The SBI Feedback Framework for Work
Give Feedback That Changes Behavior, Not Just Makes People Defensive
Why Most Feedback Fails
Think about the last time someone gave you vague feedback like 'you need to be more proactive' or 'your communication needs work.' Useless, right? You had no idea what to actually change. Or worse—feedback that felt like a personal attack: 'You're always late' or 'You don't care about quality.' The SBI framework solves both problems. It's specific enough to be actionable and structured enough to stay professional.
The SBI Framework
S = Situation
Start by anchoring the feedback to a specific time and place. This prevents the conversation from becoming about 'always' or 'never.'
Wrong:
"You're always late to meetings."
Right:
"In yesterday's client call at 2pm..."
Why it matters:
Specific situations can't be argued with. Generalizations invite defensiveness.
Action Item:
Never give feedback without being able to name a specific date, meeting, or event.
B = Behavior
Describe the observable behavior—what you saw or heard. Not your interpretation. Not your judgment. Just the facts.
Wrong:
"You weren't paying attention and didn't care about the client."
Right:
"You joined 10 minutes late and didn't have the slides ready when the client asked."
Why it matters:
Behavior is objective. Judgments are subjective and trigger defensiveness.
Action Item:
Ask yourself: 'Could a video camera have captured this?' If not, it's interpretation, not behavior.
I = Impact
Explain the consequence of the behavior—on you, the team, the client, or the project. This is why it matters.
Wrong:
"It was really unprofessional."
Right:
"The client asked if we were prepared, and I had to cover for us. It made us look disorganized."
Why it matters:
Impact makes the feedback meaningful. Without it, people don't understand why they should change.
Action Item:
Always connect behavior to business impact—that's what makes people care.
Complete SBI Examples
**Example 1: Missed Deadline** 'In Monday's sprint review [SITUATION], you mentioned for the third time that the feature wasn't ready and would slip to next week [BEHAVIOR]. This is causing the product team to lose confidence in our estimates, and I'm getting questions from the VP about our reliability [IMPACT].' **Example 2: Great Work (Positive Feedback)** 'In the client presentation this morning [SITUATION], when the CFO challenged our pricing, you calmly walked through the ROI calculation and addressed each concern [BEHAVIOR]. The CFO nodded and said 'that makes sense'—I think that saved the deal [IMPACT].' **Example 3: Communication Issue** 'In yesterday's Slack thread about the outage [SITUATION], your message said 'this is a disaster, I can't believe no one caught this' [BEHAVIOR]. Several team members reached out to me saying they felt blamed. It's affecting team morale during an already stressful situation [IMPACT].'
After SBI: The Forward Question
After delivering SBI feedback, don't just stop. Ask a forward-looking question that invites dialogue: • 'What's your perspective on this?' • 'How can we prevent this next time?' • 'What support do you need to change this?' This turns feedback from a lecture into a conversation—and conversations lead to change.
Robert Cushman
I help Latin American tech professionals communicate with executive-level confidence so they can close bigger contracts, command premium rates, and advance their international careers.
After coaching 200+ professionals from Smarttie, Grupo Kopar, Terramar Brands, and Sourceability, I know that what separates good from great in high-pressure meetings isn't vocabulary—it's leadership communication.