Collaboration is the cornerstone of the modern workplace and it is something that most organisation irrespective of their size can not do without. So you need have a plan when you want to ask someone to collaborate with you, especially so when you need to do that through email.
So in this blog post, we will look at how to request someone to collaborate with you at work via email, some common practices that can make the process easier and some tips to increase your chances of getting a "yes". So let us get started.
Tips to Remember
Be very clear about your request and set the expectations right early in the conversation.
Keep your language professional and polite, you don’t want to sound rude or bossy when requesting for a collaboration.
Do not beat around the bush, get straight to making the collaboration proposal once you are done with the pleasantries.
Follow-up on the collaboration request if you do not get a response within a reasonable time period.
Best Practices
Begin your request email with a polite greeting that can set a professional yet collaborative tone for the rest of the email.
Try and introduce yourself early in the email so that the other person knows that the request is a legitimate one that is coming from someone in his/her company.
State your purpose with clarity and try to be completely honest about the expectations and the importance of having a successful collaboration on this task.
It would be great to highlight the benefits of collaborating on this project or task for both you and the other person/team.
After making a short pitch, suggest a meeting so that you can sit down, discuss the details and set a collaboration roadmap.
Sample
Subject: Collaboration Request with [Your Department]
Hello [Person's Name],
Hope you are doing well. My name is [Your Name] currently working as a [Designation] in [Department/Team Name]. I have been working with [Company Name] and have been part of many projects like [Name of the Projects].
Today I come to you with a similar offer: an opportunity to collaborate with me on [Project Name and Details]. This project will benefit both of us individually and our teams since [Explain Benefits]. Hence, this proposition is a win-win.
If you are interested in taking this further, please reach out to me by replying to this email or via call on [Your Mobile Number] anytime between 9 AM and 5 PM on weekdays.
Thank you for your consideration and exploring this collaboration request. I look forward to hearing from you.
Regards,
[Your Name]
[Designation]
Conclusion
Collaboration is commonplace in most organisations and if you thrive or even survive in one, you need to know how to collaborate with people in your in-group and out-group. Follow the practices, tips and email templates shared with you on this blog post and the whole process should start to look a lot less daunting.
Thanks for reading. If you want to become a better collaborator, why not try Routine? One of the fastest growing collaboration tool in the market right now.
