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Institute Certifications

For five decades, the Strategic Soft Skills Institute has trained scores of people inside organizations who quietly shape the politics, conversations, and decisions that drive organizational results. Our Social Intelligence Strategist Certification is the pathway for those professionals: an intensive, practice-based journey from first-time trainer to Master Certifying Trainer.

A number of our programs have been top rated for years. These programs are being delivered by a combination of Strategic Soft Skills Institute-certified internal trainers and our own faculty. In some organizations, internal trainers now run entire programs using our methodology; however in most other companies, our Strategists are still brought in for the high-stakes work.

who knows how to read the room, shift the dynamic, and move real decisions forward?

To become a Social Intelligence Strategist

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Why this certification

is different

50 Years

Most of the coach certification currently available programs have emerged in the last 25 years. TOur certification curriculum has been tested and refined in real organizations for 50 years. Every tool, exercise, and case is based on live work with leaders navigating complex corporate and political realities; it's not from a classroom-only model.

Our process will lead you through a structured apprenticeship: first, you will be observing, coaching, and co-training one of our programs, and only after you have completed our stringent requirements, will you be able to lead-train a program and ultimately certify other prospective Strategists. That is why internal trainers developed through this pathway often become the most requested facilitators in their companies.


What sets the Strategic Soft Skills Institute Certification Process apart from others:

A 50-year, evidence-informed

methodology in social intelligence, not a short-lived model.

Deep integration

into large organizations, where our programs are consistently top rated.

Five clear levels of practice,

from Influence Trainer to Master Certifying Trainer.

Live supervision,

rigorous feedback, and high-touch development at every stage.

The five Social Intelligence Strategist levels

All levels carry the title Social Intelligence Strategist, with a distinct practice focus at each step.

• Delivers the one-day Influence Effectiveness (IE) program, introducing "participants" to core social intelligence concepts and tools.
• Focus: facilitating high-impact learning experiences that give people a shared language for influence at work.

• Coaches participants inside our Positive Power and Influence (PPI) programs: working in breakout rooms, skill practices, and real cases.
• Focus: helping individuals see their current behavioral patterns, experiment with new behaviors, and apply social intelligence to real-life influence challenges.

• Lead-train the full Positive Power and Influence® (PPI) program and coaches in real time, working with both internal and external trainers where appropriate.
• Focus: managing the whole room—politics, learning, and performance—while staying true to the established PPI design.

• Lead Practitioner capabilities plus the skills and experience to deliver Fast Track to Leadership Intensive.

• Focus: should we add a focus here as in all the other categories?

• Trains and certifies new Influence Trainers, Coaching Specialists, and Lead Practitioners, both inside organizations and across regions.
• Focus: safeguarding the methodology, mentoring other Strategists, and ensuring consistent quality wherever the training is delivered.


Every level is built on intensive practice, not just theory. As Strategists advance, they take on more responsibility for the integrity and impact of the training in their organizations.


What it takes

to earn each level

Becoming a Social Intelligence Strategist means being willing to be observed, coached, and tested in real training programs - not just in simulations.

During the Certification Process you will:

• Attend the core program as a participant, then return to additional programs as a coach, co-trainer, and finally lead trainer.
• Prepare thoroughly using trainer manuals, session videos, and structured coaching sessions.
• Receive live feedback from a Master Trainer or Master Certifying Trainer on your facilitation, coaching, and use of the methodology.

Influence Trainer

• Attend the core program as a participant.

• Complete targeted preparation and a focused facilitator training on the Influence Effectiveness design.

• Co-deliver with an experienced trainer before leading the one-day program independently.

Coaching Specialist

• Complete an Intermediate PPI Program as a participant.

• Take part in multiple structured coaching sessions linked to specific modules and videos.

• Coach in live programs under supervision of a certified Influence Trainer until your coaching style consistently supports participant insight and behavior change.

Lead Practitioner

• Observe full PPI virtual or in-person programs led by certified trainers.

• Participate in a Training-of-Trainers (TOT) process and present multiple sessions from the trainer manual.

• Co-train several programs with a certified trainer, then lead-train with a Certifying Trainer before being approved to lead-train independently.

Master Trainer

• Trained the PPI program at least 30 times.

• Learn the certification standards and assessment process used to evaluate new trainers and coaches.

• Demonstrate sustained excellence in leading programs and coaching trainer candidates.

• Complete the TOT for Fast Track to Leadership.

Master Certifying Trainer

• Demonstrate sustained excellence in leading programs and coaching specialists.

• Learn the certification standards and assessment process used to evaluate new trainers and coaches.

• Co-certify others with an existing Master Certifying Trainer before independently stewarding the pathway in your region or organization.




For internal trainers and organizations

Some organizations already have their own internal Social Intelligence Strategists at multiple levels, while others rely primarily on our faculty and bring internal trainers into the classroom over time. The certification model is flexible: internal trainers can be developed as Influence Trainers, Coaching Specialists, Lead Practitioners, or Master Certifying Trainers, depending on your needs.

For organizations, this means:
• You can build internal capacity while still drawing on our experience for key programs and certifications.
• Your internal Strategists speak the same social intelligence language as our faculty, making it easier to blend internal and external delivery in a single learning environment.

Interested in developing internal Social Intelligence Strategists or pursuing certification yourself?
• Talk to us about the best starting point—Influence Trainer, Coaching Specialist, Lead Practitioner, or Master Certifying Trainer—for you or your organization.
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