How to Invite Someone to a Class

When you first start to plan a class, you come up with what you want to talk about, where you want to hold the class, and what date. Then what? You’ve already enrolled your sister-in-law and your mom, but you’re not sure if your friends will even be interested, and you don’t want to make them feel uncomfortable. People also surround you at work, in the grocery store, and at the park you take your kids to. But, some of them are complete strangers. So how do you approach someone to invite them to a class?

In a study done by professors at Cornell and Stanford University, participants were challenged to ask strangers for a favor (for example, fill out a questionnaire, donate to a charity, or borrow a phone). Before starting, the participants were required to guess how many people they would need to ask before someone would actually do the request. The results may surprise some of you: people were twice as likely to complete the request than the participants originally thought they would be.

This is good news for everyone who is nervous to ask someone else to a doTERRA^® class about essential oils. It all starts with how you introduce the idea. Here are some quick tips in how to ask people to come to your class without making it an awkward situation.

1. Keep your request direct. People hate the indirect dance around a request. Just put what you want simply. Say, “I’d like to invite you to a class I’m giving about essential oils. Would you come?” This might sound awkward in your head, but in reality it’s not awkward because you’re getting right to the point. The class is introduced in a simple way that gives people the chance to say yes or no, and avoid a debate.
    
2. Give them an out. If you give someone a way to say no, it actually puts them at ease. This simple action shows that you are respecting their schedule and makes your request more palatable. Say, “If you don’t have the time or you’re just not interested, I understand.”
    
3. You don’t have to include a reward. Being asked to do something is actually a type of reward in the first place. Quite simply, it is flattering to be invited to something because we see the asker as valuing and respecting us, if done in the right way. Any sort of promise in return for coming to the class can put a strain on the moment. This is not to say abandon all hostess gifts or door-prizes, just don’t make your initial request about them. Put it on a flyer, or make it a surprise.