The SBI feedback model: Examples and scripts

The SBI model structures feedback in three parts: the Situation where the behavior occurred, the observable Behavior itself, and the Impact it had. It was developed by the Center for Creative Leadership to keep feedback specific and factual rather than personal.

Most feedback fails because it describes a person rather than an action. This guide covers the structure, worked examples for positive and corrective feedback, scripts you can adapt, the four-step SBII extension, and when a different approach works better.

The SBI model is a three-part feedback structure: Situation, Behavior, Impact. You name when and where something happened, describe what the person actually did in observable terms, then explain the effect it had. The structure keeps feedback anchored to evidence, which reduces defensiveness and makes the feedback actionable.

• Situation. When and where it happened. Anchors the feedback to a specific moment the person can recall.
• Behavior. What they did, described as a camera would record it. No interpretation, no motive, no adjectives about character.
• Impact. The effect on you, the team, the client, or the work. This is the part managers most often skip.

The model was developed by the Center for Creative Leadership, a leadership development organization based in Greensboro, North Carolina. SBI and Situation-Behavior-Impact are trademarks of the Center for Creative Leadership.

The behavior step is where most managers fail. “You were dismissive” is an interpretation. “You said we had already covered that and moved to the next agenda item” is a behavior. The first invites an argument about character. The second gives the person something they can act on.

Write it in one or two sentences, in order, before you deliver it. Name the situation precisely enough that the person can picture it, describe the behavior in observable terms, then state the impact concretely. A complete piece of SBI feedback takes about 60 to 90 seconds to say out loud.

1. Pick one specific instance. Not a pattern, not a summary of the quarter. One moment.
2. Write the situation: the meeting, the call, the day. Enough detail to locate it in memory.
3. Write the behavior as observable fact. If you could not have filmed it, rewrite it.
4. Write the impact concretely. Name what it cost or gained: time, trust, a decision, a client response.
5. Read it back and remove any word describing the person rather than the action.
6. Deliver it within one to two weeks. Saved-up feedback delivered at review time reads as an ambush.

Use it for positive feedback at least as often as corrective. Specific recognition is more useful than general praise, and a manager who only reaches for SBI when something has gone wrong turns the structure into a warning signal.

These examples cover positive and corrective feedback across common workplace situations. Note that in each one the impact is concrete rather than general, which is what makes the feedback land.

A script is the SBI sentence plus the opening line and the question that follows it. The structure only works as a conversation, so the closing question matters as much as the feedback. Adapt these to your own wording.

“Can I give you some feedback on the client review? In Tuesday’s call, when the pricing question came up, you said you would check and come back to them. They asked twice more and we did not follow up until Friday. The client chased us in between, which put us on the back foot. What happened on your side?”

“Quick bit of feedback on that meeting. When the timeline slipped, you laid out the two options with the trade-offs rather than asking us to decide blind. We settled it in ten minutes instead of taking it away. That is worth doing again.”

“I want to come back to something we discussed a fortnight ago. In yesterday’s review, the section arrived after the deadline again, which is the third time this month. Each time it means someone else absorbs the review window. We agreed last time you would flag risks early. What is getting in the way?”

“Can I share something? In the team update on Monday, the restructure was mentioned before the affected team had been told. Two people came to me afterwards asking whether their roles were safe. Would it help to sequence those announcements differently next time?”

Feedback that touches conflict or performance concerns needs more than a script. See communication and conflict management and the importance of emotional intelligence.

SBII adds a fourth step, Intent, to the original three. After stating the impact, you ask what the person was trying to achieve. The Center for Creative Leadership developed this extension to close the gap between intent and impact, which is often where the real misunderstanding sits.

The inquiry is a genuine question, not a rhetorical one. Useful phrasings include “What were you hoping to accomplish?” or “What was going on for you at that point?” Then listen, because the answer frequently changes the diagnosis.

Use SBII where the behavior is ambiguous, where you do not know the person well, or where you suspect your own reading might be wrong. Use plain SBI for routine, low-stakes feedback where adding a question would over-formalize a two-minute conversation.

SBI is often confused with similarly named frameworks, particularly SBAR in healthcare settings. They serve different purposes and are not interchangeable.

Model	Stands for	Used for
SBI	Situation, Behavior, Impact	Giving feedback on observed behavior
SBII	Situation, Behavior, Impact, Intent	Feedback where intent is unclear or contested
SBAR	Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation	Clinical handover and urgent escalation in healthcare
STAR	Situation, Task, Action, Result	Structuring interview answers and behavioral interviewing

SBI also sits alongside structured review tools rather than replacing them. It is the format for a single conversation, while 360 feedback gathers input across a group, and leadership models describe how someone leads more broadly.

SBI is built for observed behavior in ordinary working situations. It is the wrong tool where the issue is not behavioral, where you did not witness the behavior yourself, or where the matter is serious enough to require a formal process rather than a conversation.

• You did not observe it. Secondhand reports need investigating, not feeding into an SBI sentence.
• The issue is capability or workload, not behavior. Those need a different conversation about support or priorities.
• The conduct is potentially disciplinary, discriminatory, or a safety matter. Use your formal process and involve HR.
• The person is in distress. Address that first. Feedback can wait.
• The pattern is long-running and undocumented. Start with a documented conversation and a review date rather than a single instance.

SBI also works less well when it becomes a visible formula. If a team can hear the structure clicking into place, the feedback starts to feel processed rather than genuine. Use the structure to prepare, then speak normally.

The three recurring failures are vagueness in the situation, interpretation dressed up as behavior, and a missing or abstract impact. Each one converts specific feedback back into the general impression the model exists to replace.

• Vague situation. “In meetings lately” is not a situation. Name the meeting and the day.
• Interpretation as behavior. “You were defensive” describes your reading. Describe what they said or did instead.
• Missing impact. Without it the person hears a complaint rather than a reason to change.
• Abstract impact. “It was unhelpful” gives nothing. “We repeated the discussion and lost thirty minutes” gives something.
• Stacking instances. Three examples in one conversation reads as a case being built.
• Assuming intent. “You clearly did not care” is a motive, and you cannot observe motives. Ask instead.
• Sandwiching. Burying corrective feedback between two compliments obscures the message and devalues the praise.
• Delivering only corrective feedback. If SBI only appears when something is wrong, people learn to dread the structure.

Listen for the three parts before responding. Confirm the situation and behavior are accurate, ask about the impact if it is unclear, then say what you will do differently. Resist explaining until you have understood, because an immediate explanation reads as a defense even when it is accurate.

• Ask for the specific instance if you cannot place it.
• Ask about impact if it was not stated: “What effect did that have on the team?”
• Separate the observation from the interpretation. You can accept the behavior description while offering context.
• Say what you will change, or say you want to think about it and come back.
• Follow up. Feedback that is acknowledged and never revisited teaches the giver not to bother.

A three-part feedback structure developed by the Center for Creative Leadership: Situation, Behavior, Impact. You name where and when the behavior occurred, describe what the person observably did, then state the effect it had.

Situation, Behavior, Impact. SBI and Situation-Behavior-Impact are trademarks of the Center for Creative Leadership, which developed the model for use in leadership development.

The Center for Creative Leadership, a leadership development organization based in Greensboro, North Carolina. CCL also extended it to SBII by adding a fourth step, Intent.

SBII adds Intent as a fourth step. After describing impact, you ask what the person was trying to achieve. Use it when the behavior is ambiguous or you do not know the person well.

SBI is used for behavioral feedback in any sector. It is frequently confused with SBAR, which stands for Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation and is a clinical handover tool. They serve different purposes.

Yes, and it should be. Specific recognition is more useful than general praise, and using the structure only for corrective feedback teaches people to associate it with criticism.

The feedback itself takes roughly 60 to 90 seconds to deliver. The conversation that follows takes as long as it needs, particularly when you ask about intent.

• SBI structures feedback as Situation, Behavior, Impact, and was developed by the Center for Creative Leadership.
• The behavior step must be observable. If you could not have filmed it, it is an interpretation and needs rewriting.
• Concrete impact is what makes feedback land. Name the time, trust, or decision affected rather than saying it was unhelpful.
• SBII adds Intent as a fourth step, which is worth using when behavior is ambiguous or the relationship is new.
• Use SBI for recognition as often as for correction, and use a formal process instead where conduct is potentially disciplinary.

A model only changes anything once managers use it consistently, and most have had no training in giving feedback at all. Careerminds research found 82% of managers step into leadership positions without receiving any formal training. Organizations typically close that gap through structured coaching and middle management training rather than by circulating a framework. To discuss leadership development for your managers, contact our team.