What does it mean to be influential? How does one persuade others to pursue a unified goal? How does one leverage power? In this course, you’ll learn how to develop influence and to become more effective in achieving your organizational goals. Professor Cade Massey of the Wharton School has designed this course to help you understand the framework of power and influence and the dynamics of effective networks, and shows you how to develop your skills of persuasion and leverage. By the end of this course, you’ll know your own strengths and how to use them to get what you need, how to gain power and influence, and how to leverage relationships and alliances to achieve your goals in both business and in life.
This course is part of the Achieving Personal and Professional Success Specialization
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Achieving Personal and Professional Success SpecializationUniversity of PennsylvaniaAbout this Course
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Course 4 of 4 in the
Beginner Level
Approx. 9 hours to complete
English
Subtitles: French, Portuguese (European), Russian, English, Spanish
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 4 of 4 in the
Beginner Level
Approx. 9 hours to complete
English
Subtitles: French, Portuguese (European), Russian, English, Spanish
Offered by
University of Pennsylvania
The University of Pennsylvania (commonly referred to as Penn) is a private university, located in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. A member of the Ivy League, Penn is the fourth-oldest institution of higher education in the United States, and considers itself to be the first university in the United States with both undergraduate and graduate studies.
Syllabus - What you will learn from this course
3 hours to complete
Module 1
In this module, we’ll begin by defining influence. You’ll weigh the pros and cons of proactivity and political ability, and find the right balance to get any job done within your organization. You’ll learn different models of power structures and dynamics, and discover the importance of flexibility, situational awareness, and agency. By the end of this module, you’ll be better able to analyze organizational structure, recognize processes within your organization that need improvement, and use your power of influence to optimize these processes.
3 hours to complete
14 videos (Total 100 min), 1 reading, 1 quiz
2 hours to complete
Module 2
In this module, you’ll examine social networks and relationships, and learn how they can help you accomplish your organizational goals. You’ll be able to differentiate between dense and disconnected networks, and weigh the benefits and costs of diversification within your networks. Then you’ll learn about both successful strategies and common pitfalls in cultivating a network, and see how authentic generosity will build reciprocity in your networks and vice versa. You’ll also explore coalitions and how alliances between parties with different perspectives can be very effective and efficient in achieving mutual goals. By the end of this module, you’ll learn effective strategies for networking, coalition-building, and leveraging, and will be able to form strong alliances and relationships both inside and outside your organization.
2 hours to complete
14 videos (Total 90 min), 1 reading
3 hours to complete
Module 3
This module was designed to help you develop your persuasive tactics and rhetoric to increase your influence. By discussing historical examples of classical principles of persuasion—from Aristotle to the six SUCCES factors—you’ll learn what makes ideas memorable and be able to craft effective messages of your own. You’ll assess your own strengths and weaknesses in influence tactics by taking the Leverage Inventory survey. You’ll also explore statistical analysis examining the relative effectiveness of soft, hard, and smart power strategies. By the end of this module, you’ll be able to employ a toolbox of approaches to gain power and influence, and be prepared to bring the right leveraging skills to any situation.
3 hours to complete
12 videos (Total 95 min), 2 readings, 1 quiz
2 hours to complete
Module 4
In this module, you’ll examine the ethical implications of persuasion and the responsibilities that come with having a powerful leveraging toolkit. By looking at examples of our own unconscious biases, you’ll gain a better understanding of where your perspective and values stand. You’ll learn how to find the right balance in making the necessary tradeoffs while exerting sustainable influence. Through exploring different hypothetical scenarios in the Hard Questions Survey, you’ll form strategies to avoid common pitfalls while leveraging influence. By the end of this module, you’ll have a deeper understanding of the ethics of persuasion and influence, and be able to make difficult decisions that are more aligned with you and your organization’s values.
2 hours to complete
11 videos (Total 72 min), 3 readings
Reviews
- 5 stars83.50%
- 4 stars11.11%
- 3 stars2.02%
- 2 stars1.01%
- 1 star2.35%
TOP REVIEWS FROM INFLUENCE
by JSNov 6, 2018
Excellent course. Great skills for everyone interested in understanding how power works and how to be a more influential individual in general.
by CCApr 22, 2020
This course is a thoughtful and profound course which contains massive influential content inside.
by ARApr 30, 2020
Excellent course. I thoroughly enjoyed this course and highly recommend to anyone who is looking to increase their scope and degree of influence.
by RVJun 20, 2020
Excellent course. Very practical. Case studies were the best to connect the topics. Inspired from Sergio's case.
About the Achieving Personal and Professional Success Specialization
Based on four of the most popular courses taught at the Wharton School, Achieving Personal and Professional Success is designed to introduce the tools and techniques for defining and achieving success at home and at work. You'll learn how to find your passion and core values, how to apply these values to your own life, how to work well with others, how to communicate effectively, how to set goals, how to use influence to achieve these goals, and even how to say you are sorry. Through exercises, self-diagnostic surveys, quizzes, and many case studies, you'll discover how to define not only what you want, but also the best way to get it. While many business courses cover topics related to successful organizational practices, these courses provide key insights into successful personal practices, whether you are in the office or in your home. We all bring ourselves to work every day, and these courses will help you be your best self wherever you are.
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