Don’t ask to ask. Just ask.

People aren’t opposed to the idea of helping, they are opposed to the idea of having their time wasted

Imagine a conversation

Person 1: Hi

Person 2: Yes, tell me

Person 1: I have a question

Person 2: sure, go ahead

Person 1: I was thinking about contributing to this project……

By the time Person 1 got to ask their question, multiple hours had elapsed, and Person 2 had to break their attention numerous times each just to try to move the conversation ahead.

What do you think you should do? I'd like you to please get to the point. Don’t ask to ask. It’s not a movie where you must set up the suspense and focus on character development. Just ask the question.

Person 1: hey, I wanted some help from you. I wanted to contribute to this project. Can you introduce me to some critical people and send me some reading material to understand the background. I would really appreciate your help.

Depending upon how the message is drafted, it can come off as crass since you didn’t develop the foundation for asking your question. The question is whether they consider it rude.

An individual regularly approached by people for help will value their time significantly. To ensure our actions are aligned with theirs, it’s the best course of action to “Just ask the question.”