How to get helpful help

We all get by with a little help from our friends. But in professional settings, we don’t always feel like we can ask for help. Asking for help is not admitting failure, but rather using your resources to ensure that expectations are met. Knowing how to ask for help ensures that you get help that is actually useful, or even crucial, in meeting your goals.Permanent or temporary? First, determine how much and what kind of help you need. Do you need someone to take a brief look at an article and provide copyediting, or do you need them to look at a first draft and determine if the direction and scope are appropriate for the publication venue? Do you need direction on how to proceed, someone to teach you an unfamiliar procedure, or do you need a new full-time person assigned to help you? Do you need someone else to learn one of your tasks so they can back you up in case of emergency?Make the ask clear. Once you know what you need, identify the individual who has the best chance of providing it. Write down the problem, what you have tried, and exactly what and when you need that person to do, so you can make a clear ask. Carefully select the time and method of communication for the ask. The more help you need, the more personal the method you should choose (email, text, IM, phone call, in-person). Always be polite, and make sure the other person can say “no”—much