Professional Certificate Series
Leadership and Communication
Learn how to be an effective leader and motivate your team while navigating change and tough challenges.
- 2 Courses
- 3 Months
- Earn Your Certificate
What makes an effective leader?
How can you not only employ better communication strategies, but motivate people to tackle tough problems and achieve goals together? Examine how to improve your leadership communication style, improve decision making, and develop as a leader in this two-course series. In the first course, Exercising Leadership: Foundational Principles, learn how to be an effective leader and motivate your team while navigating change and tough challenges. In Rhetoric: The Art of Persuasive Writing and Public Speaking, explore proven communication techniques and strategies to learn how to articulate your ideas to achieve your goals. Learn from some of the most persuasive leaders from the last century about the ethical use of rhetoric, dialogue, listening, and self-criticism.
Learn More- Learning Outcomes
How to build and renew trusting relationships by following principles of leadership development and effective communication techniques.
- Learning Outcomes
How to implement personal strategies for leadership development to survive and thrive amidst change.
- Learning Outcomes
How to understand the role of formal and informal authority and maintain effective interpersonal communication skills in both.
2 Courses
Beyond our premium learning paths you can still earn certificates
Rhetoric: The Art of Persuasive Writing and Public Speaking
2-3 hours per week • Start today
Exercising Leadership: Foundational Principles
2-3 hours a week • Start today
Learn from the best in the industry
Meet your instructors
James Engell
Gurney Professor of English and Professor of Comparative Literature, Harvard University
Ronald Heifetz
King Hussein Bin Talal Senior Lecturer in Public Leadership, Harvard Kennedy School
The course was amazing. It helped me understand about how to speak in public, how to write in a more effective leader. I also learned about how to be a good leader, and how to take into consideration the needs of different parties.
[Exercising Leadership] changed the way I'm approaching my next leadership challenge. I strongly suggest to anyone who works with other people to take this course.
This course made me realize Rhetoric is a superpower and it helped me use my voice for good.
This course had a real impact on humanizing leadership for me. You don't have to carry it all alone, you can do mistakes and be open. Also, it reminded me the importance of leaning on each other.
Being part of the Harvard global community of learners means connecting with a diverse group of individuals who share a common goal of growth and development. It’s not just about gaining knowledge from world-class professors like Professor Ronald Heifetz, but also about learning from the experiences, perspectives, and challenges of fellow learners from around the world. It’s an opportunity to collaborate, exchange ideas, and challenge myself in ways I wouldn’t be able to in a local environment.
The course made me see many important things to achieve objectives, the necessary tools, mutual help between colleagues, managing situations and differentiating moments of emotionality and rationality. Knowing how to find one, take care of oneself, and then help the other, is to adapt in each area and lead with courage.
Having had the opportunity to take a course at the greatest university in the world (in my opinion), is a source of pride. I can only imagine when I share the certificate with the Harvard logo on my Linkedin. Wow... I have no words.
Being part of the Harvard global community of learners is incredibly meaningful to me. It’s not just about the knowledge I gain; it’s the connection to a network of people who are all passionate about making a difference. ... Knowing that I'm learning alongside people from all over the world who are going through similar experiences gives me a sense of reassurance and strength. It reminds me that I’m part of something bigger, and it pushes me to keep pushing forward, not just for myself but for the impact I want to make in the world.
This was, without a doubt, one of the most enriching experiences of my life between the ages of 19 and 20 — and since I turn 20 this week, that makes this achievement even more special! 🎉 I’m extremely grateful to have learned from some of the best professors, had access to high-quality academic content, and experienced studying at one of the most prestigious institutions in the world.
Industry Insights
"Companies that are highly effective communicators had 47% higher total returns to shareholders.” (Source: Towers Watson, Capitalizing on Effective Communication: p.2)
“53% of leaders indicated that building skills was the best way to close their company’s capability gaps in the next year” – McKinsey Survey