Useful feedback describes a situation, behaviour and impact while leaving room for the other person’s perspective. It does not guarantee agreement or immediate change. It helps clarify what happened.
Situation, behaviour and impact
The SBI model comes from the Center for Creative Leadership. CCL also describes asking about intent to check your assumptions.
| Step | Example |
|---|---|
| Situation | “During yesterday’s customer meeting…” |
| Behaviour | “…you started speaking three times before Anna had finished…” |
| Impact | “…we missed part of her explanation and revisited the topic afterwards.” |
| Inquiry | “How did you see the situation?” |
Describe observations. “You wanted to dismiss her” assigns intent rather than describing behaviour. If the impact is your own feeling, say so.
Examples to adapt
| Instead of | Try |
|---|---|
| “You are disorganised” | “Two meetings had no agenda. What would help prepare one earlier?” |
| “Good job” | “Your summary named action owners, so we could start immediately.” |
| “Try harder” | “Two tasks moved into next week. What blocked them?” |
These examples illustrate the approach. Adapt them to the facts and relationship rather than treating them as ready-made judgements.
Timing and setting
Speak while the situation is still remembered, but choose a time that allows calm discussion. There is no universal 48-hour deadline. Clarify facts before a difficult conversation.
Corrective feedback usually needs privacy. Check whether someone welcomes public recognition. Across locations and cultures, consider language, power differences and psychological safety; a script does not remove those factors.
Agree what happens next
Ask about obstacles and support. Agree a specific behaviour to try and a date to revisit it. Record agreements without labels or speculation about motives.
One-on-ones provide space for follow-up. If several perspectives would help, consider a 360 review with a clear purpose and confidentiality rules.
Keep track of agreements
Create an account to organise feedback and development actions. The platform helps preserve continuity; it cannot replace a conversation.
Sources and scope
These sources support the principles discussed here. Examples and schedules are starting points to adapt, not standards or evidence that our templates have been validated.
