A disagreement between clanmates:

The following scenario is loosely based on a true story. Most of it, however, is fictitious.

Many multiplayer online games allow players to join "guilds" or "clans", groups of players that band together to accomplish in-game goals. In fact, in many games, joining a guild is required in order to advance. Guild membership either unlocks new content, or simply allows players to accomplish quests or missions that would be impossible without help from clanmates.

I myself am a member of a clan in an online game. Three weeks ago, a new mage joined our clan. He appears to be a competent player. However, he does not log into the game very often. In fact, we have seen him only three times in the past two weeks, and in two of those times, he was not online long enough to join the rest of us in hunting. He has informed us that this is due to him having a large amount of homework and thus not having much time for online games.

One other clan member, our only assassin in the clan, has suggested that the new mage leave the clan to make space for someone else who could be more active. He pointed out that the whole point of being in a clan is to be able to play with clanmates instead of playing alone, so someone who doesn't have time to join the rest of us would not suffer from being clanless. He also pointed out that, since the new mage is barely active, we have one less potential party member whenever the rest of the clan decides to do anything together. Replacing the new mage would benefit the rest of us.

The mage replied, somewhat rudely, that it was hardly his fault that his teachers enjoyed piling homework on their students, and said that it was unfair to punish him for putting homework before play. The mage wanted to remain in the clan because we had plenty of active and experienced members, so he would have no trouble joining a party whenever he could find enough time to play seriously.

The assassin accused the newbie of being selfish for expecting us to put up with having an inactive member, just so he could have an easier time in the game. The newbie replied saying it was equally selfish to punish someone for not being able to spend all day online. The argument ended there, as the newbie had to go offline.

The assassin has asked our clan leader to remove the newbie from the clan, but our leader has so far refused to make a decision, claiming that he was "not in the mood to deal with [impolite synonym for faeces] right now".

Most of us in the clan are students too and can't help but feel sorry for any comrade who gets swamped by homework, but having one extra party member would be very useful in our frequent monster hunts and clan wars. It is certainly true that the clan would benefit from replacing the newbie, but should we do so? After all, as the newbie pointed out, his lack of free time is hardly his fault.

Why effective communication is important for me:

Can anyone of us honestly claim to have never experienced problems in communicating with others?

I have often misheard or misunderstood instructions or requests from others before, causing me to waste my time doing unnecessary work and frustrating the people who were relying on my help. I have often tried to tell my friends an idea or an opinion and ended up getting only a confused look in response. I have sometimes tried to point out small mistakes that my friends have made, only to have them take it as criticism and respond angrily. Situations like these are why I believe effective communication is important for me. Better communication skills will surely be able to help me avoid misunderstandings and also help me convey my opinions more clearly.

Every day, I talk and interact with other people. I talk to my friends and family. As a student, I often have class assignments that require me to work in pairs or groups with other students. Even when the assignment is a solo task, I may still end up discussing it with other students to share ideas or ask for opinions on my answers. After I graduate, I will have to apply for a job, and I will likely have to compete with many other applicants. In a short job interview, I will have to convince the interviewer that I am a better choice than the other applicants. After I get a job, I will have to work well with other fellow employees. Communication is part of my daily life now, and it will be equally important in my future. Knowing how to communicate effectively will surely help me greatly throughout life.