also learn influence tactics that enable you to be more persuasive and influential in working with your superiors, peers, and even subordinates. In addition, you will learn how to build and maintain high-quality relationships to further maximize your informal power and ability to influence others. Importantly, you will distinguish between influence and manipulation and learn how to protect yourself from the unwanted influence of others.
This course is part of the Leading People and Teams Specialization
Offered By
Leading People and Teams SpecializationUniversity of MichiganAbout this Course
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Learner Career Outcomes
17%
got a tangible career benefit from this course
12%
got a pay increase or promotion
Shareable Certificate
Earn a Certificate upon completion
100% online
Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.
Course 3 of 5 in the
Flexible deadlines
Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.
Approx. 10 hours to complete
English
Subtitles: English, Korean, Vietnamese
Skills you will gain
LeadershipManagementSocial SkillsInfluencer Marketing
Learner Career Outcomes
17%
got a tangible career benefit from this course
12%
got a pay increase or promotion
Shareable Certificate
Earn a Certificate upon completion
100% online
Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.
Course 3 of 5 in the
Flexible deadlines
Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.
Approx. 10 hours to complete
English
Subtitles: English, Korean, Vietnamese
Offered by
University of Michigan
The mission of the University of Michigan is to serve the people of Michigan and the world through preeminence in creating, communicating, preserving and applying knowledge, art, and academic values, and in developing leaders and citizens who will challenge the present and enrich the future.
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
3 hours to complete
Building Your Base of Power
To lead effectively, you must have power. Your power can be formally defined, for example your position or job title. Your power can be informal, for example your expertise or charisma give you power that enable you to influence others. In this module, we will explore the meaning of power and where it comes from, helping you identify your bases of power and opportunities to increase you power over time.
3 hours to complete
14 videos (Total 117 min), 3 readings, 1 quiz
14 videos
01.02 - What You Will Learn in this Course4m
01.03 - Defining Power in Organizations11m
01.04 - The Benefits of Power15m
01.05 - The Dark Side of Power (Part 1)13m
01.06 - The Dark Side of Power (Part 2)7m
01.07 - Bases of Power: Structural, Personal and Cognitive (Part 1)7m
01.08 - Bases of Power: Structural, Personal and Cognitive (Part 2)7m
01.09 - Strategies for Building Structural Power (Part 1)5m
01.10 - Strategies for Building Structural Power (Part 2)4m
01.11 - Strategies for Building Your Personal Power7m
01.12 - Strategies for Building Your Cognitive Power9m
01.13 - With Power Comes Responsibility9m
01.14 - Recap: Building Your Base of Power4m
3 readings
Help us learn more about you!10m
Notice for Auditing Learners: Assignment Submission10m
Unit Lecture Slides
1 practice exercise
Building Your Base of Power30m
3 hours to complete
Influencing People Without Relying on Formal Authority
In this module, you will acquire a rich arsenal of influence tactics that will help you change people’s viewpoints and behaviors. These influence tactics will enable you to influence up in organizations (e.g., when you have to influence your boss) and laterally, such as when you have to influence your peers. More generally, these tactics will allow you to execute effectively in those situations when you either do not have or cannot rely on formal rank and formal power.
3 hours to complete
9 videos (Total 54 min), 7 readings, 2 quizzes
9 videos
02.02 - Informal Influence and Power2m
02.03 - Authority and Influence4m
02.04 - Cognitive Biases and Influence10m
02.05 - Liking, Scarcity, and Reciprocity8m
02.06 - Message, Speech, and Influence3m
02.07 - Non-verbal Influence7m
02.08 - Time of Day & Influence1m
02.09 - Your Influence Toolkit3m
7 readings
Social Proof Videos11m
Introduction to Jeff Brodsky, Chief Human Resources Officer at Morgan Stanley2m
Stanley Milgram Video3m
Alex Laskey Opower Video2m
Hans Rosling TED Talk2m
Handshake video1m
Unit Lecture Slides
1 practice exercise
Influencing People Without Relying on Formal Authority30m
1 hour to complete
Developing High‐Quality Relationships to Enhance Influence and Power
In addition to acquiring a tactical portfolio of influence tools that can be applied in group and individual meetings, effective leaders devote a lot of time to building and maintaining social relationships with various stakeholders. In this module, you will learn how build and maintain social relationships in order to maximize your informal power and influence in organizations.
1 hour to complete
10 videos (Total 43 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz
10 videos
03.02 - Power and Dependence6m
03.03 - Resources in Social Exchange5m
03.04 - Jeff Brodsky on Building Relationships (Part 1)3m
03.05 - Jeff Brodsky on Building Relationships (Part 2)3m
03.06 - John Beilein on Building Relationships (Part 3)1m
03.07 - Building a Reputation3m
03.08 - Energy and Influence6m
03.09 - Building Relationships for Influence3m
03.10 - Building Influence From Day #1 on the Job1m
2 readings
Introduction to John Beilein, Head Coach, University of Michigan Men's Basketball Team2m
Unit Lecture Slides
1 practice exercise
Developing High‐Quality Relationships to Enhance Influence and Power30m
3 hours to complete
Protect Yourself from Unwanted Influence
As a leader, people will try to influence you to make a particular decision or take a particular course of action. It is essential you are able to protect yourself from the unwanted influence of others, especially when those others might be attempting to manipulate you in ways that are not in the best interest of your team or organization. In this module, you will learn specific strategies and tactics that you can use to protect yourself and your team from the unwanted influence of others.
3 hours to complete
8 videos (Total 55 min), 3 readings, 2 quizzes
8 videos
04.02 - The Difference Between Influence and Manipulation4m
04.03 - What is the Difference Between Influence and Manipulation3m
04.04 - Strategies and Tactics: Minimize Biases That Allow Others to Influence14m
04.05 - Strategies and Tactics: Flip the Influence Tactic13m
04.06 - Strategies and Tactics: Reframing the Power Relationship7m
04.07 - Protecting Yourself from Others' Manipulation3m
04.08 - Recap: Protecting Yourself from Unwanted Influence3m
3 readings
Unit Lecture Slides
Post-course Survey10m
Keep Learning with Michigan Online!10m
1 practice exercise
Protect Yourself from Unwanted Influence30m
Reviews
TOP REVIEWS FROM INFLUENCING PEOPLE
by TAMar 24, 2019
A very useful course, presented in a very simple and structured way, using an easy English language with a lot of subtitles. You shall like and get a huge benefit from the materials and the course.
by MFJan 21, 2016
Really useful course! I learnt many new ways to influence others and protect myself from other people's influence. P.S The cover is a deal-breaker. I joined this course after watching the intro.
by SGSep 10, 2017
It was an interesting course, learned a lot of concepts which I haven't heard of earlier with regards to Influencing People in the corporate world. Overall it has been a great learning experience.
by SBJun 4, 2020
It's great course which insights on Influencing people and protect team from manipulation. Indeed it helps me a lot in my professional career. Looking forward for more course and adopt in future.
About the Leading People and Teams Specialization
In this specialization, you will learn essential leadership skills, including how to inspire and motivate individuals, manage talent, influence without authority, and lead teams. In this specialization, you will not only learn from Michigan faculty. You will also learn directly from exceptional leaders including Jeff Brodsky, Global Head of HR for Morgan Stanley, and John Beilein, Head Coach of the University of Michigan Men’s Basketball Team. We will share with you our research on how to lead people and teams effectively, and work with you to apply these insights to your own teams and leadership. In every course, you will have an opportunity to apply new leadership skills by working through a series of practical leadership assignments. In addition, the capstone will enable you to work on live leadership challenges faced by senior leaders from premier Fortune 500 firms and receive their feedback on your ideas and solutions.
Frequently Asked Questions
When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
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- The course may not offer an audit option. You can try a Free Trial instead, or apply for Financial Aid.
- The course may offer 'Full Course, No Certificate' instead. This option lets you see all course materials, submit required assessments, and get a final grade. This also means that you will not be able to purchase a Certificate experience.
What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
When you enroll in the course, you get access to all of the courses in the Specialization, and you earn a certificate when you complete the work. Your electronic Certificate will be added to your Accomplishments page - from there, you can print your Certificate or add it to your LinkedIn profile. If you only want to read and view the course content, you can audit the course for free.
What is the refund policy?
If you subscribed, you get a 7-day free trial during which you can cancel at no penalty. After that, we don’t give refunds, but you can cancel your subscription at any time. See our full refund policy.
Is financial aid available?
Yes, Coursera provides financial aid to learners who cannot afford the fee. Apply for it by clicking on the Financial Aid link beneath the "Enroll" button on the left. You'll be prompted to complete an application and will be notified if you are approved. You'll need to complete this step for each course in the Specialization, including the Capstone Project. Learn more.
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