How to Actually Help With An Offer To Help

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Giving someone a casual, thoughtless “Do you need any help?” offer for assistance is easy.

But, if you want to actually help your teammate, there’s a better way.

In fact, there are five better ways.

And, we’ll cover each of them in this episode.

We’ll also discuss some conversation scripts you can start using immediately so you can actually help others as soon as you’re done listening.

And, before we get into the five better ways to offer assistance, we’ll talk about five tips on how to avoid negatively triggering another person just by how you phrase the question.

This follow up to last week’s episode is packed with practical strategies and techniques you can quickly apply.

If you didn’t catch last week’s show, you might want to listen to it first.

Click here to listen to “Why Your Offer To Help Might Actually Hurt Your Team”.

Then you’ll be caught up and ready to learn how to actually help your teammates with your offer to assist them.

5 Better Ways to Ask “Do You Need Any Help?”

1. Offer ideas on how you might help

Before you casually ask your teammate, “Do you need any help?”, invest some time to observe their situation.
Ask yourself these questions.

• Is the person struggling with something I find easy?
• Does the person dislike doing something I enjoy?
• Can I teach them something I know to help them do their work more productively?

2. Be specific regarding your availability

If you’re serious about helping the person you’re asking, make an offer you can actually deliver on.
By planning ahead and considering when you are available, you can communicate healthy boundaries as you ask your teammate if they need help.

3. Help as you ask the question
Help can come in a variety of forms. Encouragement and appreciation can sometimes be just as helpful as completing tasks.
Before you ask a teammate if they need help, consider how you might help them even as you ask.
You may be able to do this with something that is simple and easy for you but has a major positive impact on the other person.

4. Don’t say “help” if you own the work

The word “help” really doesn’t apply if you’re the owner of the task.
If someone else is working on tasks you also own, your efforts to complete those tasks aren’t “help”. The work is what every owner should be doing.
This is a subtle aspect of word choice, but being careful and intentional with the words we choose is important.

5. Help before you ask

If you know what needs to be done and you can do it, just do it. Without asking.
If you trust one another and you’re familiar with the work they are doing, this technique can be extremely helpful to your teammate.
And, it reinforces the strong relationship you already have with them.

Links and Resources from this Episode

Get a copy of the book The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace by Dr. Gary Chapman and Dr. Paul White.

Read my blog post on fighting perfectionism, “You Don’t Have To Be Perfect To Be Ideal“

Check out the resources related to the outstanding book The Ideal Team Player by Patrick Lencioni on the official website
Check out the show notes at GregHarrod.com.