How to Use the Situation-Behavior-Impact (SBI)™ Feedback Model

If you’ve ever wanted to perfect the art of delivering feedback, the Situation-Behavior-Impact (SBI)™ feedback model — also called the SBI feedback model — is a framework worth exploring.

In our beginner-friendly guide, we’ll tell you everything you need to know about this approach, including what it is, how it works, tips for using it, its benefits, and the most common mistakes people make when using it.

What Is the Situation-Behavior-Impact (SBI)™ Feedback Model?

The Situation-Behavior-Impact (SBI)™ feedback model — often shortened to the SBI feedback model — is a framework for giving feedback. It homes in on particular behaviors and their impact. Here’s how it works.

How does the SBI feedback model work?

The SBI feedback model works by focusing on three components: situation, behavior, and impact. For example, a team lead might use this framework to address an issue with a coworker. To do that, they’d describe the situation, pinpoint the problematic behavior, and then explain the impact (more on this later). 

This approach can work for giving constructive feedback or for complimenting a job well done.

Why is using the SBI feedback model helpful? 

Using the SBI feedback model is helpful in many ways but especially with regard to understanding intent vs. impact. Without meaning to, people form preconceived notions and make assumptions about others, usually completely unintentionally. Here’s an example. 

Let’s say your coworker fails to turn something in on time. Without much consideration, you might immediately jump to the conclusion that they don’t take pride in their work, their work is sloppy, they’re not a team player, etc. All of these are assumptions, not facts. 

In reality, there are tons of reasons for late work. Maybe they wrote down the wrong deadline or there was confusion about the exact deliverables. Regardless, that’s what makes the SBI feedback model so helpful. 

Understanding the Situation-Behavior-Impact (SBI)™ Framework

The Situation-Behavior-Impact (SBI)™ framework can revolutionize the way your team functions at work, including your team’s capacity for feedback reception. Here’s everything you should know about the SBI feedback model framework.

Situation

Although most people tend to home in on the behavior, like what went wrong or what caused an issue, with this approach, it’s necessary to provide context. The first component of the SBI feedback model, “situation,” refers to the importance of first understanding the context of what happened. Start by describing the scenario or situation to contextualize the behavior. 

For example, if you have an employee who hasn’t come into the office all week and instead worked from home, your knee-jerk reaction might be focusing on the problematic behavior of not coming into the office. In this case, you wouldn’t want to start the conversation off with “I noticed you haven’t been coming into the office.” Instead, be a little more specific. You could say, “Last week, the week of [exact date], I noticed you didn’t come into work and didn’t let me know.” 

This provides a few more relevant details, like the exact dates, and introduces the problematic behavior. Depending on your exact situation, you can include background info and concrete examples you can point to as a means of shedding more light on the situation. 

Behavior

After you clarify the situation, you can focus more on the behavior you’ve noticed. Without droning on and on, describe the specific behavior that causes issues and be clear about what happened. Explain what you observed or heard in simple terms. 

However, be careful not to use language that sounds accusatory or judgemental. This can cause folks to shut down completely and can make them less receptive to incoming feedback.  

Using our above example of an employee working remotely without informing their boss, you could say something along the lines of: “I noticed you didn’t come into the office without letting anyone know. I didn’t see you at all last week.” 

Impact

With the impact component, you’ll explain the negative (or positive!) outcomes of the behavior you noticed. Think about the effects the behavior in question would have on the team, the company, and even the person themselves. 

So, with the above example, you could explain to your employee that not coming into the office as scheduled interrupts the team’s workflow, especially with regard to in-person meetings and team deadlines. It can also cause frustration amongst the team due to the unexpected absence. 

Going forward, the employee should commit themselves to letting you know ahead of time if they need to work remotely instead of not coming into the office without warning.

Using Yoodli for SBI Feedback Model Coaching

If you’ve never used the Situation-Behavior-Impact (SBI)™ feedback model before, it’s a good idea to review the approach and practice how you’d implement it. However, there aren’t many options when it comes to realistically practicing an approach like the SBI feedback model.

That’s where Yoodli comes in. Yoodli is an AI speech coach that uses realistic, customizable roleplays to help folks improve the way they communicate with their team, clients, coworkers, and anyone else. It’s a tried-and-true brand that well-known companies like Korn Ferry, Dale Carnegie, and Google use.

Here’s how it works. Folks can practice conversational roleplay on any topic. For example, the topic could be “Speaking to an employee about problematic behavior.” Yoodli provides an AI-generated partner and interacts in real time as you practice using the SBI feedback model. It’s the most realistic way to practice delivering this kind of feedback.

Not only does Yoodli help you practice the SBI feedback model, but it also gives you feedback on your performance in return. It evaluates how the conversation went and as a result, provides actionable and relevant feedback for you to improve. That way, you’ll be ready and prepared to use the SBI feedback model during conversations with your team. It’s the best way to practice an approach like Situation-Behavior-Impact™.

Learn more about how you can get started with Yoodli for free at https://yoodli.ai/.

5 Tips for Using the SBI Feedback Model

It takes a bit of practice and dedication before most folks feel confident using the Situation-Behavior-Impact™ approach. Here are five straightforward tips you can use when leveraging the SBI feedback model. 

1. Pick the right time and place.

First and foremost, above all else, choose the right time and place before you use the SBI feedback model with your employees. You could be an expert in this approach, but picking an inopportune time or place can make your efforts moot as your employees won’t be as receptive. 

For example, always use this approach in a private, quiet location. If your employee is remote, a one-on-one phone call or a video call works. Otherwise, a private meeting room would be best. You don’t want to call out one team member in front of everyone else — This is a conversation for just the two of you. 

The same goes for timing. Choose a time when you think your employee will be most receptive. A Friday at 5 p.m., for example, might not be the best time. Also, think about how your employee is doing. If they’ve had a stressful week or they seem upset, it’s probably best to reschedule the conversation for a time when they feel level-headed and receptive to feedback. 

2. Be an active listener.

Even though you’re initiating the conversation with the SBI feedback model, you need to practice active listening as the conversation progresses. 

Active listening involves paying close attention to the other person when they’re talking. That includes avoiding any distractions, like phone notifications or interruptions from other team members — another reason why choosing the right time and place is so essential. 

During the conversation, you can show you’re actively listening by repeating what the employee says to make sure you understand it. Saying something like, “You’re saying you feel unheard in team meetings which affects your ability to contribute. Have I got that right?” Paraphrasing can make sure you avoid any misunderstandings during the conversation. 

If you don’t understand something, ask questions to clear things up. That shows that you’re listening and you care about understanding what they have to say.

3. Seek out information.

Before you sit down with your employee to have a conversation about their behavior, make sure you actively seek out information about the situation. That’ll make it much easier when it comes time to implement the SBI feedback model. 

For example, closely pay attention to whatever behavior concerns you and take notes. You don’t have to take notes while the behavior is ongoing, but after you’ve witnessed the situation or behavior, jot down what you remember so you can refer to it later. Think about what effects that behavior has on you, the team, or the company overall, if applicable.

If appropriate, you can also get input from other people. Getting advice, feedback, or other perspectives from people who might’ve witnessed the behavior can shed more light on the situation. However, this might not always be appropriate depending on the exact situation. 

4. Give constructive feedback.

Delivering constructive feedback through the SBI feedback model is half of the battle. You can know the approach through and through, but being unable to give constructive feedback can make this framework useless. That’s because your employees might not be as receptive if what you’re telling them isn’t constructive or solutions-oriented. 

First and foremost, make sure you’re not using negative, offensive, or non-inclusive language when you give feedback. Home in on the solutions aspect of the conversation and keep the conversation positive, even if you’re dealing with behavior you think is problematic. 

Even though the conversation will revolve around the person’s behavior and solutions for it, don’t focus on placing blame on the employee. That isn’t helpful. Use “I” statements to describe the situation, behavior, and impact. Instead of starting with, “You didn’t show up to work last week,” you can change that to, “I noticed you weren’t in the office last week.” It’s the same information conveyed slightly differently, and shifts the focus to you and what you noticed. 

5. Don’t be afraid to get clarification.

During the conversation, there may be times when you want to ask questions or get more clarification. You can absolutely do so. Getting clarity while using the SBI feedback model is as simple as asking open-ended questions or prompting the employee to elaborate on what they’ve just said. This can clear up any lingering confusion you may have during the meeting. 

Don’t forget to thank the employee after the conversation is finished. Showing your gratitude by thanking them shows your appreciation in a meaningful way and makes it more likely that the employee will be motivated to change their behavior. 

Benefits of Using the SBI Feedback Model

There are tons of advantages to using the Situation-Behavior-Impact™ feedback model. From improved relationships at work to increased motivation, this useful approach can revolutionize the way you give feedback as a manager.

Here are the top benefits of using the SBI feedback model. 

Better overall relationships

Using the SBI feedback model with your team can actually lead to better relationships. Delivering feedback in this way shows your employees that you’re honest and non-judgmental, and they can trust you to discuss things they might otherwise feel uncomfortable discussing, like behavior. Plus, if you can successfully give your team solid feedback, that in and of itself can enhance the team dynamic and their collaboration skills. 

If you tweak the SBI feedback model to use in your personal life, the same results apply: stronger relationships overall. 

Boosted motivation

Because you can also use this feedback model to describe positive behaviors you’ve noticed, you can leverage it for complimenting your team members. Positive feedback can increase a person’s motivation and morale, which benefits the team as a whole. There’s no drawback to higher levels of motivation on a team.

Better communication skills

The SBI feedback model is so clear and straightforward that implementing it for your team can improve everyone’s communication skills and emotional intelligence. The approach prioritizes clear, to-the-point feedback and reduces the chance of miscommunication and misunderstanding. There’s little room for misinterpretation when you’re focused on the situation, behavior, and impacts. 

Improved performance 

Once you start using the Situation-Behavior-Impact™ feedback model, chances are, you’ll notice better performance from your team members. That’s because this framework uses a targeted professional development approach, which means it highlights specific areas for improvement instead of leaving it up to the person to figure out how they need to change.  

Done right, the SBI feedback model can help your team advance in their careers thanks to the efficient, actionable feedback it inspires. 

4 Common Pitfalls to Avoid With the SBI Feedback Model

If you’re new to using the Situation-Behavior-Impact (SBI)™ approach, there are some very common mistakes many people make that you should try to avoid. Here are the four most common pitfalls people face when using this model for the first time. 

1. Being ambiguous and overgeneralizing 

One of the best things about the SBI feedback model is that it emphasizes specificity, especially when it comes to describing the situation, behavior, and impact. Sometimes managers fall into the trap of overgeneralizing or being too ambiguous. Instead of giving vague statements, be specific. Give the person concrete examples of what you mean and home in on specific behavior instead of broad generalizations about their performance at work, for example. 

2. Giving unhelpful, unsolicited advice 

To some degree, if you start the conversation, the feedback you give is unsolicited. However, the mistake that team leads make is giving unhelpful, unsolicited advice. As a manager, you want to use the SBI feedback model to support and guide your employees through the conversation. Instead of giving them solutions, motivate them to explore solutions that work for them. 

For example, if the problematic behavior was one of your employees consistently showing up to work late, it’s unhelpful to suggest they wake up earlier, catch the earlier bus, or similar recommendations. Instead, you might even ask them how you can support them better and if there are any solutions they’ve been considering. 

3. Narrowing in on the person instead of the behavior

For folks new to the SBI model, it can be easy to focus on the person instead of their specific behaviors. However, doing so will make your feedback much less helpful. People are less receptive when they feel like they’re being attacked. If they think their character is in question, they might become defensive or otherwise shut down to any feedback. 

To avoid this, home in on the actual behavior that you find problematic. Keep your tone objective, neutral, and calm for the best results. 

4. Placing unnecessary blame and judgment on the person

Similarly, it’s common for team leaders to — usually unintentionally — place unnecessary blame and judgment on the other person. It’s human nature to want to blame others, especially in a conversation about problematic behavior, but it’s unprofessional at best and unhelpful and harmful at worst. Instead, reframe the feedback you want to give your employee in terms of what you yourself have seen, heard, witnessed, or felt. 

The Bottom Line 

Knowing how to successfully use the Situation-Behavior-Impact (SBI)™ feedback model can transform the way your team functions. It can improve the team dynamic, boost productivity, and address problematic behaviors without placing blame on others. Plus, Yoodli can help you and your team practice leveraging the SBI feedback model in conversation to perfect their skills. 

Sources

• Center for Creative Leadership: “Use Situation-Behavior-Impact (SBI)™ to Understand Intent.”
• University of Alabama at Birmingham: “Situation-Behavior-Impact Feedback Model.”
• Indeed: “How To Use a Situation-Behavior-Impact Feedback Model for Management.”
• LinkedIn: “How The Situation-Behavior-Impact Model Fosters Employee Development & Strengthens Organizations.”