This course will provide learners with a systematic general framework for analyzing persuasive influence situations. Learners will be able to identify different challenges faced by persuaders and to fashion appropriate strategies for addressing those challenges. The broad goal is to provide learners with not only an extensive persuasion tool kit, but also with an understanding of how different tools are useful in different situations. Specifically, the course will address four broad topics: strategies for influencing people’s personal attitudes; strategies for affecting social factors influencing behavior; strategies for affecting people’s perceived ability to undertake the desired behavior; and strategies for inducing people to act on their existing intentions.
This course is part of the Organizational Leadership Specialization
Offered By
Organizational Leadership SpecializationNorthwestern UniversityAbout this Course
Learner Career Outcomes
29%
27%
Skills you will gain
Learner Career Outcomes
29%
27%
Offered by
Northwestern University
Northwestern University is a private research and teaching university with campuses in Evanston and Chicago, Illinois, and Doha, Qatar. Northwestern combines innovative teaching and pioneering research in a highly collaborative environment that transcends traditional academic boundaries.
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
Influencing Attitudes
This module discusses the first of four challenges that persuaders often face: getting people to think that what you’re proposing is a good idea. Sometimes, the reason people aren’t already doing what you want is that they’re not yet convinced that they should—that is, they don’t have sufficiently positive attitudes. This module discusses some fundamental strategies for changing people’s attitudes.
Influencing Social Factors
Even if people have positive attitudes about what you’re proposing, social factors—what they think other people do or want them to do—might lead them to not do what you want. This module discusses several ways in which such social considerations might pose a challenge for persuaders—and discusses how to successfully influence such factors.
Influencing Perceived Ability
People can have positive attitudes about your advocated action, and all the social considerations can be lined up positively, but still people might not engage in the desired behavior—because they don’t think they can perform the action. That is, they think the behavior is too difficult, too hard to do, they lack the ability. This module discusses strategies for addressing that challenge—strategies for influencing perceived behavioral ability.
Converting Intentions into Action
Even when people already have the desired positive attitudes, positive social factors, and high perceived ability to perform the behavior—that is, even when they intend to engage in the behavior you want—even then they might fail to do so. When people have the intentions you want but aren’t acting on them, then the challenge is to get people to convert those intentions into actions. This module discusses several strategies that can encourage people to do that.
Reviews
TOP REVIEWS FROM LEADERSHIP THROUGH SOCIAL INFLUENCE
This course has some great informational content on persuasion and social influence. My only complaint is that I would have liked more interactive assignments to put apply the knowledge learned.
I enjoyed this course. The layout of 4 weekly sessions and short, clear and concise videos was very beneficia. I feel like I learned something useful and that's always a good thing. Thank you!
I found Professor O’Keefe's insights and his storytelling to be highly engaging. His videos helped me see new ways I can help my colleagues seize new opportunities to help our team. Thank you.
Excellent, the entire presentation held together well. It built on itself and the result was a cohesive sense of understanding. This is how it's done, Northwestern. This is how it's done.
About the Organizational Leadership Specialization
Equip yourself to successfully lead organizations through clarity of purpose and effective collaboration — by building and motivating teams; designing and delivering powerful stories; developing strategies to appropriately influence; understanding underlying customer analytics and applying innovative approaches to deliver impact.
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