Communicating for Impact Certificate

Shape and share your ideas in ways that engage, inspire, and motivate

Strong communication skills and the ability to influence others are critical in order to have impact at work and beyond. We’ve designed this program for anyone who wants to shape and express their ideas more clearly, craft convincing messages, and share information effectively. You’ll learn to apply mindsets and techniques from human-centered design—like empathy, prototyping, and creativity—in order to communicate in ways that engage, persuade, and shift the way people think, feel, and behave.

You’ll get the most out of this program if you have some experience sharing ideas with others and giving presentations as this program will help you build upon your foundational experience to develop more powerful communication skills.

Certificate Program Outcomes
  • Learn a process for moving from an idea to a story that motivates and inspires.
  • Create a narrative that conveys your idea in a compelling way.
  • Take your audience on a meaningful journey and establish a trusted connection.
  • Gain techniques for presenting information in memorable ways.
  • Practice a variety of presentation methods to better engage your audience.
Skills You’ll Gain
Storytelling Presenting Engagement
Format 2 Online Cohort Courses
Duration 2-3 Months
Time 4 Hours/Week
Download Syllabus Download Syllabus
Download Syllabus

Certificate Program Overview

  1. 1 Take Storytelling for Influence

    Starting Soon
    Craft a narrative to motivate and inspire
    Cohort Course 5 Weeks
    $699
    $699

  2. 2 Take Impactful Presentations

    Craft human-centered presentations that connect, resonate, and inspire
    Cohort Course 5 Weeks
    $799
    $799

  1. 3 Receive and Share Your Certificate

    After completing the two courses, you’ll receive your Communicating for Impact Certificate of completion via email as a downloadable PDF within 1-2 weeks of completing the final required course. Certificates are configured for uploading and sharing on LinkedIn.

    Your IDEO U Certificate in Communicating for Impact

Commonly Asked Questions

  • Course Order
    Storytelling for Influence should be taken first in order to establish a foundation in honing your big idea and building a narrative prior to taking Impactful Presentations. We do not recommend taking both courses at once.
  • Completion Time
    The program typically takes between 2-3 months to complete if courses are taken consecutively. However, there is no deadline for certificate completion.
  • Certificate Requirements
    If you’ve completed Storytelling for Influence as a part of another certificate program or on its own, it will count toward your certificate of completion.
Learn more about program details in our FAQs

Certificate Program Requirements

Frequently Asked Questions

How do IDEO U certificate programs work?

We offer three types of courses: self-paced courses, cohort courses, and certificate programs. Certificate programs consist of multiple courses and typically take 3-6 months to complete. They are in-depth learning experiences designed to grow your skills and broaden your professional impact. Once you complete all required courses, you will be awarded a certificate of completion.

Does my time zone matter?

All of our certificate programs are fully online and flexible, so you can take them from any time zone, anywhere in the world. For cohort courses, the course teaching team will host scheduled virtual community conversations, which are optional. Times will be announced during the first week of the course and are set to accommodate as many time zones as possible.

Can I take one course now and others later and still receive the full certificate?

If you take all required courses in a certificate, you will receive the certificate. There is no deadline for the completion of the courses, and you do not have to purchase all required courses at the same time to be eligible for a certificate.

Can I take multiple courses at the same time?

While you can enroll in multiple courses at the same time, we strongly advise that you do so only if you are able to commit to a minimum of 5 hours per week for each course (for example, 10 hours per week for 2 courses) to ensure the most valuable learning experience. If that does not feel feasible, we recommend taking the courses separately and reviewing upcoming course dates on our course calendar.

What order of courses should I follow?

While courses can be taken in any order, we recommend you take them in the order that they are listed above in the Certificate Program Overview.

Do you offer discounts?

We offer a discount when you enroll in multiple courses at the same time through some of our certificate programs, including Foundations in Design Thinking, Business Innovation, Human-Centered Strategy, and Communicating for Impact. 

You can also enter your email address at the bottom of this page in order to receive updates on future offers or possible discounts. 

We also offer financial assistance for single courses with amounts dependent on your employment status, type of job, and annual salary – check out the financial aid application for more information and to apply for financial support. Please allow at least 15 days before a course start date to permit time for review, so plan ahead if you are looking to join a course soon.

Can I take the course with my team?

Absolutely! We have had many teams go through our courses together. For those taking our courses as a team, we provide a number of additional benefits:

1. A Team Learning Guide, developed to provide your team with resources to facilitate offline discussions that complement the in-course experience.

2. A Manage Learners function, which provides visibility into your team's progress within the course.

3. The ability to create a private Learning Circle, which is a closed space for discussion on the learning platform specifically for your team.

For more information, visit our Team Learning page.

How do I purchase a certificate?

You can purchase a certificate by enrolling in all the courses associated with that certificate. Required courses are listed in the Certificate Program Overview section above. When you click enroll in each cohort course, you will proceed to our checkout page, where you can select your desired cohort date for each course.

Payment options include credit card, PayPal, or Shop Pay. For US customers, we also offer installment plans at checkout if you use the Shop Pay method of payment.We typically are not able to accommodate bank transfer or invoicing. However, if your order includes 10 seats or more, please contact hello@ideou.com and our team will be happy to review your request.

Loved by Learners Across the Globe

Leila Shams
Leila Senior Managerial Consultant Kaiser Permanente
Michael Replan
Michael Data Visualization Boeing
Michael Goldsby
Michael Stoops Distinguished Professor & Chief Entrepreneurship Officer Ball State University
Jessica Soule
Jessica Recruitment Director, Science & Technology Policy Fellowships AAAS
Communicating for Impact Certificate
Certificate Program

“This program has helped me share my ideas more clearly, use human-centered design tools like prototyping, engage more actively with customers/audiences (virtually!), and develop skills to influence the way people think and feel throughout the development of new solutions. ”

Leila Oakland, CA
Communicating for Impact Certificate
Certificate Program

"Such an immersive learning experience. I love the approach, and it's so unique compared to other learning experiences.”

Michael Los Angeles, CA
Communicating for Impact Certificate
Certificate Program

“The way IDEO U designed the website and delivery is the best I've seen. And the content is really good. I'm very happy with taking the course.”

Michael Muncie, IN
Communicating for Impact Certificate
Certificate Program

“I have taken a number of IDEO U courses and have found they all exceed my expectations. I have learned so much, gained skills and confidence, and know that I can carry this forward with me throughout my career.”

Jessica Washington, D.C.

The IDEO U Learning Experience

HOW OUR COURSES WORK

See

Our courses engage you through stories, expertise, and humor. Each lesson has a series of 3-5 minute videos that explain the why, what, and how of a specific topic. Plus we bring everything to life through case studies from around the globe.

Reflect

Our learning experiences have a variety of reflective activities to help you make the connections to your specific work challenges. Reflection is one of the most effective ways to deepen your professional impact.

See
Try
Reflect
Share

Try

In order to develop new skills, you need to try them out through repeated practice and exposure to new contexts. Our courses provide opportunities to try out new behaviors online and through real-world projects.

Share

Knowledge is constructed through interaction with others—which is the foundation of our cohort experience. It’s through sharing and discussing with qualified teaching leads and a global peer network that you build greater understanding.

See

Our courses engage you through stories, expertise, and humor. Each lesson has a series of 3-5 minute videos that explain the why, what, and how of a specific topic. Plus we bring everything to life through case studies from around the globe.

Try

In order to develop new skills, you need to try them out through repeated practice and exposure to new contexts. Our courses provide opportunities to try out new behaviors online and through real-world projects.

Reflect

Our learning experiences have a variety of reflective activities to help you make the connections to your specific work challenges. Reflection is one of the most effective ways to deepen your professional impact.

Share

Knowledge is constructed through interaction with others—which is the foundation of our cohort experience. It’s through sharing and discussing with qualified teaching leads and a global peer network that you build greater understanding.

Learn More