Originally Posted by
bookworm
It may be obvious to you which way to turn to increase separation, but it's not necessarily obvious to the pilot. "12 o'clock" is a 30 degree wide sector, and a turn away may just make things worse. What's more helpful from a traffic point of view is knowing which side the target is likely to pass. That allows a manoeuvre to increase separation.
In the example given, I think that "12 o'clock" and "opposite direction" are enough of a clue that a turn in either direction would be a better option than remaing on the current heading.