Dr. Heidi Grant is a social psychologist and the author of Reinforcements: How to Get People to Help You. According to the advice she shares in this article, many of us are asking for help in the wrong way—apologizing profusely, using disclaimers like, “I’m not the kind of person who usually asks for help,” portraying the help you need as a tiny, insignificant favor, or reminding people that they owe you.
Here are a few past posts of mine for some additional guidance, one on how to put you and the benefactor on the same team, and two on asking teachers for help—here’s how to do it, and here’s how not to do it.