Leadership Through Social Influence from Coursera

What's inside

Syllabus

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.

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Reviews summary

Enriching leadership through social influence

Students say this course is largely positive, emphasizing its well-structured nature and easy-to-understand lessons. They appreciate Professor O'Keefe's engaging delivery and simple examples that illustrate complex concepts. The course is praised for providing a practical toolbox of techniques for influencing people effectively. Students highlight the richness of the content and abundance of real-life examples, which they find valuable for applying the strategies in various scenarios. They note that the course covers a diverse set of tools for leaders, including techniques for persuasive conversations and managing social influence hurdles. Many students express that they have gained valuable insights and skills from the course that they plan to implement in both their personal and professional lives.

Professor O'Keefe's teaching style is praised for its clarity, enthusiasm, and relatable examples.

"Professor O'Keefe in his lively way simplifies the art of persuasion and the strategies that one can use to persuade people to do what you want them to do."

"I really enjoyed this Course. Each week really challenged me and I found myself sometimes playing the videos over to really dissect the concepts."

"I very much appreciated the teaching style of Prof. O'Keefe. His tone and deliverance of the materials where easy to listen to and understand."

Students emphasize the relevance of the course content to their own personal and professional experiences.

"The course touches on some great topics that will align the student to practicing leadership through social influence"

"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."

"Very practical topic, and much credible and practical lessons."

The course is highly practical, offering actionable strategies that can be directly applied in real-world situations.

"This course was very informative. It has taught me a lot of things I can use in my current job, I am very excited to use my newly learned set of skills."

"this cours made me aware of certin attitudes US as human beings have and the toolbox we need to use in order to be real leaders."

"I am a recent college grad (within the last 2 years) that has been looking to gain leadership skills while working full-time. Professor O'Keefe is very engaging and I felt as if I was back in the classroom setting. I have learned some very valuable strategies behind persuasion and hope to apply these in my profession."

The course provides a wide range of techniques for influencing people in different scenarios.

"this 3rd course in Organizational Leadership Specialization is brief, concise and very substantial."

"Excellent course, learning that leaders can use a diverse set of tools to influence other people represents a great contribution to my professional goals."

"Leadership through is a very instructive and informative course that teaches the newbie leaders about strategies that can make people do what he wants and can lead a big proportion of people to work on his direction without having any doubt about his method and really obey his orders ."

Some students note that the course could be improved with more interactive elements, such as peer-graded assignments.

"I've loved this course from the beautiful presentation of course material form the professor to how this course changed my mindset towards becoming a leader or following g a leader"

"Extremely well explained, though perhaps some peer-graded assignments and not just quizzes would have been more appropriate to put our newly-acquired knowledge into practice."

"The course content is excellent but the delivery could improve. I would recommend shortening the videos from 5 minutes to 2 minutes, sharing visuals to illustrate the stories, and consider using slides or bullets to articulate key points."

Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Leadership Through Social Influence with these activities:

Review: Influence: The Psychology of Persuasion

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Help build a strong foundation for the course by introducing the key principles of persuasion.

View Influence, New and Expanded: The Psychology of... on Amazon

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Read the introduction and first two chapters of Influence
Write a one-page summary of the six principles of persuasion

Review: Pre-Suasion: A Revolutionary Way to Influence and Persuade

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Expand your understanding of persuasion by exploring the concept of pre-suasion.

View Pre-Suasion on Amazon

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Read the introduction and first two chapters of Pre-Suasion
Write a one-page summary of the six principles of pre-suasion

Review: Made to Stick: Why Some Ideas Survive and Others Die

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Gain valuable insights into crafting persuasive messages that stick in the minds of your audience.

View Making Numbers Count: The Art and Science of... on Amazon

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Read the introduction and first two chapters of Made to Stick
Write a one-page summary of the six principles of making ideas stick

Five other activities

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Show all eight activities

Persuasion Techniques Practice

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Allow plenty of time to practice these challenging techniques in different contexts.

Browse courses on Persuasion

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Practice the foot-in-the-door technique with a friend or family member
Practice the reciprocity technique with a salesperson
Practice the authority technique with a peer
Practice the consistency technique with a coworker
Practice the liking technique with a stranger

Advanced Persuasion Techniques Practice

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Develop mastery of advanced persuasion techniques through focused practice.

Browse courses on Persuasion

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Practice the door-in-the-face technique
Practice the lowball technique
Practice the scarcity technique
Practice the ultimatum technique
Practice the contrast technique

Design a Persuasion Campaign

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Challenge yourself to apply the principles of persuasion to a real-world scenario.

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Choose a target audience and a desired behavior
Develop a persuasive message
Choose a communication channel
Create a persuasive video or presentation
Test your campaign and make adjustments

Write a Persuasive Essay

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Demonstrate your understanding of persuasion by crafting a persuasive essay on a topic of your choice.

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Choose a topic and develop a persuasive thesis statement
Research your topic and gather evidence
Write a clear and concise essay
Edit and revise your essay
Submit your essay to your instructor

Design a Persuasion Campaign Proposal

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Apply your knowledge of persuasion to a real-world scenario by creating a persuasive campaign.

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Choose a target audience and a desired behavior
Develop a persuasive message
Choose a communication channel
Write a persuasive campaign proposal
Present your proposal to your instructor

Career center

Learners who complete Leadership Through Social Influence will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:

Communications Professional

A Communications Professional that specializes in persuasion is responsible for developing and executing communication strategies that influence audiences to take desired actions. This course will provide you with the theoretical foundation and practical skills you need to be successful in this role. You will learn how to identify different challenges faced by persuaders and to fashion appropriate strategies for addressing those challenges. You will also gain insights into the latest research on persuasion and how to apply it to your work.

See salaries and explore the career path for Communications Professional

Marketing Manager

A Marketing Manager is responsible for developing and executing marketing campaigns that promote products or services and generate leads. This course will provide you with the skills you need to be successful in this role. You will learn how to identify different challenges faced by persuaders and to fashion appropriate strategies for addressing those challenges. You will also gain insights into the latest research on persuasion and how to apply it to your marketing campaigns.

See salaries and explore the career path for Marketing Manager

Public relations manager

A Public Relations Manager is responsible for managing the public image of an organization. This course will provide you with the skills you need to be successful in this role. You will learn how to identify different challenges faced by persuaders and to fashion appropriate strategies for addressing those challenges. You will also gain insights into the latest research on persuasion and how to apply it to your public relations campaigns.

See salaries and explore the career path for Public relations manager

Sales Manager

A Sales Manager is responsible for leading and motivating a sales team to achieve sales goals. This course will provide you with the skills you need to be successful in this role. You will learn how to identify different challenges faced by persuaders and to fashion appropriate strategies for addressing those challenges. You will also gain insights into the latest research on persuasion and how to apply it to your sales strategies.

See salaries and explore the career path for Sales Manager

Counselor

A Counselor is responsible for helping people to overcome mental health challenges and improve their lives. This course will provide you with the skills you need to be successful in this role. You will learn how to identify different challenges faced by persuaders and to fashion appropriate strategies for addressing those challenges. You will also gain insights into the latest research on persuasion and how to apply it to your counseling practice.

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Social Worker

A Social Worker is responsible for helping people to overcome challenges and improve their lives. This course will provide you with the skills you need to be successful in this role. You will learn how to identify different challenges faced by persuaders and to fashion appropriate strategies for addressing those challenges. You will also gain insights into the latest research on persuasion and how to apply it to your social work practice.

See salaries and explore the career path for Social Worker

Teacher

A Teacher is responsible for educating students and helping them to reach their full potential. This course will provide you with the skills you need to be successful in this role. You will learn how to identify different challenges faced by persuaders and to fashion appropriate strategies for addressing those challenges. You will also gain insights into the latest research on persuasion and how to apply it to your teaching methods.

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Lawyer

A Lawyer is responsible for representing clients in court and advising them on legal matters. This course will provide you with the skills you need to be successful in this role. You will learn how to identify different challenges faced by persuaders and to fashion appropriate strategies for addressing those challenges. You will also gain insights into the latest research on persuasion and how to apply it to your legal arguments.

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Politician

A Politician is responsible for representing the interests of their constituents and developing and implementing policies that benefit the public. This course will provide you with the skills you need to be successful in this role. You will learn how to identify different challenges faced by persuaders and to fashion appropriate strategies for addressing those challenges. You will also gain insights into the latest research on persuasion and how to apply it to your political campaigns.

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Human Resources Manager

A Human Resources Manager is responsible for managing the human resources of an organization. This course will provide you with the skills you need to be successful in this role. You will learn how to identify different challenges faced by persuaders and to fashion appropriate strategies for addressing those challenges. You will also gain insights into the latest research on persuasion and how to apply it to your human resources practices.

See salaries and explore the career path for Human Resources Manager

Writer

A Writer is responsible for creating written content, such as books, articles, and scripts. This course may provide you with some of the skills you need to be successful in this role. You will learn how to identify different challenges faced by persuaders and to fashion appropriate strategies for addressing those challenges.

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Producer

A Producer is responsible for overseeing the production of a film, television show, or other media content. This course may provide you with some of the skills you need to be successful in this role. You will learn how to identify different challenges faced by persuaders and to fashion appropriate strategies for addressing those challenges.

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Journalist

A Journalist is responsible for gathering, analyzing, and reporting on news and current events. This course may provide you with some of the skills you need to be successful in this role. You will learn how to identify different challenges faced by persuaders and to fashion appropriate strategies for addressing those challenges.

See salaries and explore the career path for Journalist

Consultant

A Consultant is responsible for providing advice and expertise to clients on a variety of topics. This course may provide you with some of the skills you need to be successful in this role. You will learn how to identify different challenges faced by persuaders and to fashion appropriate strategies for addressing those challenges.

See salaries and explore the career path for Consultant

Editor

An Editor is responsible for reviewing, editing, and publishing written content. This course may provide you with some of the skills you need to be successful in this role. You will learn how to identify different challenges faced by persuaders and to fashion appropriate strategies for addressing those challenges.

See salaries and explore the career path for Editor