The SBI conversation model

I'm lucky to be part of a great team at Annex Digital. We take pride in fostering a positive and professional culture where everyone feels respected, heard, and valued. Cultivating this kind of environment requires commitment and persistence and lots of techniques and devices you can call on to help sustain it. One device use quite often is a powerful communication tool called the SBI conversation model.

What is the SBI model?

So, what exactly is the SBI conversation model, and when should you use it?

The SBI model is a framework helps individuals provide feedback to colleagues in a respectful, constructive and effective way. It's particularly useful when you need to:

• Give feedback on specific behaviors or actions
• Provide feedback that is objective and unbiased
• Avoid blame or judgment
• Help others improve their performance
• Build stronger relationships

Let's break down what each letter of the SBI acronym means:

Situation: Instead of using vague or general language, be specific and focus on a particular behavior or action. For example, instead of saying, "You're doing a great job," you could say, "I noticed that you always arrive on time to our meetings, and I appreciate that."

Behavior: Feedback should be based on observable behaviors, not assumptions or feelings. This helps ensure that the feedback is objective and unbiased. For example, instead of saying, "You're always interrupting me," you could say, "When you interrupt me while I'm speaking, it makes it difficult for me to finish my thoughts."

Impact: Feedback should highlight the impact of the behavior or action, both positive and negative. This helps the recipient understand how their behavior affects others and why it's important to change. For example, instead of saying, "You need to improve your communication skills," you could say, "When you don't communicate clearly, it creates confusion and delays our project deadlines."

SBI in action

So. Here's a short, fun scenario to illustrate how the SBI model can be used:

Imagine you're working on a team project, and one of your colleagues always arrives late to meetings. You could use the SBI model to provide feedback in this way:

Situation: "I noticed that you arrived 10 minutes late to our meeting yesterday."

Behavior: "When you arrive late, it makes it difficult for us to start the meeting on time, and we lose valuable time."

Impact: "We all value punctuality and want to make the most of our time together. Could you please make an effort to arrive on time in the future?" By using the SBI model, you're able to provide feedback that is objective, specific, and focused on the behavior, rather than the person.

The wrap up

The SBI conversation model is a powerful tool that can help cultivate a positive, respectful culture. By providing feedback that is specific, constructive, and objective, you can help others improve their performance, build stronger relationships, and foster a positive and professional culture.