What constructive feedback is
Constructive feedback is specific information about someone's performance or behaviour, given to help them learn, adjust or recognise what works. It is about what the person did, never about what they are.
The difference shows in the wording. "You're disorganised" is a judgement: the person can only defend themselves or absorb it. "The report arrived after the meeting" is a fact: they can respond to it.
Train your managers in constructive feedback
Knowing the model is not enough: it becomes a reflex by being used on real situations. A first conversation helps to define the situations to work on with your managers and the format that suits your group. Fees are set by personalised quotation.
The SBI model in three steps
The model was developed by the Center for Creative Leadership. Its name comes from its three letters: Situation, Behaviour, Impact.
S for Situation: name the moment
Start by placing the observation in time and space: when and where it happened. "Yesterday, in the client meeting" can be checked. "Often" and "always" cannot, and they put the other person on the defensive.
B for Behaviour: describe what a camera would have filmed
Describe what was said or done, without interpretation. The test is simple: could a camera have recorded it? "You interrupted Claire twice" passes. "You were disrespectful" does not, because it is a conclusion.
I for Impact: say the effect it had
End with the effect the behaviour had: on you, on the team, on the client, on the result. This part gives the feedback its reason for existing, because it explains why you are raising it. "I lost the thread of my presentation" or "the client started looking at their phone" are impacts.
A complete example
Take an ordinary situation: a colleague has handed in a shared report late three times in two weeks, which disrupts preparation for client calls.
| What people often say | The SBI wording |
|---|---|
| "You're never on time with your reports." | "On Tuesday and last Thursday (situation) the report arrived after 5 pm (behaviour). I couldn't prepare the next day's client call the way I wanted to (impact)." |
| "You don't realise what your delays cause." | "On the last three reports (situation) you sent them a day late (behaviour). The team had to postpone two calls (impact)." |
In both cases, the SBI wording ends with an open question such as "How do you see it?". Feedback is not a verdict: it opens a conversation in which the other person can bring things you did not know.
The three mistakes I see most
- Mixing facts and interpretation. "You don't care" is not a behaviour. If you catch yourself using it, go back to what was actually seen or heard.
- Waiting too long. The longer the gap between the moment and the feedback, the vaguer it gets and the more it feels like settling a score. Speaking close to the event, somewhere quiet, remains the best rule.
- Leaving out the impact. Without it, the feedback seems arbitrary: the other person cannot see why it concerns you. The impact is what makes the request legitimate.
A tool for positive feedback too
SBI is not only for correcting. To recognise what works, the same structure produces far more useful feedback than a "well done": the other person knows exactly what to repeat. I cover this use, along with the difference between positive and negative feedback, in the article on how to word each of them.
FAQ
What is the SBI model, and where does it come from?
SBI (Situation, Behaviour, Impact) is a three-step structure for giving feedback: you place the moment, describe the observable behaviour and say the effect it had. It was developed by the Center for Creative Leadership. Its strength is its simplicity: it fits into a single sentence and works as well in a corridor conversation as in a formal review.
Can you give constructive feedback to your manager or a colleague?
Yes, and the model is even more useful in that case because it avoids the tone of reproach. Describing a specific situation, an observable behaviour and its effect on the group's work is easier to hear than a general opinion. You do need to choose a calm moment and a setting in which the other person can reply.
How do you give constructive feedback remotely or in writing?
Verbally, by video call rather than by message: tone carries better. If writing is unavoidable, keep the same three-step structure and offer a conversation straight afterwards. A written message on a sensitive subject, with no chance of an immediate reply, tends to be read in the harshest possible light.
Does the model work the same way in every country?
The principle, describing facts rather than judging, works everywhere. The level of frankness that is acceptable, however, varies a great deal from one culture to another. In an international group, I recommend agreeing together what "direct" means and asking the person how they received the message.
Going further
- Feedback culture: how to build one
- Wording positive and adjusting feedback
- Taking criticism without defending
- Psychological safety, the ground feedback grows in
- Radical Candor: care and frankness together
- A one-day feedback training course
- Executive coaching for senior leaders
This article was written by Marc Prager.