"I ran into some difficulties communicating with my professor, who offered me guidance on my thesis. Then, at a certain point, he was unresponsive to the emails or messages I sent him asking questions or for clarification. It got to the point where I was losing progress. So I directly asked him his preferred method of communication when I had questions, and I learned that he prefers phone calls and face-to-face meetings over emails or text. So, I adjusted my communication approach. I got my questions answered and no longer wasted time composing detailed emails or messages. Overall, this difficult situation taught me that it's important to determine the preferred method of communication with any professional relationship."

"I believe that direct, open communication in a friendly, assertive manner is most effective when working with my colleagues. I noticed my teammate wasn't meeting the deadlines we'd agreed upon while working on a big project for a client. I set up a meeting to revisit the deadlines, associated deliverables, and responsibilities we'd laid out beforehand. I then presented our situation and offered solutions. I focused on listening and asking questions so he wouldn't feel defensive. My teammate responded quite well to our chat, and we implemented a mutually agreed-upon plan that helped us follow through on and meet our deadlines."