"I once had a professor who was difficult to talk to. He was very stern and made me feel stupid for asking questions. I made an appointment to speak with him after class and asked him if I had done something wrong. He seemed surprised at my question and assured me I had done nothing wrong. He explained that he was stern with his students because he wanted them to achieve excellence, and that was just his personality. After our meeting, I had a different understanding of him and did not have any further issues with his demeanor."

"I had a challenging supervisor at my last place of employment. Her communication skills differed from the rest of the team, and we often were unsure of what she expected from us. I asked her if we could speak privately and explained that the team was confused about what she expected from us. She divulged that she was going through a divorce and was not thinking clearly. I was compassionate to her situation and asked her if she could make a bulleted list of the tasks that needed to be accomplished. We worked out a plan, and the team was able to move forward and accomplish the company's goals."