“We learn habits early, and despite our best intentions, we tend to perpetuate learned behaviours including those that may have irked us when we were on the receiving end of them. These early lessons influence our perception of feedback, since we’ve grown up observing it in ways that too often hurt much more than they help (e.g criticism, angry words, personal judgement)”. Because of this, it’s not uncommon to feel the desire to steer clear of giving or receiving feedback, making it even more important for us to be trained on seeking and providing feedback so that we can communicate and listen carefully to the feedback and reduce any negative behaviours of denial and self-sabotage that tend to follow.
Luckily in our case, there’s many different approaches to providing feedback, from a self-scaling approach to seeking 360 feedback from others and of course the now very predictable (and somewhat outdated) feedback sandwich. However with all of these feedback approaches comes the challenge of figuring out the best way to deliver the feedback, especially if we are just looking for a simple and direct option that reduces recipient emotions and defensiveness, which is where the Situation Behaviour Impact (SBI) model becomes a great option to consider when delivering feedback.
The Situation Behaviour Impact (SBI) Feedback Model
The Situation Behaviour Impact (SBI) model was created by the Centre for Creative Leadership and is a research backed model that reduces the anxiety of giving the feedback and the defensiveness of the feedback recipient by clarifying the situation, describing behaviours observed and informing the recipient of the impact these behaviours had on you.
S | Situation
- Describe the situation in specific detail ensuring to cover off when, where and what was happening at the time.
- Example: “Yesterday morning at 9:30am in our daily stand up”
B | Behaviour
- Describe without judgement and assumptions the behaviour observed (this is what you witnessed or heard).
- Example: “You skipped me when it was my turn to present my daily update”.
I | Impact
- Describe the impact this had (considering yourself, others, the team or project).
- Example: “It made me feel like my update wasn’t valuable or worth sharing because nobody had the chance to hear it”.
I | Intent (Optional)
To help address the gap between intent and impact, you can also optionally ask an open question upon delivering the feedback to spark a conversation which will also help clarify how this situation came to be:
- Example: “What was different about this morning that meant I wasn’t able to give my update?”.
If you do ask this question, it’s important to keep the question open (sentences often starting with ‘What, When, How’ that require more than just a simple yes/no response) and to steer clear of beginning this question with ‘Why’ to help you in withholding any judgement.
Putting it all together
Here’s another example that uses the SBI feedback model to open up a conversation and deliver feedback related to committing to work that wasn’t delivered:
During our sprint planning last Monday, you committed to completing the integration tests for the payment gateway by the end of the week, however by Friday’s stand-up, the tests hadn’t been started, and there wasn’t any update or heads-up during the week that this was off track. This left the QA team blocked and meant we missed the deployment window. It also created uncertainty with the product owner, who now feels we’re overpromising and put extra pressure on the rest of the team to absorb the impact. I’d like to understand what got in the way so we can work together to make sure we spot these more proactively moving forward.
Incorporating the SBI framework into your feedback practices can make a significant difference in how your message is received and the subsequent actions taken. By focusing on the specific situation, observable behaviour, and its impact, you remove assumptions and provide clarity, allowing the recipient to reflect on their actions without feeling attacked or judged. This approach not only fosters a more positive and constructive dialogue but also encourages personal and professional growth. As you move forward, remember that effective feedback is a skill that requires practice, patience, and empathy. With the SBI model, you're equipped to offer feedback that is both meaningful and actionable, creating stronger, more transparent communication within your teams.
