This is the Business English Podcast, episode 124.
I'm at a loss. How to ask for help at work in English.
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I'm good. Do you feel funny or is it hard for you to admit when you can't do something?
Like maybe you don't know how to do something at work or anywhere really?
I love the question, by the way. Do you feel funny?
That is like a Michelle original. You have a trademark on there.
Do you feel funny? So that means do you feel strange or does it feel weird?
Right? Yeah, I do. Because I think somewhere in there, I got the message that I should be good at everything.
And I'm definitely not. No one is. So yeah, I do feel funny.
I feel strange. And I don't know how to present that.
Yeah, it can be it can be awkward to say that you can't do something, but we have to be able to do it while keeping our pride, while not letting that get us down or, you know, that it's it's OK.
It's OK. Yeah, I totally agree. And I think, you know, maybe we'll get into this a little bit later in the episode, but also the importance of saying that you're interested in learning something, if that's applicable, if that's a gap that you need to fill on your resume or in your job description, then there's a time and a place for saying that.
But Michelle, what should we let our listeners know about All right.
Well, we have an amazing app for all ears English, guys, our other podcast.
And this app has so much. You can listen to the episodes.
You can also follow along with the episodes with the transcripts shown in front of you, right?
Really easy. And you can get key vocabulary words.
So there's a lot there. Lindsay, what else do you want to say about this awesome app?
It's just... It's just so much better than having a huge, messy piece of paper writing down every word you learn on the All Ears English podcast.
Guys, you should be listening also to the All Ears English podcast for four episodes a week on general English, broad English, many different topics.
But then if you want to go deeper with that podcast, just go to the app.
So go to allearsenglish.com slash APP. We have it for Android or Apple.
And this just lets you store your own vocabulary words.
So it's like a personalized power list. is what it is, Michelle.
Yes, it's great. It's a great way to be organized.
Like we say always, try and make it easy on yourself.
Have these words and then you can add words to your list.
So it's great. 100%. So let's get into this topic.
So we're approaching the idea today of, you know, what do we do when we actually don't have the skills to do something that someone has asked us to do?
Is that right? Right. So I mean, first off, there's nothing to be ashamed of, right?
So once you establish this thought in your head, I think you'll feel more comfortable is that it's better to be honest, than to do something totally wrong.
But at the same time, there are times when you might say, well, maybe I can figure this out by myself.
So you have to make that decision. Michelle, what would be an example of the kind of thing that in this in today's context that we might be asked?
Are we talking about like an entire skill like email marketing or or like coding of an app?
Are we talking about just a little thing that can be just looked up on YouTube?
Hmm. Good question. Well, we could apply this to other things.
But in this episode, I think we're talking more about like a specific task that you were asked to do.
So maybe there's maybe it's something with technology.
That's a lot of a lot of things, maybe something on a computer program for work you're unsure of doing.
So I'm thinking here about some of the smaller things where maybe you can look it up.
But, you know, sometimes it's sometimes it's easy to get lost in the weeds of looking things up and sometimes it might just be easier to ask someone or to admit it or something like that but again you have to make that decision you don't want to ask about every single thing Right.
Of course, you can't be constantly going back.
I would imagine this is likely to happen to our listeners when they start at a workplace because it is pretty overwhelming.
Michelle, if you can think back to the days when you started a job, can you think back when you started at the radio station or something else?
Was that overwhelming when you just there's a lot you don't know about how the company runs?
Yeah, just like certain, even things like, oh, what buttons to press, where to upload the files, just these kind of little things can be tricky.
And it takes a while to learn. I think they say it takes a whole year to adapt to a new job.
Wow, I believe that. There's a lot of knowledge that we just, even here at All Ears English, little things we know that we just shared knowledge, shared understanding, but someone new would be like, what do I do with this file?
Like, where do I go? Yeah. Right. Right.
You know, yeah. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. So but if you really don't know, right, how do you tell someone this at work?
So, Lindsay, we wanted to also remind our listeners we have another great episode of All Ears English that our listeners could could take a listen to.
What is it? Oh yeah. This was a really fun guest interview that I did.
It's episode 1988, how to turn life obstacles into career success with corporate executive Victoria Pelletier.
So she went through, she had a very kind of abusive childhood.
Um, and then she ended up turning her life around and becoming a high powered executive.
And she's got some really big companies on her resume.
I can't remember which ones, but huge companies, executive positions.
There's a lot we can learn from Victoria.
So go over to All Ears English, hit follow, find episode 1988 and have a listen.
Okay, great. Yes. All right. So this is what we have to do.
We have to say what we can't do, say what we've tried to do.
Oh, yes. And say what you will do or ask for help.
Um, so let's, let's go through that. So, um, the first thing you could say, I'm really unsure about how to write, how to use this program, how to fix this electrical connection, how to put the pictures in the presentation, whatever it may be.
So that's one thing, one way you could say what you can't do.
Lindsay, what's another thing? Yeah. Or I don't understand how to configure all the lights on this stage, file all these papers, find the client reports, you know, fill in the blank here, guys, with the thing you can't do.
Okay. Okay. Or I'm at a loss as how to. That's another cool way to say it.
Yeah, I'm at a loss. As as to as to how to.
I think that's right. I'm at a loss as to blank.
How to write. How to. It sounds confusing, but it's correct.
It does fix the phones, combine the files, whatever it is.
So you can't figure something out. Yeah.
Yeah. So let me just say that again, those complete sentences to make sure our listeners get that because it's a weird construction, right?
I'm at a loss as to how to fix the phones.
I'm at a loss as to how to combine the files.
Okay. Yeah. Good. There you go. Yes. There you go.
And then the next thing is what we said, say what you've tried to do.
And Lindsay, why do you think this is such a key step?
Oh my gosh, it is such a key step. And I just want to emphasize, you know, as a manager, you must do this step, right?
We've talked about this before, Michelle, on the podcast, right?
It's really important to show to your manager or someone above you, or even to someone horizontal to you on your team that you have tried to take this on to an extent, right?
Not just the trying, kind of trying, but really trying on your own because time is valuable and precious.
And when the time they spend helping you is time they're not doing something they need to do.
It's a big deal. Right. And also, and also if you say what you've tried, then you're cutting out that time, right?
Where somebody might say, oh, well, have you tried doing this or you know you're all you're saying okay this is what i've done like and this isn't working so we don't need to talk about those things so it's kind of two things that's helpful number one showing that you've worked at it yourself and you're taking initiative and number two you're cutting out you know potential additional conversation of suggestions That's a good point.
So they can jump off from that point. They say, OK, I see this really is a problem.
Now they can take it from another level up to solve the problem.
Right. That's right. That's right. Yeah.
So, yeah, I mean, basically here you could just say I've tried blank, but I so you could say I've tried looking in the manual, but I can't figure it out.
Or what else, Lindsay? Or I've tried calling the company, but I can't get in touch with anyone.
Right. Good. Yeah. So just I've tried doing this.
So huge step, huge step. And then finally is, you know, either ask for help or say what you're going to do.
So you could say something like, would you mind explaining?
Right. That's a way to ask for help. So would you mind explaining how to put in these numbers or would you mind explaining the way this program works or what? else, Lindsay?
Yeah, I'll keep trying to fix the button or call the tech crew.
So you're saying so in this second option, you're saying I'm going to go back and keep going, but I'm letting you know, I can't have trouble.
Right? Yeah. Because maybe because maybe the person will say, Oh, you know, maybe they'll say, Oh, well, no, I actually know what to do.
Okay. So yeah. Yeah. It's good to even if you're going to keep trying, sometimes it's good to let somebody know that either, you know, that you're that you're not giving up, but maybe they know something that you don't.
Right. Yeah. Yeah, for sure. That's and that does happen.
Right. That absolutely does happen. And the third option is I'll learn for next time how to do this myself or how to take care of this or how to prevent this problem.
Right? Right, right, right. Excludes clearance, price reflects discount.
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Exclusions apply. See details online. Okay, Michelle.
So I do want to make one point here. And I think a lot of companies, they may have kind of a...
Like a flow chart for when you should reach out to someone else, like when you should reach out to your manager after you've tried certain things.
Well, at least they should, because I think we probably that'd be a good thing for us to adopt.
Like, for example, our website goes down sometimes.
OK, so anyone on the team could start to troubleshoot that and have a checklist of things they could try.
And once they've gone through that checklist, that's the time to reach out to someone at management level, not right away.
So pay attention and find out if your company has procedures or expectations about that.
Right. Yeah. Yeah. That's a good point. Right.
There might be some sort of protocol to follow that will help you.
Yeah. Protocol is the word I was looking for.
Thank you. You're welcome. You're welcome.
So but yeah, I mean, the point is to connect and show what you've done.
Right. And to feel OK, don't don't. i think i think if you say something confidently oh i'm not you know this doesn't work out but if you kind of go into something like oh i've tried and i don't know you know and like kind of like sounding very meek or like yeah then there's no reason to feel that way or to sound that way you know just yeah yeah i'm i i have this problem we all have problems and uh we're gonna work it out these are the steps i'm taking Yeah, and I would also definitely just as another tip before we go into today's role play, follow through on how the problem gets solved.
So don't just have the mindset of like, I passed it off to my manager.
I don't care what happens because guess what?
If it happens again, they might expect you to take that next step if it's within your capabilities.
So follow up a few days later. Hey, did that problem get solved?
What happened? What was the solution? What was the problem?
Why did this happen? What can we do to prevent it?
So take that mental responsibility That's really what, you know, companies want to see.
They want to see that flow through. Yeah, that's right.
That's right. Okay, good point. Yes, I agree.
So let's do the role play. So Lindsay, here you don't know how to fix a computer program at work.
Oh, man, I definitely would not know. I want to know either.
Yeah. All right. Hey, Michelle, do you have a sec?
Sure, Lindsay, what's up? Well, I'm at a loss as to how to fix the report app on the computer.
I've tried calling customer service and troubleshooting online, but it still won't work.
Oh, no. Would you mind explaining how to do this?
I know you're the expert. Sure. No problem.
I'll learn for next time how to do this myself.
Good. So you're going to get the explanation and then you'll be able to troubleshoot that next time and solve the problem.
Exactly. So yeah, let's see. What did you say here?
Okay. I said, I'm at a loss as to how to fix the report out.
It is wordy, isn't it? I'm at a loss as to how to do something.
Okay. A little bit. A little bit. Yes, that's true.
And then you said, I've tried calling customer service and troubleshooting online, but it still won't work.
So you're saying what you've tried. I think that's good.
Yeah. And then I said, would you mind explaining how to do this?
How to do this? Right. That was one of our options for you guys.
Hope you're writing these down. Yes. And then what was the last thing I said?
You said, I'll learn for next time how to do this myself.
So showing, you know, it just you sound very confident.
Right. You don't sound like, you know, oh, I just I just want like, oh, I just don't feel like learning.
I don't feel like doing it. So I'm just asking you because I'm lazy.
You know, you don't sound like that. Yeah, that's going to give the person solving the problem more confidence that they won't have to solve it next time if it's something within your capabilities.
Obviously, like, for example, for us, when our app breaks, like we don't expect our team to fix it, we have our coding team, right?
We have our development team. that they will fix it but there are certain things that our team can do to check it like double check is the code broken or is it um a user error that a student wrote to us and they made a mistake it's not actually the app there are certain protocols that we can go through Yeah, right.
Love. Yeah, exactly. Exactly. So yeah, so Lindsay, that's, that's that.
And it's don't feel you know, I think the takeaway here is, be honest, if you aren't sure how to do something, but also show that you've taken initiative and that you will continue to take initiative.
And that way, I think that you can feel good about the whole thing and speak confidently.
And it's and it's okay to admit you're not sure how to do something or to ask for help. yeah i think in another episode another day michelle we could talk about this more broadly around identifying key like career skills you want to build and going to your boss and saying hey i want to learn this can you put me on this team that's a totally different thing.
But I know high power, like A players at work, they do identify skills they want to build for their own career for the next job.
And they go to their boss and they say, put me on this team or I want to do this.
I want to have a part of this. That would be an interesting episode to do.
Yes, that's a good idea. Yeah, for sure.
All right. Good stuff, Michelle. Thanks for hanging out today.
And I will talk to you soon. All right. Bye, Lindsay.
Bye. Thank you for listening to Business English, a podcast just for you, the high achieving global professional.
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