26 votes

I don't want to make a free website anymore. Also concerned person may have signed up for auto-renewing hosting

I am part of an association where we offer to make websites for free given certain conditions to people that aren't all very tech-savy. We have to manage our day work and several projects in parallel, ...
Diane M's user avatar
  • 4,760
17 votes
Accepted

How do I argue in an impersonal manner?

I have a good friend with whom I disagree about a lot of things and with whom I often have spirited debates. Because we are so close, I don't ever get angry with him, but I do sometimes get ...
IAntoniazzi's user avatar
  • 2,351
14 votes

How and when should I bring up to dates that I am a gun owner?

You may be overthinking this. I don't have much experience dating (and I'm Dutch, not Canadian), but one thing that invariably came up in any conversation where I was getting to know strangers better ...
Tinkeringbell's user avatar
  • 33.9k
11 votes
Accepted

How can I communicate better with my indirect friends as a direct person?

I'll start with different people are different, and what works to communicate with one person may not work for others. It's possible you'll need different techniques for one or more of your friends. ...
Ed Grimm's user avatar
  • 1,790
10 votes

Family of migraine patient - how to help kids understand violent outbursts of migraine patient (mother) in response to noise

First, let me argue with your "it's ok for my wife to hit my daughter because she gets migraines" theory. I get migraines, have for decades. I got one this week that interacted with a tooth ...
Kate Gregory's user avatar
  • 44.5k
9 votes

Dealing with criticism of my mispronunciation of words

Just like when you are faced with other kind of criticism: whether it is right or wrong, say thank you, appreciate their criticism, and say you'll work out your pronounciation better next time. It is ...
Vylix's user avatar
  • 8,478
9 votes

How to ask parents to stop screaming at other sibling?

While you live in India, if what this article about parent-child relationships in India states about parents not wanting to stop treating their kids as kids, even when they're 20 or 30 years old, is ...
Tinkeringbell's user avatar
  • 33.9k
8 votes

How to have someone work on being on time and communicate it if they're late?

I'll put aside the cultural component here. Paying attention to culture is important, but that needs to happen from both sides. First of all, it is nearly impossible to change someone else's ...
baldPrussian's user avatar
  • 32.4k
7 votes

How do I argue in an impersonal manner?

I found it interesting that in your discussion scenario, you mentioned only two possible outcomes. Either you meet somewhere "in the middle" or the other person is frustrated. What happens when you ...
Francine DeGrood Taylor's user avatar
7 votes

How can we convince grandmother to use the dishwasher?

Having been in the exact same situation, I'll shared my experience on the subject. Background is about the cleanliness level of china and silverware and integrity of the cold chain for food. Result ...
OldPadawan's user avatar
  • 22.1k
6 votes

How can I communicate better with my indirect friends as a direct person?

I think you're actually not asking directly enough. If someone asks me Are you free Thursday night? I don't know what they're actually about to ask - do they want me to meet them for a one hour ...
charmingToad's user avatar
6 votes
Accepted

How to get someone to speak more clearly (with less idioms)?

I was admittedly more often Bob-like than on your side of the problem but this is what helped me, also when facing the problem myself: Address a single occurrence on the spot Prepare yourself, stay ...
theSameTime's user avatar
6 votes

How can I assist my girlfriend to be independent and career minded

You probably can't do these things. She is behaving true to her culture and upbringing. She is hoping to change you into a gentleman like she witnessed in her homeland, while you are trying to change ...
Sarah Bowman's user avatar
  • 1,546
6 votes

Dress code due to worry about staining lounge and homeware for casual get together

Any chance you could include fun activities around the dress code? For example, when it was my father's retirement party, the dress code was blue and white colour. Invitations were oral, not written. ...
aarbee's user avatar
  • 655
5 votes

How to tell about a deal-breaker without it sounding like an ultimatum

In my opinion, what you are trying to do is setting up a boundary (punctuality) which is good, but you want to translate the responsibility of breaking up if the boundary keeps being broken onto her, ...
Sergy93's user avatar
  • 59
5 votes
Accepted

Dealing with criticism of my mispronunciation of words

Above all, it’s a learning experience, and that should be your main focus. There are things you would rather know sooner rather than later: something stuck to your shoe, a male’s fly is open, and ...
John's user avatar
  • 4,239
5 votes
Accepted

How to make sure to get non-alcoholic beer at a bar?

Tl;Dr: Don't overthink this. Make fun of it, make fun of yourself. And take it easy. This is strongly dependent on where you are from. I am from Czech Republic, the country that is steadily in top ...
Crowley's user avatar
  • 754
5 votes
Accepted

How to communicate to a fellow student of the opposite sex that avoids me that I have no interest in her whatsoever

People are complicated. What is platonic to some can be the beginnings of a major relationship for others. How things got to be the way they are tends to be a really important thing to understand ...
Ed Grimm's user avatar
  • 1,790
5 votes
Accepted

Landlord was knocking on my door close to midnight regarding a (minor) complaint (that I had nothing to do with)

I don't think your suggested statement will address your concerns. Your landlord could be justified in knocking on your day late at night in some cases, such as if you're being very noisy. Even if ...
Kat's user avatar
  • 5,891
5 votes
Accepted

A friend always talks in dry-professional language even though being very close to me for years

The issue - cross-cultural communication As you clarified that your friend is from a different country than you and therefore, not an English native speaker and not raised in the same culture as you, ...
Juliana Karasawa Souza's user avatar
4 votes
Accepted

What are the effects of using a verbal tic in informal speech?

A verbal tic might have impact on someone else understanding your speech based on a WebMD article on tics. I cited WebMD not because you have a disorder, but becuase it it the closest hard evidence I ...
isakbob's user avatar
  • 564
4 votes
Accepted

How to tell about a deal-breaker without it sounding like an ultimatum

It doesn't help that your problem isn't really lateness, but something else you don't want to mention. Still, I'm going to answer as though it was lateness. When you are not on your way somewhere, ...
Kate Gregory's user avatar
  • 44.5k
4 votes

People assuming dead person's intentions

People can't read thoughts and can't really know what are things that could comfort you through grief. Usually people either copy what is the social norm where you live by in expressing condolences, ...
Diane M's user avatar
  • 4,760
4 votes
Accepted

How can I be honest and supportive?

Being supportive does not always mean to say, "Yes, take the job, I love you. I am so happy for you and support you with my whole heart. Go with my blessing and grab while the grabbing's good." That ...
Sarah Bowman's user avatar
  • 1,546
4 votes
Accepted

How to explain to family that I don't want to keep fixing the same tech problems?

You have a valid problem. Possibly your family does not realize how they are inconveniencing you. Most likely your mother loves having you over so much that any excuse will suffice. At some point you ...
Sarah Bowman's user avatar
  • 1,546
4 votes

Me and my close friend often have phases when we do not talk to each other

Dit you contact them to say how your travel was going? Is there a reason why you are waiting for them to initiate contact? Maybe they are just waiting for you to start chatting first because they don'...
Imus's user avatar
  • 5,871
3 votes
Accepted

How to have friend doing a favour sign a contract without making it look like I'm taking advantage of him?

Create a contract which benefits both of you equally. This will probably require you to compromise on some of the terms. For example, you say you want to be free to do anything at all with the video, ...
Kat's user avatar
  • 5,891
3 votes

How to get someone to speak more clearly (with less idioms)?

As mentioned in comments, there is nothing wrong in asking for explanation about what he means and you can also can tell him to stop talking to you that way. Approach him and say it as you want, but, ...
user-858870-1's user avatar
3 votes
Accepted

How to tell a colleague to lower down her Christmas spirit in office event organising?

Telling a person that their ideas need improvement or don't fit the bill always involves some risk to goodwill and friendship. To complicate matters, there are in my experience two opposite types of ...
Sarah Bowman's user avatar
  • 1,546

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