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好好拜託: 哥倫比亞大學最受歡迎的社會心理課, 讓人幫你是優勢, 連幫你的人都快樂才是本事!

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一本讓你言值高、內心也強大的書

該怎樣開口,讓人願意幫你?
風靡商業界、政治圈的最高說服法--
最新動機科學,教你求助用得好,關係更長久。
想要人生愈來愈好,就要有好好拜託的本事!

◎ strategy+business年度最佳商業書、《金融時報》夏日選書
◎《哈佛商業評論》《紐約時報》《企業》《商業內幕》專文報導

明明需要幫助,卻開不了口?該如何好好拜託別人,讓對方主動願意幫你,而不是被迫必須協助?對於別人願不願意幫忙、何時會幫忙、幫忙時心裡做何感想的直覺,我們常常錯得離譜。
我們以為求助於人,對方是否接受是因為個性,但實際上如何贏得最高級的幫助,主導權在你自己。讓人願意轉念幫你,關鍵在於觸發內在動機。
哥大改變人心深層動機的熱門課,結合半世紀以來社會心理實驗的重要發現,以及政商界頂尖人士的拜託之道,教你學會洞察求助時機、掌握說服技巧,並給人動機幫助你成功。

避免這樣開場︰
●「真的很不好意思」→過多道歉,反而拉開了人與人的距離
●「你幫我,我也會幫你」→別再提醒別人欠你人情,沒人喜歡被指使
●「請你幫個小忙」→顯示這個協助微不足道,低估對方的付出最傷感情
如何好好拜託?
●強化內團體意識,讓對方把你當作自己人→提出共同的目標、敵人或感受
●強化正向身分,讓對方感受到自己的獨特地位→展現對方慷慨、無私或有才能
●強化效能感,讓對方自動提供最有效協助→給人機會看到自己如何幫上忙

你擁有很多有用的才能,也付出了很多心血,卻沒有得到想像中應有的成果?
「多數人失去機會,是因為他們從沒開口。」人生決勝點不只技能與努力,一個人還要有提出要求、協作共好的強大內心,才會更成功。
工作與生活中,大部分的麻煩來源,都來自不懂如何有效請求協助。
這本書教你找出社交心痛的成因,以及創造多贏的求助技巧,幫助你學會讚美與溝通,以聰明恰當的工作哲學,擁有成功人生。

256 pages, ebook

First published June 12, 2018

74 people are currently reading
740 people want to read

About the author

Heidi Grant

16 books11 followers

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5 stars
65 (22%)
4 stars
122 (42%)
3 stars
83 (28%)
2 stars
15 (5%)
1 star
3 (1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 50 reviews
171 reviews9 followers
January 13, 2019
A little baggy but I am going to be returning to this book a few times in the coming months. (Already diarised to do so!) Some of Grant's insights are invaluable, and I intend on "reinforcing" them with myself, having moved from a very selfish role to a very selfless one this kind of writing is essential. She writes clearly(most of the time, some of her anecdotes are superfluous!), with a light touch and an intent to enlighten which I find really rewarding, I whipped through this book in no time once I got past Ch1.
Profile Image for Antony Mayfield.
187 reviews11 followers
June 16, 2018
A lovely, single topic business book all about why we find it difficult to ask for help and how to overcome our reservations and just do it better.

Five stars because it is well written, evidence-based, useful and an idea which is disproportionately powerful. Five stars especially because it does these things and keeps to 200 pages. Few business books should be longer than this.

Recommend d on the basis that I can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t benefit from reading this.
Profile Image for Ann T.
428 reviews
December 15, 2018
Thank you Harvard Business Review Press and Netgalley for this ARC.

This book reminds us to have the courage to ask for help, something that is difficult for many people,. Heidi Grant writes that this inability to request assistance is detrimental to our success and by building this muscle we will see positive outcomes in other areas of our life.

It was an interesting, motivating read to encourage me to reach out a little more regularly .
Profile Image for Epiphanie Bloom.
33 reviews3 followers
May 23, 2021
This book is an insightful examination of the concept of getting help, and all the different factors that come into play where it is concerned.
While I mostly appreciated the many examples of scientific experiments included here, I thought there was a little too much focus on evolutionary biology - something that is not unique to this pop psychology volume by any means.
Overall, 'Reinforcements' strengthened my positive tendencies in asking for help, and has encouraged me to adopt new strategies. I reflected on the nature of humanity along the way, and learnt a few things about myself. Well done!
Profile Image for John Stepper.
628 reviews29 followers
February 20, 2022
This short, focused, easy to read book on asking for help actually has some quite valuable gems for creating a culture of helpfulness in organizations. Plus some excellent research citations to go deeper. Well worth the read.
1 review1 follower
March 16, 2025
Great book for a volunteer Coordinator!
Profile Image for Jo.
649 reviews4 followers
May 7, 2018
The author makes the reader aware of the general misconception of asking help that are blocking people to ask for help when it is needed. By reinforcing the culture of help, we are not getting weaker but stronger and useful. If the reinforcement is spread, the impact is generally positive and constructive inside the community.
6 reviews
January 1, 2019
An easy to read and concise book with breakdown into simple to follow logical sequence. Getting help is never easier with the four recommended steps in the book.
Profile Image for Corban.
14 reviews1 follower
September 15, 2022
Reinforcements was a refreshingly succinct, and sometimes funny, account of the science behind asking for help in a way that is effective, rewarding, and renewable for both help-seekers and helpers. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Profile Image for Abigail G.
546 reviews5 followers
March 23, 2019
An interesting perspective into the way we as humankind view getting and giving help. There were a few things that I had read before but it was a slightly different viewpoint and focus than what is contained in this book. Reading the different tests that were done in groups was exceptionally intriguing.
Profile Image for Ariel.
37 reviews1 follower
December 28, 2019
Surprisingly unhelpful and disappointing. The title makes you think you'll learn how to garner an army of people on your side, and how to make them WANT to help you on a deeper level. But the book stays at a superficial level, only tackling how to package your ask each time. But even then, it's not that helpful.

I felt like I learned nothing 2/3 of the way in. It rambles on and on about essentially nothing--the kind of chapters where you feel like you're reading but taking away nothing--and it talks vaguely of what to do/not to do but no examples. It introduces paradoxes but no solution--because again, no examples.

Here's an example: she spends an entire section going on and ON about how people are kinder to others in the same racial group as them. She offered no solutions, just to tell us that that's how people are.

Alright, THAT'S HELPFUL (sarcasm.) First, it's not like I can't change what racial group I'm in! Second, I'm pretty sure people already knew this. That's an example of where I felt I was reading a lot of nothing--nothing new that I learned, and no takeaways on what to actually do about it.
Profile Image for Readersaurus.
1,674 reviews46 followers
January 31, 2019
Why are people reluctant to ask for help? No one succeeds in a vacuum, professionally or personally. Why is it so hard to ask for help?

"If you are a leader, you need to figure out how to elicit and coordinate helpful, supportive behavior from the people you are leading, too. Arguably, that is what management is." [p.6]

". . . in many instances, we ask for help in such a way that we make people feel controlled, rather than giving them what they need to really want to help us - and to make helping us rewarding." [p.7]

controlled helping vs autonomous helping
need to create a sense of "us"

"Chances are, you're not surrounded by unhelpful loafers - just people who have no idea that you need help or what kind of help you need." [p10]

When people say no, they feel bad.
Someone who ha said no in the past may very well say yes the next time you ask. [p. 28-29]

". . .when situations are ambiguous, human being tend to err on the side of minding their own business." [p. 80]

The helper needs to notice that you want help. [p.83]
Ask for help directly. [p.87]
Take time to ask individuals directly [p.91]
excessive apologies in your request for help are off-putting rather than encouraging people to help [p.104]
Keep it positive and relaxed [p.106]
Don't minimize the effort it will take them to help. [p.108]
Don't remind people they "owe" you. [p.110]
Thank them in a way that emphasizes their goodness, not your benefit [p.113]
If you anticipate hostility and brace for it, you may behave in ways that actually elicit hostile behavior from the other person. [p.129]
Use the word together, highlight shared goals [p.135-136]
Create the sense that you are fellow travelers on the same journey [p.141]
People have a desire to feel effective. We want to have an impact. [p.167]
Be clear up front about the nature of assistance you want and what its impact will be. [p.173]

1,603 reviews40 followers
October 19, 2018
breezy "this is tough for all of us, but i know you can do it, amirite?" writing style to convey implications of social psychological research on helping. typical chapter identifies a principle [helper will want to perceive her/his own effort as necessary, lest diffusion of responsibility kick in and allow them to believe someone else will help you], concisely describes a finding or findings instantiating it [Latane and Darley research on decreased likelihood of receiving help with increased number of potential helpers], and advises you on how to apply the principle to manipulate those around you (single people out for a request; don't send a mass email asking everyone under the Sun if somebody could please.......).

Multiply by a couple dozen and there you go. Sort of like Cialdini's "Influence" book but limited to the case of influencing others to help. Some maybe nonobvious themes such as people's tendency to underestimate others' willingness to help, which may suppress our willingness to ask.

Perhaps too much to ask for an applied self-help book, but i would have liked to see her take on the so-called reproducibility or replication crisis. One after another just-so story of a seemingly minor experimental manipulation (we told the people in one condition that they were working on puzzles "together" with someone in another lab, whereas.....) that has profound effects on behavior or emotion, and a voice in my head keeps reciting "approximately half of these findings are bunk, and if the crowd-source-prediction meta-studies are themselves believable it's the half that are the most amazing/counterintuitive in the first place".

Profile Image for ReadingMama.
1,020 reviews
June 20, 2020
This is a science of asking and giving help to other people. We must know that people in general Want to help others because it is rewarding! The right ways to ask for help are 1) Ask in person, 2)Be specific 3) Be direct 4)Be positive 5)Be understanding. I have personally experienced getting lots of help from fellow trainers when I first joined the NET team. Me asking help made them feel good and actually we became close friends in the end. That’s what Steve Jobs said too. When he asked for help, no one rejected and in return, he ended up helping others! Now what NOT to do when asking for help: 1) Do not be vague 2) Do NOT APOLOGIZE (this is something I must work on. There is no reason to apologize when you have not done anything wrong!) 3) NO MASS EMAIL (Once again, this is true… when I see mass email, even prayer requests, I delete vs. when a friend asks something specific to me personally, MAJORITY of times, I say YES!

After all, Ask and it shall be given… the Bible tells us so.!

There is a strategy when you want to ask something to someone. Start asking with something very difficult and anticipate the rejection. Then ask with what you originally intended to ask. Human nature.. do not want to say “no”, so after the initial “no”, there is a higher possibility to say “Yes”!
696 reviews11 followers
November 5, 2018
Another short book on an interesting topic that I came across at the Library. This time around about the science of asking and giving help to others. We all like helping, but not always. Or that by not helping we feel sick.

The author leads us through why we shy away from asking for help, even though more often than not you can get the help you are seeking. She also gives examples of how to ask and how not to. Simple methods that can tap into the inherit desire to help without making it weird or uncomfortable for the other person.

This is a book that you can get through in a day, but spend several more thinking about it. While not exciting, it was interesting and gave me some pointers to try. I see it as a combination of getting over my own anxiety of asking and to place the request in the right frame, allowing the giver of help the flexibility on how to respond. Small tweaks, but the described outcome could be wholly different.
Profile Image for Ed Barks.
Author 10 books4 followers
October 2, 2018
Grant points to research showing that, when asked to help, people say no far less often that most of us think. That alone is a valuable eye-opener. I don’t know about you but, like Grant, I often shy away from requesting favors. This book could provide the added push needed in certain situations.

She uses the book to break down barriers to asking for assistance, offering specific ideas for how to approach potential helpers. Her listing of how to ask for help (someone needs to realize you need help and be in a position to assist) and how not to do it (apologize for asking, tell them how much they’ll enjoy it) is suitable for practical use. So, too, is her recommendation to thank by praising the other person, not by telling them how much it helps you.

As an added bonus, Grant is also a gifted writer. Her often humorous manner makes this a pleasant read.
57 reviews
July 20, 2018
An important topic in an age where people seem to need more help than ever. This is a good guide on how to ask for help, something that many people struggle with. Interesting that despite the fact that most of us do not like or enjoy asking for help, the majority of people are willing to help when asked. And, in fact, most of us benefit from the good feelings that come with helping others.
The advice the author gives for how to ask for help can be applied to both our work life and our personal life. A great read for those that find this difficult.
Advanced reading copy provided by NetGalley for an honest review.
Profile Image for Sniffer.
39 reviews2 followers
September 29, 2021
The book was well structured and easy to read. I learnt many physiological terms I have never heard of.

The thing is author mentioned many times that to overcome your anxiety in asking for help is simply just ASK. But she always followed with something like... be careful not to... blah blah... Which makes me feel like; if I have to be that much careful and precise before asking anyone to help, I would rather be helped by myself.

... I was once heard a bhikkhu saying that... the real help is the one you do, with good intentions, for helping others and never thinking of any kind of payback... Or just simply HELP... like just simply ASK ...
8 reviews
January 4, 2019
If you're human you need to read this book... Understanding giving and asking for help

This book is really insightful in addressing the mechanics of asking for and giving help.
The self-imposed friction that we apply when considering asking for help without clearly thinking on how the helper will feel (in reality not in perception).
Examples abound in how we forgot how well we felt about giving help at the time we need to ask for it.
Really, read this book.
Profile Image for MindOverMatter.
304 reviews
February 11, 2019
Like all books by Heidi Grant (Halvorson - she got a divorce?), this one is great too. For me personally it helped me understand a time when I needed help and didn't get it, to make peace with it and forgive and decide to do it better next time as I certainly could have dealt with that situation better, had I known what Heidi Grant writes about here.

A wonderful book that turned out to be quite influential for me.
Profile Image for Michael MacDonald.
111 reviews1 follower
January 10, 2020
Enjoyably informative.

This book was like having a laidback conversation with a really well informed, intelligent friend who happens to research human nature.

The author does a great job sharing important insights in a relatable and accessible manner and distills some great knowledge to her readers in the process.

You’ll appreciate a better understanding of just how to approach a person for help. However, you’ll also be better able to lend a hand proactively.
Profile Image for Antonio Pelaez Barcelo.
10 reviews3 followers
March 7, 2019
Directo, preciso, entretenido y de gran ayuda

Gracias al estilo sencillo, simpático y muy documentado de la autora, no sólo se lee con facilidad, sino que además ves en seguida cómo aplicar sus consejos y conocimientos a la vida real. Y con ello no sólo conseguir que te ayuden, sino además ser de ayuda y sentirte eficaz.
Profile Image for Chaze Patrick.
19 reviews1 follower
June 19, 2020
The Effectiveness of Helping

Dr. Halvorson provide some crucial tips and examples on how help can be facilitated in different settings. I really enjoyed the last chapter at the end. Many of the concerts were tied in make sense of what the author was trying to convey in her overall message.
408 reviews2 followers
August 11, 2022
A nice read on a topic I haven't seem much of in the social-psychology arena. If you are a frequent reader in the genre, you will recognize many of the studies and examples used, but the overall effect is a very positive perspective - exceedingly well supported - on the power of asking for help and how doing so can be transformative for the asker and the giver.
Profile Image for Neelesh Agrawal.
32 reviews2 followers
July 18, 2018
Mentions at length a look at various psychological arbitrage opportunities in the mind of the potential helpers, which a help seeker usually wrongly intercepts.

Definitely worth a read for those who struggle with asking others for help
Profile Image for Steve.
694 reviews7 followers
January 5, 2019
This slim book tells you all you need to know about why we typically dread asking others for help -- as well as the most effective ways of asking if we do need assistance from others. It's pragmatic and concise, and very helpful.
Profile Image for Vijay.
42 reviews5 followers
February 14, 2019
This is a book with a specific purpose - to make you understand the psychology behind asking for and giving help. A bit text book like in parts but will appeal to those like in a multi dimensional organization who more often than not will need to seek help.
140 reviews1 follower
February 28, 2019
The big takeaway for me is that people want to help. We are hard wired in some way to want to be helpful. This book goes into that idea and develops it. Useful if you are in a position that requires asking for help
Profile Image for Daniela D.
137 reviews7 followers
March 22, 2019
Brilliant

The book that will change your mind about help and indirectly make you so much more efdective both about your own work (bc you now know how to ask others for help without feeling manipulative) and in the act of asking for help.
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