Speaking and Presenting: Pitches and Persuasion (Coursera)

Speaking and Presenting: Pitches and Persuasion (Coursera)

The hope good presenters project when pitching their ideas is not naïve hope. They’re not Pollyanna at the podium. Instead, the solutions they offer are supported by research, data, and expertise. This course will teach you how to merge hard facts with an imaginative vision in a way that at once resonates with and inspires your audience.

Class Deals by MOOC List - Click here and see Coursera's Active Discounts, Deals, and Promo Codes.

What You Will Learn

  • How to inspire people with a sense of "informed hope"
  • How to treat storytelling as an "entrepreneurial superpower"
  • How to expand your range of dynamic gestures and facial expressions
  • How to increase the creativity you bring to your next negotiation

Course 2 of 4 in the Good with Words: Speaking and Presenting Specialization

Syllabus

WEEK 1
Optimism: Concept
What do the British writer George Orwell and the American designer Charles Eames have in common?
We’ll find out in this first week of “Pitches and Persuasion,” the second course in the four-part series “Good with Words: Speaking and Presenting.”

WEEK 2
Optimism: Studies & Exercises
We’ll take a deeper look at the quality of optimism this week, with a little help from a 19th-century neurologist, a 20th century graduate of Harvard Law School, and a set of 21st-century experiments.
It’s going to be a fun week.

WEEK 3
Dynamic: Concept & Stories
We’ll start by taking a new look at Martin Luther King Jr.’s famous “I Have a Dream Speech” at the March on Washington in 1963. But we won’t be focusing on his rhythmic cadence or strategic uses of pauses. Instead, we’ll turn our attention to the persuasive power he generates with his head, his arms, and even his heels.
Body language, we’ll see, can be some of the most effective languages around.

WEEK 4
Dynamic: Studies & Exercises
The first American woman to become a Supreme Court justice. The first German Chancellor to commemorate the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising. And a brave political activist who decided the best way to make a statement would be to climb up a flagpole. We learned about each of those figures last week and are now ready to take a look at some helpful research about the quality each of them shared: they communicated with more than just their mouths.

Go to Class
MOOC List is learner-supported. When you buy through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.

Related Courses

Music for Wellness (Coursera) Coursera
Berklee College of Music

Music for Wellness (Coursera)

You love music. You listen to music all the time. Maybe you sing, play an instrument, or compose music. You don’t need to have musical talent to use music to enhance your well being, and even your health. Learn simple techniques to enrich your mind, body, and spirit through music. The methods can be applied in your daily life, particularly when you are feeling down or stressed out.

Nov 9th 2026
4 Weeks
Inglés Empresarial: el márketing y ventas (Coursera) Coursera
Arizona State University

Inglés Empresarial: el márketing y ventas (Coursera)

If you work in marketing, sales, or advertising, you already know that effective communication is a requirement. This can be even more difficult when expressing your ideas in a persuasive manner in English. In this course, you will learn to use English more efficiently while joining successful global professionals around the world. Develop your skills along with authentic characters that work in marketing and also work hard to improve their communication skills. Learn from your successes and failures, reflect on your own style, strengths, and improvement areas.

Nov 2nd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Cameras, Exposure, and Photography (Coursera) Coursera
Michigan State University

Cameras, Exposure, and Photography (Coursera)

Welcome to Course One of Photography Basics and Beyond: From Smartphone to DSLR! In these first 4 Modules you will gain the knowledge and the confidence that will help you make good choices as you consider qualities of the camera you own, and the qualities of the other types of digital cameras you might be considering. You will learn about the basic functions that most digital cameras have in common. You will also go beyond the "technical" matters and learn about how you can make exciting pictures by emphasizing the aspects of Frame and Vantage Point to interpret old subjects in new ways.

Nov 2nd 2026
4 Weeks
The Nature of Genius (Coursera) Coursera
Yale University

The Nature of Genius (Coursera)

Today "genius" is all around us. Celebrities, athletes, child prodigies, even your local Apple employees, all are referred to as geniuses. But are they? And if not these individuals then who? In this course, Henry L. and Lucy G. Moses Professor of Music Emeritus and author of The Hidden Habits of Genius, Craig Wright, will begin by giving you his definition and prerequisites for true genius and challenge you to come up with your own.

Nov 9th 2026
4 Weeks
Como engajar equipes e criar cultura em ambientes virtuais (Coursera) Coursera
FIA Business School

Como engajar equipes e criar cultura em ambientes virtuais (Coursera)

O programa é muito útil tanto para líderes quanto para membros de equipes virtuais. Os conhecimentos obtidos permite que você forme, participe e lidere equipes de maneira mais eficaz, principalmente em situações de mudança e transformação digital. O processo de aprendizagem é dinâmico, interativo e prático. Neste programa você aprenderá a reconhecer aspectos da cultura de uma equipe em ambientes virtuais que a maioria das pessoas normalmente desconhece. Frequentemente, são esses aspectos, aparentemente sem importância, que têm o maior efeito sobre os resultados coletivos da equipe.

Nov 9th 2026
4 Weeks
Business English for Cross-cultural Communication (Coursera) Coursera
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology - HKUST

Business English for Cross-cultural Communication (Coursera)

This course aims to prepare you for working in an cross-cultural Business setting. We'll learn about common cross-cultural theories and how they are relevant to everyday business practices in a globalised world. By combining all of your vocabulary, reading, speaking, and writing skills that you acquired in the previous three courses, you will learn how language plays an important role in cross-cultural communication.

Nov 16th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Leadership Through Social Influence (Coursera) Coursera
Northwestern University

Leadership Through Social Influence (Coursera)

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.

Nov 2nd 2026
4 Weeks
Entrepreneurship Strategy: From Ideation to Exit (Coursera) Coursera
HEC Paris

Entrepreneurship Strategy: From Ideation to Exit (Coursera)

This course covers in the chronological order each defining step of an entrepreneurial project. It begins with very personal considerations related to getting to better know yourself better so as to decide if you are ready for the multiple challenges of entrepreneurship. It then deals with creativity in order to provide the right set of tools to find an idea with the right potential to disrupt an existing business.

Nov 16th 2026
4 Weeks
Modern Art & Ideas (Coursera) Coursera
The Museum of Modern Art

Modern Art & Ideas (Coursera)

Welcome to Modern Art & Ideas! This course is designed for anyone interested in learning more about modern and contemporary art. Over the next five weeks, you will look at art through a variety of themes: Places & Spaces, Art & Identity, Transforming Everyday Objects, and Art & Society. Each week kicks off with a video that connects works of art from The Museum of Modern Art’s collection to the theme. You will hear audio interviews with artists, designers, and curators and learn more about selected works in the additional readings and resources.

Nov 16th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Developing Innovative Ideas for New Companies: The First Step in Entrepreneurship (Coursera) Coursera
University of Maryland, College Park

Developing Innovative Ideas for New Companies: The First Step in Entrepreneurship (Coursera)

This course assists aspiring and active entrepreneurs in developing great ideas into great companies. With strong economies presenting rich opportunities for new venture creation, and challenging economic times presenting the necessity for many to make their own job, the need to develop the skills to develop and act on innovative business opportunities is increasingly vital.

Nov 2nd 2026
4 Weeks
On Strategy : What Managers Can Learn from Philosophy - PART 1 (Coursera) Coursera
CentraleSupélec

On Strategy : What Managers Can Learn from Philosophy - PART 1 (Coursera)

In the expression “creative thinking”, the keyword is not creativity; the keyword is thinking. With the help of great philosophers, you will rediscover the art of thinking. To help leaders to be rigorous even without figures, great philosophers have lots of ideas. Managers are invited to rediscover the art of thinking. They should understand the role of mental models, realize the importance of cognitive bias, agree on clear definitions and efficient criteria etc. Creativity demands the ability to unshackle ourselves from conventional ways of thinking, to "think outside the box".

Nov 16th 2026
5-12 Weeks
The Technology of Music Production (Coursera) Coursera
Berklee College of Music

The Technology of Music Production (Coursera)

Learn about the music production process—including recording, editing, and mixing—and the tools available to you to create contemporary music on your computer. With the recent introduction of high-quality-low-cost software and hardware, the tools of music production are now available to the masses. Albums are made in bedrooms as well as studios. On the surface this is liberating. Anyone can make an album for the low cost of a couple pieces of gear and a software package. But, if you dig deeper, you will find that it is not so easy. Producing music requires knowledge, dedication, and creativity.

Nov 2nd 2026
5-12 Weeks