Leadership IQ — A Mark Murphy Company

Leadership IQ · Online certificate courses

High-Impact Communication

Speak with clarity. Listen with empathy. Influence with confidence.

Format
Online · self-paced
Duration
4 weeks
Weekly commitment
~1.5 hours
Explore the curriculum ↓Enroll →

Inside the course

Make your message easier to hear—and act on.

Whether you're leading a team, serving customers, or presenting an idea, how you communicate changes the response you get. This four-week course gives you practical techniques for adapting your message, listening closely, and handling conversations that require tact.

  • Recognize the four communication styles and tailor your message to each one.
  • Use structured listening to understand people and build trust.
  • Disagree diplomatically, deliver difficult feedback, and communicate with greater presence.

For leaders and professionals who need to get things done with and through other people.

Already taken What Great Communicators Do Differently? This course covers similar material. We recommend not enrolling again to avoid duplication.

Week by week

What you’ll learn

Open each week to explore the lessons and practical tools.

Week 01

Master the 4 Communication Styles to Persuade & Influence Every Person

Have you ever talked to someone but it's like they didn't hear a word you said? It's typically because you used the wrong communication style! Some people like communicating with lots of data while others prefer to focus on feelings. Some like conversations that go step-by-step while others jump right to the end. Picking the wrong communication style for a person or audience can ruin your ability to get heard. The greatest speechwriters in history have tailored their messages to their audiences, and in Module 1, you'll learn their secrets PLUS the modern-day science of communication styles.

You'll discover:

  • How to quickly discover the unique communication styles of investors, colleagues, bosses, customers, and more
  • The 1-Question that immediately reveals someone's communication style
  • Specific scripts & techniques for tailoring your message to all 4 types of communication styles (Analytical, Personal, Functional and Intuitive)
  • The Multipathing Model used by great speechwriters to speak to a room filled with different communication styles
  • How to identify and speak to 'process-driven' people who like the nitty-gritty detail
  • How to identify and speak to 'big picture' people who don't want lots of detail
  • How to identify and speak to 'analytical' people who want data, hard numbers, and dislike that 'warm-and-fuzzy' stuff
  • How to identify and speak to people that are warm and chatty 'feelers'
  • The shocking data on effective communication styles from over 1 million leaders and professionals
Week 02

The Psychological Tactics of Great Listening

If you want to succeed in the executive suite, leadership, sales, customer service, or anywhere that involves interacting with people, you need effective listening skills. And listening skills (especially listening empathically) are one of the biggest drivers of charisma and interpersonal communication. BUT the average person retains only 10% of what they hear. Only 30% of leaders currently listen with empathy. One study found that physicians stop listening 18 seconds after a patient starts speaking. Another found that salespeople stop listening 21 seconds after a prospect starts talking. You'll learn the groundbreaking Structured Listening approach (including the listening techniques that clinical psychologists and behavioral investigators use).

You'll discover:

  • How a cognitive listening technique called Perspective-Taking leads to others feeling 78% more empathy towards us
  • Discover the science of Perspective-Taking, and how it differs from sympathy, active listening, and more
  • How to use Temporal Distancing to stop yourself from getting angry and making snap judgements
  • Why Structured Listening is so much more powerful than older techniques like active listening
  • The 3-Steps to effective Structured Listening: Eliciting, Listening and Confirming
  • The Seven Phrases you should NEVER use when you're listening to someone
  • The Two Tests that determine whether you've truly heard what other people are saying
  • 4 types of probing questions that direct people to share and reveal their deeper issues (Factual, Emotional, Direct, Indirect)
  • 1 question that stops people from rambling, but redirects them and can still keep them talking
  • Why paraphrasing can make people angry, and what you should do instead
  • 3-step process for resolving misunderstandings or when you misheard what they were saying
Week 03

The Art of Communicating Diplomatically & Tactfully

Have you ever been told that your communication is a little too aggressive? OR have you ever gotten stuck trying to talk about tough issues because you were so worried about offending someone? You'll learn science and specific techniques for communicating with diplomacy and tact while still delivering even tough messages. Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk and Steve Jobs can get away with being 'rough around the edges' and lacking interpersonal skills, but unless you're going to invent Amazon, Tesla or the iPhone, you can't get away with being seen as harsh or brusque. More than just emotional intelligence, you'll discover the specific interpersonal communication skills, scripts and words that create diplomacy and tact.

Including:

  • 7 Trigger Words that immediately make people angry (and what you should say instead)
  • 5 Diplomacy Words that soften your message and reduce people's anger and defensiveness
  • How the "Yes And" technique allows you to disagree with someone while still being incredibly nice and diplomatic
  • 4-Step Script for saying "No" without alienating your colleagues
  • The 2-sentences that stop will you from arguing with people (even when you're getting annoyed or angry)
  • The 1-sentence that immediately increases your likeability by 19%
  • How a specific type of compliment called "positive labeling" can radically improve people's behavior and increase their trust in you
  • 3-Step Script to apologize sincerely and restore the relationship when your communication process has gotten too aggressive
  • The 1 Question you need to ask when you're about to start a difficult conversation to immediately lower the other person's defensiveness
Week 04

The Science of Increasing Your Charisma, Presence & Confidence

You can learn charisma, presence and confidence; you don't need to have been born lucky. In fact, there are specific science-based techniques that will dramatically increase your ability to command attention, project confidence and exude charisma. If you're willing to change a few specific behaviors, you will immediately see a difference in how others treat you. Even if you're a natural introvert and lack the "gift of gab" you can experience dramatic improvements.

You'll discover:

  • How to change the intonation of your voice to create more charisma and personal connection
  • The exact seconds you need to pause before speaking to create a greater executive presence
  • Body language techniques (including nonverbal cues like head nodding, hand positioning, and posture) that will immediately improve how others think about you
  • How to make others feel incredible by mastering a 3-Part Mindfulness exercise that keeps you fully immersed in every conversation (and stops your mind from wandering)
  • How the science of "social signaling" can help you harness the power of your social network to drastically increase your stature and success
  • The training technique that clinical psychologists use to significantly improve their "presence," confidence and nonverbal communication, and how you can apply it immediately (just by using the camera on your phone)
  • Undoing the 5 "self-limiting beliefs" that ruin your confidence and charisma
  • The 3-Part Script for authentic flattery that increases everyone's positive feelings about you (and thus increases your charisma and influence)

Who it’s for

💼 Why Executives & HR Send Their Teams:

  • • Equip managers, high-potential talent, and customer-facing teams with strategic communication tools they can use immediately
  • • Reduce miscommunication, conflict, and wasted time across departments and teams
  • • Build stronger internal collaboration and external trust with customers, clients, and partners
  • • Increase the leadership readiness of emerging stars and middle managers
  • • Invest in professional development that delivers real behavioral change—not vague theory

🚀 Why Professionals & Leaders Enroll Themselves:

  • • Learn how to influence anyone—bosses, peers, customers—by adapting to their communication style
  • • Get scripts, tools, and techniques to say hard things without damaging relationships
  • • Build a stronger executive presence—even if you're introverted or early in your career
  • • Handle conflict, feedback, and high-stakes conversations with confidence and tact
  • • Finally feel heard, respected, and persuasive—without being pushy or fake
This course is for people who are ready to level up—not just talk more.
Whether you're a team leader, high performer, or rising professional, High-Impact Communication will give you the skills to get heard, get trusted, and get results.

Schedule & participation

Learn on your schedule. Finish with a certificate.

Starts
October 19, 2026
Complete by
November 15, 2026
Weekly commitment
~1.5 hours

Study when it suits your schedule. Complete the required coursework by the deadline to earn your certificate.

Coursework, access, and certificate requirements
4-Week Online Certificate Program
THE PROGRAM START DATE IS MONDAY, OCTOBER 19TH.
On Friday, October 16th, each participant will receive an email with their login information to access the course. ALL MODULES, ASSIGNMENTS AND QUIZZES MUST BE COMPLETED BY 11:59 PM (PST) ON THE FINAL DAY OF THE PROGRAM. The final day of the program is
Sunday, November 15, 2026. 

Course Logistics & Timeline

Each course in the program includes approximately 1 hour of video presentation. In addition to the video module, each week will include one assignment and one brief quiz to ensure you learned that week's content. Participants can expect to spend around 1.5 hours per week on viewing the video modules and coursework.

You may work ahead and you will not be penalized for falling behind, but...

ALL MODULES, ASSIGNMENTS, AND QUIZZES MUST BE COMPLETED BY 11:59 PM (PST) ON SUNDAY, NOVEMBER 15, 2026. This is a 4-week program, and certificates will not be issued if all coursework is not completed by the deadline.

Your next step

Enroll in High-Impact Communication

Choose your seats now. Add each participant’s name and email after checkout.

$249.00 USD per participant

Total$249.00 USD

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$249.00 USDEnroll