A joint offering by the College of Engineering and the School of Business
How to Influence Without Direct Authority
Develop the persuasion and influence skills possessed by effective leaders
Most managers have less formal authority than they need to carry out their responsibilities. Effective, innovative managers know how to use informal, indirect authority to influence key stakeholders: the boss, peers, associates, customers, suppliers and staff.
In this course, you learn how to expand your power and positively influence beyond your formal authority in order to get the job done. Examine characteristics and skills of influential people to understand the sources of informal power. Discover how to analyze situations requiring influence and find out how to build effective relationships upward, downward and laterally. Learn influencing strategies, trust-building skills and tools of team-building and oral and written persuasion.
Learn how to:
- Build and leverage the power base you already possess
- Establish trust, credibility and rapport
- Work across organizational lines to get the job done
- Use team-development tools
- Communicate a convincing, credible professional image
- Find ways to overcome bureaucratic impediments
- Deliver presentations through in-class practice
- Become a positive, powerful advocate for your area and direct reports
“In a word, awesome!”
Christopher Jessup, Procurement Manager, Wolf Appliance Company, LLC, Madison, WI
The University of Wisconsin-Madison, as a member of the University Continuing Education Association (UCEA), authorizes this course for 2.1 Continuing Education Units (CEUs) or 21 hours.