Lucy: "Mr. Smith is refusing to accept my science project because he says my paper isn't long enough! I just don't understand; I worked so hard on that and now it was all a waste of time."
Peter: "Don't worry, you can always enter again next year."
Lucy: "I don't know why I bother talking to you, you don't listen to a word I say!"
What adjustments can Lucy and Peter each make to their communication, in order to avoid misunderstandings like this
in the future?