Using Language to Share Information

Have you ever asked a sick child to tell you “where it hurts” only to receive a vague and unhelpful answer? This is because young children are still developing the next functional competency, informing—using language to give and receive information. As an adult, if you’ve ever been asked for directions, you know that providing people with information that they can understand and being able to understand the information they convey to you are equally important skills.

There are four important aspects of informing: questioning, describing, reinforcing, and withholding.