(upbeat music) Whoa.

Reid, what happened to your head?

I fell today at school.

What do you mean?

How did it happen?

I don't know.

Like, what happened to you?

Are you OK?

I guess so.

Man: OK, I need you to elaborate.

I need to know exactly what happened to your head.

Well, it looks like Reid is having trouble sharing about the accident he had at school today.

He's giving really short answers, and his dad is struggling to find out exactly what happened.

He needs to elaborate more.

When you elaborate, you provide more details so that the others can clearly understand you.

There are four ways that you can help elaborate in speaking and in writing.

First, describe the setting in detail.

Here, Reid should explain to his dad exactly where at school he got hurt.

Was it on the playground or in the classroom?

Describing the setting helps the listener or the reader understand where the events took place.

Next, use specific words to help paint a picture of what happened.

A lot of I don't know, I don't know, I guess so, doesn't really help the other person understand what happened.

Reid simply told his dad he fell He could definitely elaborate more.

How did he fall?

What was he doing when he fell?

Third, use descriptive words and your five senses to help set the scene.

I love that.

Set the scene.

Make the person you're talking to feel like they were there right beside you.

What were you seeing?

What were you hearing?

What were you smelling?

Did you taste anything?

How did Reid feel when he fell?

Was he embarrassed?

Was he physically hurting?

He does have a giant Band-Aid on his head.

Or was this just a silly accident that made him laugh?

And finally, use exact words people said to help describe the incident.

Quote people.

What did they say?

What did Reid say when he fell?

What did the other kids say?

Let's see if we can get Reid to elaborate on his story by using this, these strategies.

We're going to see if he can set the scene, use descriptive words, use some exact quotes, and maybe his dad will have a better understanding about what happened at school today.

Whoa.

Reid, what happened to your head?

I fell off the monkey bars.

Man: Ouch.

That must have hurt.

Yeah, I guess so.

It was pretty funny, too.

I tried to do a flip off the bar, and I missed and land, and landed in a pile of mud.

Ouch.

How did you get the Band-Aid?

I went to the nurse's office, and she said, maybe stick to basketball because you're not so good at gymnastics.

Man: (laughs) See, now, that was way better.

When Reid elaborated his story by using specific and descriptive words, setting that scene and even using exact quotes, he was able to share what happened in a way that his dad could clearly understand.

Next time you're writing or even telling a story, I want you to try these techniques to see if you can elaborate and make your story come alive, just like Reid did today.