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

Competencias para la empleabilidad (Coursera) Coursera
Universidad Austral

Competencias para la empleabilidad (Coursera)

Este curso está dirigido a académicos, empresarios y estudiantes de grado, y su objetivo es mejorar el nivel de empleabilidad de los jóvenes graduados en América Latina, ya que a través de él podrán adquirir competencias que hoy día exigen las empresas de este mundo globalizado. Esto se logrará a través de tres módulos: Empleabilidad, Innovación y Emprendimiento, con los que podrán adquirir las competencias requeridas.

Nov 16th 2026
3 Weeks
English for Effective Business Speaking (Coursera) Coursera
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology - HKUST

English for Effective Business Speaking (Coursera)

This course aims to improve your Business English speaking skills by developing your use of vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, spoken communication skills within a Business context, and your ability to deliver professional business speeches for specific purposes. Skills learned in this course will be used in the cross-cultural communications course and help prepare you to deliver the professional business presentation in the Capstone project.

Nov 16th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Creativity And Entrepreneurship (Coursera) Coursera
Berklee College of Music

Creativity And Entrepreneurship (Coursera)

Creativity & Entrepreneurship will help you tap into your inner creativity and learn how to leverage it for career development or business innovation. Presented by Berklee Institute for Creative Entrepreneurship founder Panos Panay, this course features interviews with world renown entrepreneurs, innovators, songwriters, producers, creative directors, educators, performers, visual artists and chefs as they discuss parallels between the creative and entrepreneurial journeys.

Nov 16th 2026
4 Weeks
Getting Started With Music Theory (Coursera) Coursera
University of Michigan

Getting Started With Music Theory (Coursera)

This course is a brief introduction to the elements of music theory for those with little or no music theory experience. We will explore pitch, rhythm, meter, notation, scales, keys, key signatures, meter signatures, triads, seventh chords, and basic harmony. If you listen to music or play music by ear, and you want to know more about how music is organized and notated, this course is for you.

Nov 2nd 2026
4 Weeks
How to Jumpstart Your Hidden Creative Genius (Coursera) Coursera
Michigan State University

How to Jumpstart Your Hidden Creative Genius (Coursera)

Despite what you may think, there is evidence that everyone has the capacity to think creatively. This course will teach you to be much less predictable in your thinking and have the confidence and ability to generate unique, workable ideas to solve complex problems. Society impels us to conform to its written and unwritten rules for thinking and behaving in a certain way, which makes too many of the ideas and solutions we generate fairly predictable and ineffective.

Nov 16th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Love as a Force for Social Justice (Coursera) Coursera
Stanford University

Love as a Force for Social Justice (Coursera)

This course will explore the concept of agape love (compassion/kindness) as a force for social justice and action and as the inspiration for service and the application of knowledge to positive social change. Biological, psychological, religious, and social perspectives of love will be discussed, drawing on the expertise of people from a variety of disciplines.

Nov 16th 2026
5-12 Weeks
Introduction to Public Speaking (Coursera) Coursera
University of Washington

Introduction to Public Speaking (Coursera)

This course gives you a reliable model for preparing and delivering effective presentations. In business, in school, and in public life, we are often called upon to “make a few comments.” Often, people tasked with such speeches become flummoxed. They might not know what to talk about, or ramble without making a point, or simply be confusing to listen to. This course is designed to help you shine where others falter.

Nov 2nd 2026
5-12 Weeks
Fundamentals of Graphic Design (Coursera) Coursera
California Institute of the Arts

Fundamentals of Graphic Design (Coursera)

Graphic Design is all around us! Words and pictures—the building blocks of graphic design—are the elements that carry the majority of the content in both the digital world and the printed world. As graphic design becomes more visible and prevalent in our lives, graphic design as a practice becomes more important in our culture. Through visual examples, this course will teach you the fundamental principles of graphic design: imagemaking, typography, composition, working with color and shape... foundational skills that are common in all areas of graphic design practice.

Nov 2nd 2026
4 Weeks
Introduction to Engineering Design (Coursera) Coursera
Starweaver

Introduction to Engineering Design (Coursera)

In today's fast-paced technological environment, understanding the fundamentals of engineering design is crucial for aspiring engineers and professionals alike. This comprehensive course serves as a primer, introducing participants to key concepts and methodologies essential for designing innovative solutions to complex problems. It provides an overview of the engineering design process, emphasizing the integration of creativity and functionality in problem-solving.

Nov 9th 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
Creativity Toolkit I: Changing Perspectives (Coursera) Coursera
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

Creativity Toolkit I: Changing Perspectives (Coursera)

Thinking and doing the same things faster and better is not enough; we need creativity. Fortunately, creativity is a skill you can learn. This course will examine when, why, and how we can be creative. It examines the cues that trigger us to consider being creative. It provides a road map of the creative process – the process of changing our perspectives – and the kinds of outcomes that result from creativity.

Nov 4th 2026
4 Weeks
Intimacy of Creativity: Entering the Minds of Composers (Coursera) Coursera
The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology - HKUST

Intimacy of Creativity: Entering the Minds of Composers (Coursera)

Bright Sheng guides us through three works — by Brahms, Beethoven, and Sheng — for an intimate look inside the composer's mind. This course strives to give students a new appreciation of music, based on an understanding of the craft behind each work. This class is perfect for those wanting to gain a unique perspective on the creative process of music composition, while challenging traditional notions of how composers approach formal structure, melody, and harmony.

Nov 16th 2026
3 Weeks