Asking for Help...and getting a Response

It can be awkward to message someone you don't know and just ask them for help. How do you get people to even take you seriously when they barely know you. And with the new online way of work, they probably haven't even seen you before. So how do I get them to put effort into helping me?

Make initial contact with an e-mail

If you're an introvert, it can be tempting to just message the person you need help from. This can come off as informal and make the receiver think that you just need a quick favour. If you're looking for someone to work alongside you in a project, you may have to be more formal.

CC other people in the e-mail

The people that you CC should have interest in what you're doing or they should be able to add to the conversation. It lets the receiver know that a whole team of people is relying on the favour you're asking of them. It could also mean that, if you need assistance from someone else in the team, they already have access to the discussion between you and the receiver.

Create a template e-mail to initiate contact

Writing up a new e-mail every time you want to contact someone new can be draining and, sometimes, nerve-wracking. It would save so much time and effort if you just created a template that you could copy and paste whenever you need to initiate a conversation with someone new. This template should include information about you, what you're working on and why you need their help.

Tell the receiver who referred them to you

When you do this, it makes you seem like less of a stranger. They are more likely to want to help you if the person who referred the receiver has a good relationship with the receiver. It may also give more context about what exactly you need help with.

Use positive and polite wording

Try not to include too many negative works, like "problem" or "error" in your e-mail. The receiver is more likely to see your favour as a chore if you use these kinds of words describe the favour that you need. Instead say: "I'm having some trouble with...", "we would really appreciate your assistance". The more positive words you use, the more likely you are to get a positive response.