Effective Strategies for Asking for Help
- Change your mindset
- Asking for help is not a sign of weakness—it's a sign of strength and intelligence. You don’t live on an island for a reason.
- Help is something you have to ask out loud.
- Our thoughts, feelings, and needs are not as obvious to other people as we think they are. Even if others see you need help, how do they know you want it?
- When asking, be very specific about what you want and why.
- If you don’t tell people how they can help, you get the help they think you require, vs. what you really need.
- Avoid disclaimers, apologies, and bribes.
- Helping is a natural part of a relationship. Offering to pay a friend to help turns their assistance into a transaction rather than an act of kindness. You don’t pay people for their friendship; friendship is its own reward.
- Do not ask for help via e-mail or text. In-person requests are 30x more likely to be successful.
- When you ask for help, and they say yes, follow up afterward. People want to know how their help impacted you; that’s what makes the effort rewarding.