5 Secrets to Asking for Favors

Whether from a family member, friend, coworker, or even a stranger, asking for help from other people can be beneficial. Everyone has various outlooks on a situation and gaining advice or aid from a second party can produce astonishing results. However, approaching someone and asking for a favor can be daunting, especially if the person denies the request. Here are a few methods towards overcoming this fear and encourage more people to say yes when asking (or begging!) for help:

Assume The Best Outcome: Before even asking for a favor, assume that the person one is asking will agree to help. According to Business communication analyst Jodi Glickman, people feel timorous approaching someone and asking for favors as they feel they will not get their request, especially in an urgent predicament. Keeping a positive and confident attitude will make the person asking sound more convincing and give a stronger impression of the person’s needs. Be a happy camper and fight tooth and nail for the request to be granted.

Be Specific About One’s Needs: Don’t spend too much time setting the stage about the favor. Being indirect and asking too many questions comes off as unurgent and thus not as likely to have the request granted. “Acknowledging that a request is indeed a favor and being direct and specific implies a two way realtionship that acknowledges some level of give and take, as opposed to just making the other person feel like they’re being taken for a ride”, says Glickman. It also helps comprehend the needs and situation better without taking too much time. As such, remember the three R’s: Request, Reason, and Response.

Ensure That Both Sides Will Benefit: There’s a reason why jobs ask for experience: they want to ensure that their company benefits and gets their money’s worth for hiring someone. As such, when asking for favors, it is best to relate to the person they’re asking on their terms as well. For example, when asking a friend for money, ensure that they are reimbursed and maybe provide an extra incentive (if they bought, for example, food from the grocery store, make sure the person who granted the favor gets a bite or two). Remember that it is not just about one person and give a little to earn back greater.

Be Truthful: While it may be tempting to come off more convincing by including gratuitous or inaccurate details, a study published by the Harvard Business Review proves the opposite. The study found that people who come from honest backgrounds not only have stronger mental health but are about 60% more likely to develop stronger rapport and relationships with others. Being candid and concise about the request comes off as more trustworthy and, thus, more likely to have their request granted.

Use the word “Because”: In psychologist Robert Cialdini’s book entitled Influence, people tend to react more positively to the word “because” as the reason ties more directly to the request. “Even if the reason makes no sense or is unrelated to the request, people like to know why they’re being asked to do something”, says Cialdini. Simply including the word “because” comes off as more powerful and helps better understand the situation at hand.

While not everyone will help out, applying these five tactics will hopefully maximize the probability of getting more positive outcomes and improve one’s circumstances. Here is our request: make sure everyone reading these articles subscribes to TREMG News “because” this website has some valuable information about music, trends, and life hacks that is hard to find elsewhere. Thanks for doing us a favor!