The SBI Feedback Model
A practical guide on how to give feedback in a clear, specific, and impactful manner using the SBI Model.
Providing effective feedback is essential in both personal and professional settings. The SBI (Situation-Behaviour-Impact) Feedback Model is an effective tool for individuals in managerial positions, team roles, or anyone seeking to facilitate improvements for others.
This model ensures that feedback is delivered in a clear, specific, and impactful manner.
What is the SBI Feedback Model?
Developed by the Center for Creative Leadership, the SBI Feedback Model provides a straightforward structure to deliver feedback. SBI stands for:
- Situation: Outline the specific situation in which the behaviour occurred.
- Behaviour: Describe the precise behaviour you observed.
- Impact: Explain the effect of the behaviour on you, the team, or the organization.
Breaking down feedback into these three components ensures it is clear, objective, and actionable.
Why is the SBI Model Useful?
Research shows that employees often prefer corrective feedback over positive feedback, which helps them grow. However, managers are frequently hesitant to provide it.
The SBI model helps overcome this reluctance by offering a straightforward, non-confrontational way to structure feedback.
This approach makes feedback less stressful and more productive for both parties.
How to Give SBI Feedback?
- Describe the Situation.
- Start by setting the context for the feedback. Describe the specific situation to give the recipient a precise reference point. Avoid vague references and be as accurate as possible.
- Example: “During yesterday’s project meeting, when you gave your presentation…”
- Describe the Behaviour.
- Next, describe the behaviour you observed. Focus on specific actions rather than making general statements or assumptions. This part can be challenging, but it’s crucial to communicate only what you directly observed.
- Example: “I noticed you struggled to answer questions about two of your slides, and your sales calculations were incorrect.”
- Describe the Impact.
- Finally, explain the impact of the behaviour. Use “I” statements to describe how the behaviour affected you, the team, or the project. This helps the recipient understand the consequences of their actions.
- Example: “As a result, the entire board was concerned, which may have affected our team’s reputation.”
Guidelines for Effective SBI Feedback
Here are some guidelines to consider using the SBI Feedback model:
- Be Objective: Stick to facts and avoid subjective judgments or assumptions.
- Be Specific: Use measurable information when describing behaviour.
- Encourage Reflection: Ask the recipient to reflect on the situation and consider the impact of their actions.
- Balance Feedback: Remember that feedback can be positive too. Use the SBI model to acknowledge and reinforce good behaviours.
Example of SBI Feedback in Action
A team member, Alex, delivered a presentation with incorrect statements. Here’s how you could provide feedback using the SBI model:
- Situation: “During yesterday’s team meeting, you presented your project update.”
- Behaviour: “I noticed that you provided incorrect data on the budget slide and were unable to answer questions about it.”
- Impact: “This caused confusion among the stakeholders and may have affected their confidence in our project planning.”
This method ensures that Alex understands exactly what the issue is and why it matters, paving the way for constructive improvement.
Conclusion
The SBI Feedback Model is a simple yet effective tool for delivering feedback that is clear, specific, and impactful.
By structuring your feedback around the situation, behaviour, and impact, you can help others understand exactly what they did well or what they need to improve, and why it matters.
We all need people who will give us feedback. That’s how we improve. ~ Bill Gates
