Leadership Communication: Strategy, Influence and Impact
Lead with clarity, urgency and purpose in an era of inevitable disruption. Strengthen your leadership capabilities and build the communication skills needed to mobilise stakeholders and accelerate change across complex systems, sectors and places.
If you want to strengthen your ability to communicate with influence and purpose, the Communicating for Influence and Impact online short course from the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) offers a rigorous and practical leadership development opportunity. The course equips you with the tools and skills to communicate with clarity and intent in complex systems, navigate resistance, and influence decisions that set future vision in service of people and planet Crucially, the course positions communication as a lever for competitive sustainability and long-term value creation – aligning business success with the transformation of markets and systems. Upon successful completion, you will earn a digital certificate recognising your learning.
Course start dates
- 7 October 2026
Format
- Online, tutor-assisted
Length
- 8 weeks (+1 week orientation) 7–10 hours per week
Is the Leadership Communication: Strategy, Influence and Impact course for you?
This online short course is for established and aspiring leaders who see the value of advancing their communication skills and ability to effect change within an organisation and across their wider business ecosystem.
The course benefits professionals committed to achieving positive economic, social and environmental outcomes in balance with commercial success. The curriculum is tailored for individual leaders or leadership team cohorts seeking to build on their experience and prior training in an online course setting.
If you’re interested in this course, you may also want to take a look at the CISL Sustainable Marketing and Communication Strategy bundle. Designed for marketing, media and creative professionals, this three-course series will teach you how to develop, mobilise and communicate an action plan for sustainable business practices.
Leadership Communication: Strategy, Influence and Impact
Module 1: Leadership, communication and influence in a disrupted world
Module 2: The relationship between power, influence and society
Module 3: Communication capabilities for effective leadership
Module 4: Strategic narratives, storytelling and persuasion
Module 5: Strategy, purpose and culture alignment for resilience
Module 6: Stakeholder alignment and conflict resolution
Module 7: Collaborative transformation and measuring impact
Module 8: Taking action and building your network for lasting impact
What will set you apart
On completion of this course, you’ll walk away with:
The tools to effectively and persuasively communicate with various stakeholders in your network.
A Personal Impact Plan aligned to system-level change in your organisation or sector.
The ability to inspire and mobilise others to drive innovation, competitiveness and resilience at scale.
A broader network and meaningful peer relationships that strengthen your connection with the wider Cambridge sustainability community.
Unlimited access to edX’s Career Engagement Network, offering you exclusive resources and events to support your professional journey and drive your career forward.
Course Convenors
The design of this online course is guided by CISL faculty and industry experts who will share their experience and in-depth subject knowledge with you throughout the course.
Zoë Arden- Fellow and Leadership Consultant, CISL
Martin Roberts- Sustainability and education specialist and former Director of Digital Learning, University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership
CISL Connect: Online live sessions
CISL has developed three bonus CISL Connect: Online Live Sessions for all students joining any of our ten business sustainability leadership courses. Through these sessions, you’ll get direct access to CISL's leading voices on today’s most urgent business topics – competitiveness, AI and resilience. This format gives you the chance to connect, collaborate and exchange ideas with a far broader global network of professionals beyond your cohort.
CPD certified
This course is certified by the United Kingdom CPD Certification Service, and may be applicable to individuals who are members of, or are associated with, UK-based professional bodies. The course has an estimated 80 hours of learning.
Note: should you wish to claim CPD activity, the onus is upon you. CISL and GetSmarter accept no responsibility, and cannot be held responsible, for the claiming or validation of hours or points.
Learn to lead in a changing world
This University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership online short course is delivered in collaboration with digital education provider GetSmarter.
Join over 30,000 students globally who have already benefited from the opportunity to:
- Gain verifiable and relevant competencies and earn invaluable recognition from a top-tier university, entirely online and in your own time.
- Enjoy a personalised, people-mediated online learning experience that consistently achieves over 90 per cent course certification rate.
- Experience a flexible but structured approach to online education as you plan your learning around your life to meet weekly milestones.
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Delivered in Collaboration with GetSmarter
The University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL) is collaborating with digital education provider GetSmarter, a brand of 2U, Inc., to provide an interactive and supported online learning experience.