Skip to main content
header search
ahihi OpenLearn
OpenLearn
Menu
sticky search
Author: Rachele de Felice, Claire Harris
  • Activity
  • 15 minutes

A linguistic toolkit for health and social care

Updated Tuesday, 7 October 2025

Apply the findings of our linguistic research to situations you, or someone you know, might find themselves in. Explore different advising strategies in three real-life scenarios in this interactive.

Find out more about The Open University's Languages courses and qualifications.

The family are dining together at a table Click on the image above, to start your interactive experience...

INSTRUCTIONS: For best results, use a modern web browser. Upgrade to the latest version of Edge or try a free alternative like Google Chrome, Firefox or Safari. 

The research behind the interactive

The ideas in this OpenLearn interactive draw from research by OU academic Dr Rachele De Felice and her colleague Dr Nele Pöldvere  (Lund University, Sweden). 

They analysed 450,000 words of authentic British English conversations from a wide variety of contexts – chats between family and friends, informal workplace exchanges, formal meetings, university settings – to understand all the different ways people give and respond to advice. 

They found over 1,200 instances of advice-giving, which were expressed in a range of ways from very strong and direct (Don’t do that then!) to very weak and indirect (I wouldn’t do that then). 

Varying the directness and strength of the advice affects the impact it has on person receiving it – you might be surprised to discover that sometimes clear and direct is the best approach! For example, they found that over 40% of advice formulated as a question (Why don’t you stop doing that then?) was met with resistance and rejection by the other person, while only 25% of direct advice received the same reaction.  

You can read more about it here (freely available online) and for a quick overview of advice-giving in the workplace, click here.

Explore related topics on OpenLearn...

  • Sporting women in the media

    The mass media (e.g. radio, TV, internet) has become one of the most powerful institutional influences in society. This free course, Sporting women in the media, explores whether gendered inequalities exist in sport by evaluating the media coverage. The media can be highly influential in shaping perceptions about gender in sport and headlines ...

    Learn more to access more details of Sporting women in the media
    Sporting women in the media

  • Why are young men worldwide experiencing mental health crises?

    Everywhere around the world, the suicide rates amongst men outstrips that of women. The writer Will Storr hears some stories - and asks why.

    Read now to access more details of Why are young men worldwide experiencing mental health crises?
    Why are young men worldwide experiencing mental health crises?

  • ‘It’s Just Banter’: Women and Sexual Harassment in the Hospitality Industry

    As a young student, Suzi Collins worked in a bar in Fife. Here she recounts her personal experience with sexual harrassment in the workplace.

    Read now to access more details of ‘It’s Just Banter’: Women and Sexual Harassment in the Hospitality Industry
    ‘It’s Just Banter’: Women and Sexual Harassment in the Hospitality Industry
 

Become an OU student

Author

Ratings & Comments

Share this free course

Copyright information

Skip Rate and Review

Rate and Review

For further information, take a look at our frequently asked questions which may give you the support you need.

Have a question?

Share this activity