Fa'atonuga mo le fa'aogaina o fa'atonuga

Instruction — a short and clear listing of the actions necessary to achieve the result. Wider is the direction or order in which actions are taken to get a result. The instructions indicate what you should receive and what actions to take to achieve this.

If I give you instructions for making coffee, it will contain an exact statement of the processes or sequence of actions necessary to achieve the desired result. The instruction can be in the form of short sentences, for example: “Insert the filter into the coffee maker”, “Pour ground coffee into the filter”, “Pour water into the coffee maker tank”, “Press the Start button”.

If the order says WHAT should be done, then the instruction says HOW it is done. The clearer the instruction, the more likely it is that what is required will be done. The more vague the instruction, the more it implies “And so everything is clear”, the more likely it will be executed crookedly. Instructions must be precise.

The instruction is a form of address in a business format. Speaking with instructions all the time in your personal life is dry, not cordial, but speaking sincerely without clear instructions means running into misunderstandings.

When you want to share information with a smart and businesslike person, this is not always adequate; so that people understand you better, often formulate your desires as precise instructions: what do you want from a person. Let these be soft requests in form, but in fact, clear instructions.

Instructions in Parent-Child Relationships