When research participants asked strangers to borrow a cell phone, fill out a questionnaire, or even deface a library book, they were twice as likely to get a response of “yes” than they originally predicted, according a set of studies by Vanessa K. Bohns, an assistant professor at the ILR School at Cornell University, and Stanford's Frank Flynn. Writing on HBR.org, Bohns explains that “we persistently underestimate our influence” and as a result are too hesitant to ask for what we need. She suggests several strategies for making requests, including being direct, asking again, and not worrying about incentivizing the other person. Most of all though, she suggests simply speaking up in the first place: “The number one mistake people make is psyching themselves out.”
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