This course is part of the Organizational Leadership Specialization

4.7
stars
1,215 ratings

Daniel J. O’Keefe

34,051 already enrolled

Offered By

Organizational Leadership SpecializationNorthwestern University

About this Course

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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.

Flexible deadlines

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Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

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Course 3 of 6 in the

Organizational Leadership Specialization

Approx. 4 hours to complete

English

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Skills you will gain

Communication
Negotiation
Leadership
Communications Management

Flexible deadlines

Reset deadlines in accordance to your schedule.

Shareable Certificate

Earn a Certificate upon completion

100% online

Start instantly and learn at your own schedule.

Course 3 of 6 in the

Organizational Leadership Specialization

Approx. 4 hours to complete

English

Could your company benefit from training employees on in-demand skills?

Try Coursera for Business

Instructor

Instructor rating

4.85/5 (222 Ratings)

Daniel J. O’Keefe

Owen L. Coon Professor

Department of Communication Studies, School of Communication

34,401 Learners

2 Courses

Offered by

Northwestern University

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Syllabus - What you will learn from this course

Content Rating95%(2,309 ratings)

Week

Week 1

2 hours to complete

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.

2 hours to complete

8 videos (Total 39 min), 3 readings, 1 quiz

8 videos

Introduction to Course 3 with Dean Blount1m

Compliance, Persuasion, and Message Adaptation5m

Four Persuasion Challenges5m

Influencing Attitudes: Module Introduction56s

Consequence-Based Arguments5m

Consequence Desirability6m

Consequence Likelihood6m

Addressing Counterarguments6m

3 readings

Meet your Professor10m

Course Grading and Logistics10m

References and Optional Readings10m

1 practice exercise

Influencing Attitudes30m

Week

Week 2

1 hour to complete

Influencing Social Factors

1 hour to complete

4 videos (Total 16 min)

Week

Week 3

1 hour to complete

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.

1 hour to complete

4 videos (Total 20 min)

Week

Week 4

1 hour to complete

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.

1 hour to complete

6 videos (Total 24 min)

Reviews

4.7

305 reviews

5 stars
75.51%
4 stars
19.14%
3 stars
4.10%
2 stars
0.90%
1 star
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TOP REVIEWS FROM LEADERSHIP THROUGH SOCIAL INFLUENCE

by IApr 27, 2020

This course has given me a better perception about how to become relevant in my organizations circle and most importantly i have learned outstanding ways of effective dialogue.

by LSFeb 21, 2016

Great course. I learned so much about influence and how it is manifest in the workplace. I also got skills in how to use influence to get ideas accepted and moved forward.

by TIApr 14, 2021

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.

by PDFeb 14, 2021

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!

View all reviews

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.

How do aspiring managers succeed in an ever-changing business environment? How do they lead different groups to action? This specialization equips aspiring managers to lead change and leverage different roles and functions within for-profit institutions to create lasting value in the marketplace. Throughout the five courses, we will explore how great leaders assess themselves and lead collaborative teams that effectively manage negotiations and conflict. We will discover how leaders communicate through storytelling and employ other communication strategies to influence. Furthermore, we will learn how organizations start with the clarity of purpose that comes from an understanding of customers’ needs, including leveraging data analytics, and use that focus to drive the design of products and services to meet those needs effectively. At the end of the coursework, students will create a capstone project that allows them to apply what they have learned. Each of the individual courses can be audited for free: 1-High Performance Collaboration: Leadership, Teamwork, and Negotiation, 2-Leadership Communication for Maximum Impact: Storytelling, 3-Leadership Through Social Influence, 4-Leadership Through Marketing, 5-Leadership Through Design Innovation.

Frequently Asked Questions

When will I have access to the lectures and assignments?
Access to lectures and assignments depends on your type of enrollment. If you take a course in audit mode, you will be able to see most course materials for free. To access graded assignments and to earn a Certificate, you will need to purchase the Certificate experience, during or after your audit. If you don't see the audit option:
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.
Is financial aid available?
Yes. In select learning programs, you can apply for financial aid or a scholarship if you can’t afford the enrollment fee. If fin aid or scholarship is available for your learning program selection, you’ll find a link to apply on the description page.

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Leadership Through Social Influence

About this Course

Skills you will gain