In the history of the formation of empirical (applied) knowledge, the difficulty in differentiating when we are investigating or intervening is notorious. The human being cannot simply assess the way in which the assessment is made and the circumstances in which it is carried out have a decisive effect. 
Asking, answering, listening and being heard, looking and being seen, touching and being touched, form patterns whose value and use is context dependent. For example, when a parent addresses a child, “Are you ready yet?” Depending on how this question is formulated, it can be a request for information, a criticism, an expression of distrust, an expression of surprise, admiration or something else. 
The meaning of communication is the relationship between the way we question and the way the other responds. Separating both sides, it is impossible to define the meanings of communication and value its effects.