SBI — Situation – Behaviour – Impact
Structuring feedback or an impact conversation into 3 objective components: the context, the observed behaviour and the effect it produced — for giving difficult feedback without triggering defensiveness.
Giving factual feedback without triggering defensiveness
Why it exists. Most feedback fails because it generalises ("you're always late") or judges the person ("you're irresponsible"). SBI grounds feedback in observable, neutral facts.
What it does. Gives difficult feedback without triggering defensiveness. Demonstrates leadership and communication maturity in an interview.
In which interviews. Questions about team management, conflict management, leadership, situations where you had to give difficult feedback.
Separating facts from feelings
SBI separates facts (Situation + Behaviour) from feelings (Impact). This separation removes judgement and forces objectivity. It's the method top management consultancies use to train their leaders.
Entry-level version
In THIS specific situation, when you did THAT, here's the effect it produced.
Senior consultant version
SBI is a conversational coaching tool. Used well, it creates a dialogue about impact rather than an accusation about intent.
The 3 components of the method
- SSituation — the context, specific and dated, with no generalisation.
- BBehaviour — the observed behaviour, factual, never interpreted or judged.
- IImpact — the effect produced, concrete and measurable, or clearly described.
From operational feedback to a steering-committee conversation
Question: "Give me an example of difficult feedback you've given to a member of your team."
Situation: During our November 2023 sprint review, in front of the Product Owner and two client representatives.
Behaviour: You presented the sprint results without having tested the features in staging. Two critical bugs showed up in the live demo.
Impact: The client lost confidence in the stability of our deliverables. The Product Owner called me afterwards to voice concerns about quality. I had to spend 3 hours that same evening rebuilding trust. For the team, it created unnecessary pressure going into the next sprint.
Afterwards: I asked that developer to put together a pre-review validation checklist. Over the following 4 sprints, no incident of that kind occurred again.
Context: Feedback given to a middle manager.
Situation: During the monthly steering meeting with the programme's sponsors, on March 15.
Behaviour: You presented only the positive progress, without mentioning the 3-week delay identified the day before in the technical meeting.
Impact: The sponsors made a resource-allocation decision based on incomplete information. When the delay came to light two weeks later, I lost some of their trust, and ours too. The team feels a gap between what's said internally and what's said externally.
Freelance variant
SBI is useful in presales to demonstrate a coach's stance rather than an expert's: you don't impose, you build awareness. It's especially valued for change-management engagements.
Common mistakes
- ✕Generalising — "you always...": SBI demands a specific situation, not a pattern.
- ✕Judging intent — "you're doing it on purpose": SBI describes what's observed, not what's assumed.
- ✕A vague Impact — "it was awkward": quantify or clearly describe the real impact.
- ✕A vague Behaviour — "you were negative" is not an observable behaviour.
Quick checklist
- ✓The Situation is specific and dated.
- ✓The Behaviour is an observable fact, not an interpretation.
- ✓The Impact is concrete and measurable (or clearly described).
- ✓I avoid any judgement about intent.
SBI in one sentence
SBI = factual feedback with no judgement. A specific Situation + an observed Behaviour (not interpreted) + a concrete Impact. It's the difference between a manager who builds trust and one who builds defensiveness.
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