Giving feedback to employees: the SBI and COIN models with example phrases

Why a manager needs a model

Without a model, feedback turns either into vague words ("you should be more proactive") or into a judgement of the person ("you're irresponsible"). Neither helps: in the first case it's unclear what to change, in the second the person gets defensive and stops listening.

A model makes you talk about specific behaviour and its consequences. That removes the accusation and keeps the subject of the conversation: what happened and what to do next.

The SBI model: situation — behaviour — impact

SBI (Situation — Behavior — Impact) works for short feedback right after an event.

1. Situation. When and where it happened. "Yesterday, at the meeting with the client…"
2. Behaviour. What exactly the person did — something you could see or hear, without judgement. "…you interrupted the client twice while he was talking about deadlines…"
3. Impact. What it led to. "…and he closed up: for the last ten minutes he gave one-word answers, and we never found out why the project is late."

Then — a question, not a conclusion: "How do you see it?"

The COIN model: for a conversation that needs a result

COIN (Context — Observation — Impact — Next steps) adds an agreement about the next step to SBI. It works well in a one-to-one.

1. Context. "I'd like to talk about this month's reports."
2. Observation. "Three of the four reports came in after Friday."
3. Impact. "Because of that I have to push back the summary for the director, and it goes out without your figures."
4. Next steps. "What would help you deliver on time? Let's agree how it will work next month."

Example phrases

Praise that works

• "You handled the client's complaint in an hour and proposed compensation yourself — that saved us the contract. That's exactly the kind of initiative I'm looking for."
• "Your diagram in the presentation saved us half an hour of arguing. Keep doing that."

General praise ("well done", "great job") is pleasant but teaches nothing. Specific praise shows what exactly is worth repeating.

Criticism without blame

• Instead of "You're always late" — "This week you came to the stand-up after it started twice. The team waited, and we finished late."
• Instead of "You're not a team player" — "You didn't answer Anna's two emails about the budget, and she had to decide without you."
• Instead of "Just do it properly" — "The report has no comparison with last quarter. Please add it by Thursday."

Five manager mistakes

• Saving it up. Feedback a month later is heard as a reproach. The best time is within a day of the event.
• The "sandwich" on autopilot. Praise — criticism — praise. Employees quickly spot the pattern and stop believing the praise.
• Talking about personality. "You're disorganised" is a judgement you can only argue with. Behaviour can be changed.
• A monologue. If only the manager talks, there will be no agreement.
• No next step. A conversation that ends without an agreement is forgotten the next day.

How to practise it with a team of managers

The models are easy to understand and hard to apply in a tense conversation. They have to be practised on real situations. The exercises Feedback on cases and Criticism without demotivation work well for that, and a full two-day training on feedback, the language of accountability and conversations with employees is the Leadership and accountability kit, which is free.