Influence and persuasion aren't reserved for salespeople or marketers. They show up in every meeting room, performance conversation, and stakeholder pitch; the people who master them consistently get their ideas heard, their proposals approved, and their teams moving in the right direction. Yet most professionals have never been taught how persuasion actually works, how to spot it when it is being used on them, or how to use it ethically and effectively themselves.
In this course, you'll build a practical toolkit for ethical influence and persuasion. You'll apply push and pull dynamics to shift thinking and motivate action, establish rapport quickly through matching, mirroring, and pacing techniques, and structure presentations using the 5 S's framework to keep your message focused and compelling. You'll also deploy storytelling, embedded commands, and presupposition techniques to frame conversations positively, overcome resistance, and guide others toward outcomes that work for everyone involved.
By the end of this course, you'll be able to use proven influence and persuasion techniques to communicate with confidence, build genuine trust, and achieve the results you need across a wide range of professional and everyday situations.
Persuasion is already happening all around you: in the products you buy, the meetings you sit in, and the conversations you have every day. In this module, you'll identify the core elements of effective persuasion, distinguish ethical influence from manipulation, and begin applying that awareness t…
Getting ready to persuade is where the real work begins. In this module, you'll apply push and pull strategies to move people toward change, build a four-step preparation model for confident communication, and suspend the frames of reference that can quietly undermine your ability to influence.
The strongest argument in the room falls flat if the relationship underneath it is cold. In this module, you'll establish rapport quickly using five practical techniques, apply matching and mirroring to build connection at a subconscious level, and use pacing to guide others from agreement on facts…
Your argument can be solid and still lose the room if the structure around it falls apart. In this module, you'll apply the five S's framework (Significance, Scenario, Solutions, Segue, and Suggestions) to build persuasive presentations that keep any audience engaged and move them toward a clear ca…
You already know that persuasion starts before you open your mouth. In this module, you'll deploy four concrete tactics: crafting stories that make your case memorable, reframing commands so the brain can actually act on them, using presuppositions and leading questions to guide decisions, and brea…
You have the tools, and now it is time to use them. In this module, you'll consolidate everything you have built across this course into a concrete action plan, identify where to start practicing with the lowest risk, and commit to the specific next move that will put your influence skills to work.
Some points apply to every course of this kind; see how we rank.
Madecraft is in Tier 4: commercial training companies and platform-made courses of our institution ranking (52/100).
Instructor: Dennis Freeman, Kendra Pugh This course provides an integrated introduction to electrical engineering and computer science, including modern software engineering, linear systems analysis, electronic circuits, and decision-making. The lecture videos provide an overview of each topic, whi…
Harvard University · edX
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Harvard University · edX
An introduction to the intellectual enterprises of computer science and the art of programming.
Harvard University · edX
An introduction to programming using Python, a popular language for general-purpose programming, data science, web programming, and more.
A 2-day, in-person Professional Development Program at Harvard Division of Continuing Education. Slides at https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1e7LNtfdK42BDOcJBIB1eMw2QbQFg-7tlio1OCI6ldnE/edit?usp=sharing. Register at http://www.dce.harvard.edu/professional/programs/computer-science-business-lea…
