This is the Business English Podcast, Episode 484, How to Ask for Help at Work in English.
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Hello, Michelle.
How's it going today?
Hi, Lindsay.
Everything's good over here.
How are you?
Good.
But Michelle, can you give me a hand with this episode?
Yeah, of course.
I mean, we're recording together.
Yeah, good.
Well, thank you for being willing to help.
That is so generous of you.
You are so welcome, Lindsay.
So guys, today we're going to review how to ask someone to help you with something at work.
Yes.
I mean, this is obviously a very key skill, right?
Oh, my gosh.
It 100% is.
Yeah.
Exactly.
So we're going to talk about how to do that today.
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All right?
Good.
All right.
Incredible.
So how can we introduce... you need help with something at work.
I mean, this is being collaborative and having that team approach.
I feel like if you aren't sure of how to do that, you're going to be missing something right.
We want to be able to work as a team, right?
100%.
And so we need the language to.
I guess today, what we're focusing on?
Well, it's both sides today.
Is it both sides or is it the asking side today?
This is the asking side.
Okay.
Asking side.
Okay.
Maybe another day we'll do the other side, which is agreeing to help or maybe...
Maybe you don't have time.
Yeah, there's a whole other episode that we'll do.
So guys, another reason to hit that follow button.
But today we're going to give you ways to ask.
Okay, good.
All right.
So let's go through some of them.
So here's the first one.
Would you mind verb plus ing?
Yeah, right.
Something. right?
So you can put any verb in there.
So would you mind helping me with these papers?
And it's so important, this construction, that we need an ing there when we say would you mind right?
I think this is a grammar point that could trip up our listeners.
Yes, exactly.
Or what's another example?
Okay.
Would you mind helping me with these papers?
Would you mind answering the phone while I'm away from my desk?
Yep.
Would you mind calling that client back?
Yes.
Right.
So very important that construction.
Would you mind? something I N G and then continue on with the rest of the ask.
It's just friendly.
It's communicative.
It's common, but it works for work.
It works for work.
Um, this one is a little less fun, formal sounding.
So what is it, lindsay?
Yeah, it is.
Could you give me a hand with x?
So, for example, could you give me a hand with those files over there, right?
So maybe you're moving files in the office and you need help.
A casual way to ask that you're right, michelle?
Yes, Or could you give me a hand with this client's forms?
That's a good one.
But then there's another way, too, which I like this next one, Michelle, because it's a little less.
It's like respecting people's time a little bit more.
Yep.
Right.
So this one is when you get a chance, can you?
You could also say, could you?
Either one.
And you can also switch this around.
So you could actually start it with, Can you something when you get a chance, right?
Either one is fine.
100%.
So here's some examples.
When you get a chance, can you come by my office?
So here we're not saying I need to see you in my office right now.
You know, I mean, probably we're implying sometime today, not sometime this month, right?
Right, right.
Not too, too far away, but it's not.
This second, it's an emergency.
Precisely.
You got it.
What's another example, Michelle?
Or can you pick up the muffins for the meeting when you get a chance?
Mm-hmm.
Perfect.
Yes, I like it.
Which one do you like best out of all these so far?
I do like when you get a chance.
However, you know, again, you have to think about when you're using it.
If you really do need something more immediately, don't use this one.
Good point.
It could be the end of the day.
Right.
It's going to sound like, oh, sure.
Yeah.
Like in a little bit.
Right.
Yeah.
Have the confidence to say that something is urgent and to explain that.
And we can still find ways to say that nicely and request nicely, even if the thing is kind of urgent.
Definitely.
Yep.
Yes.
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But which you do you listen to?
Is it, we could buy a house in Tulum.
Get optioning those options. we could lose everything.
Or let's do a little research.
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Learn more at finra.org slash trade smart.
Okay, Michelle.
So what else can we do here?
So another thing you can do is ask things without actually asking a question, right?
So just using a statement that gives a clue it's that you are asking or just not asking in the proper question form.
Um, Yeah.
So you could say, for example, I'd love your help with X, right?
So I'd love your help with the tabling event.
Yeah.
I love when we look at ways that English is putting a meaning under a meaning.
Like here we are, like you said, where it doesn't sound like you're asking, but you are asking right.
Right yeah, we have to be able to read between the lines, Right.
It's like when somebody says, oh, it's a little cold in here.
Right.
You're, you know, maybe you're a guest at somebody's house or whatever, and you say oh, it's a little chilly.
I'm going to get my sweater.
And, you know, you're you're not asking them per se to.
Yeah. change anything about the setting, but you're kind of giving them a clue, right?
Yes.
Yes.
I love that.
Another one for this, it would be great if you could blank.
Now, this one's good.
It's a little indirect at times, but if you feel that indirectness is warranted, then it's good to have right.
Right, and I think it's.
It's also different depending on who it's coming from.
So let's say you know if, if we're, you know if it's just a colleague and they're just like, oh yeah, it would be great if you know, we could um, get together and talk about that, Right.
That's a little different than you're sitting in a meeting with your boss and a few colleagues and your boss is going through a list and they say oh, it'd be great if you can take the lead on that.
Right.
That's not a question that yeah, they're assigning it to you, right?
Yeah let's, let's make sure we're clear here right, right?
Context is really key here.
Yeah right, exactly.
So who is the one requesting the help?
Um, and like, what is the actual situation?
Also the urgency, very important here.
Um, Are there any of these that you wouldn't use?
No, I think all of these Michelle, I would use at different times in different places, but I would really pay attention to context, based on what relationship I have with the person.
Not just like how close we are, how formal we are, but like, what are we doing?
Are we at work?
Are we at like a PTA meeting, a parent teacher association meeting?
Are we on a sports team together?
Right.
But at work, I think I would just pay extra attention to the context.
Right.
Right, exactly.
So should we put it on a role play?
Let's do it.
So here, Michelle, we are teammates and we're coordinating for an event that we have coming up.
So we're at work.
Here we go.
All right.
Okay, so let's plan this one.
Would you mind helping me make a plan of the whole day?
Of course, I'd love your help with putting together a program.
Oh, great idea.
We can hand it out.
Oh, could you give me a hand with the actual layout?
Of course, we can do it together.
It would be great if you could write down what you think we could include.
Yes, definitely.
Oh, and when you get a chance, could you double check the RSVPs?
Yes.
Nice, very respectful conversation, but we are getting things done here, right?
Yes, we are.
We're checking things off.
We're planning.
So that's good.
So yeah, here we're teammates.
No one is the supervisor, the leader, right?
But we're working together.
Exactly.
So you started off by asking, would you mind helping me?
And so important for our listeners grammatically, we need that ING.
Just as a reminder, guys, would you mind ING?
Would you mind helping me make a plan?
Okay.
Mm-hmm.
Mm-hmm.
And then you said, of course.
And then you said, I'd love your help with putting together a program.
So again, that's not a direct ask, but we're going through things and it would be.
I think it's implied here that you know we're working together.
You're going to do it.
We're just going through it.
Yeah.
I love that.
And then you said, great idea.
We can hand it out.
Oh, could you give me a hand with the actual layout?
So could you give me a hand with X?
Okay.
And then you said, of course, we could do it together.
And then you said it would be great if you could write down what you think we could include.
So maybe maybe you are better at the actual layout part.
You know, you're a little better with graphics, things like that design.
But yeah, I maybe I might be the wordsmith.
Right.
We have different skills.
That's a good point.
It's good to know who has different skills in what areas, right?
And then the last thing you said, you said, yes, definitely.
And when you get a chance, could you double check the RSVPs when you get a chance?
And that's that less intrusive one.
Right?
Right.
This one, it sounds like okay, we're working on this part the most.
You know.
We kind of have our priorities and then it's Oh wait, and when you get a chance.
It's not urgent, but it'd be good to know.
Do this.
I need this.
Did you ever have someone that didn't know how to wordsmith this sort of thing?
Oh, wow.
I'm thinking about it.
Yes, I would say that I have had.
That type of situation where it's not that a person was assigned to be the leader or the head of anything, but you just felt like that, you know.
Then you feel like that person is Love that.
Love that.
Yeah, it can happen.
It can happen.
And maybe they become known as that, but it does erode business relationships over time, right?
Right.
You might start avoiding that person.
Yeah.
So it's all about wordsmithing when we need help.
Right.
Yep, exactly.
So should we go through this?
Oh, yeah, let's do it.
Let's do it.
Oh, wait, did we?
We did.
We did.
Oh, my gosh.
Wow.
Didn't we just do that?
We just did that.
Okay.
It's clearly early in the morning for us.
Yeah.
Okay.
Yikes.
Okay.
But there is another episode our listeners could go to, Michelle.
That's what we could do.
Where can they go?
They can go to episode 475.
That was, is your job on the line?
How to talk about risk at work.
Yeah.
I mean, we can go through it again if you want, Michelle.
No, no, that's okay.
That's okay.
I'm more just worried about my memory right now.
All right.
Any final takeaway for today?
Where should we leave our listeners?
Yeah.
I mean, we are all like everybody is in this situation where you need some help.
Right.
We're working together.
We're collaborating now more than ever.
And we have to have the tools to do that.
So and also consider things like we said, urgency.
Who are you talking to?
What is the context?
So we have to really have that extra level of thinking here, because this ask or this subtle, indirect ask can, kind of you know, change how people look at you right?
Change how they see the way that things are assigned.
And so it's good to really put some thought into this.
So give this a try.
Yeah.
And I also think with remote work, this becomes even more important, because you may have the best intentions, but you're not wordsmithing.
You're not choosing your words.
And maybe you can get away with it in person because there's a smile attached.
There's open body language.
But if you're working remotely and communicating via Slack or something like that, there's no room for error.
Right?
Yeah, exactly.
So yeah, very important to consider everything that we talked about today.
And good luck using this.
Well, thanks so much for hanging out, Lindsay.
Yeah, Michelle, I'll talk to you very soon.
Have a good day.
You too.
Bye.
All right.
Bye.
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