Not everyone takes feedback the same way. This is why it's important to align your feedback approach to your employee's feedback preferences. Below are seven approaches for giving feedback that can be equally effective, depending on the context and the individual receiving the feedback.

SBI Model (Situation-Behavior-Impact)

Description: This method involves describing the Situation where the observed behavior occurred, specifying the Behavior itself, and explaining the Impact of that behavior.

Advantage: It’s clear and focuses on specific incidents, which makes the feedback less personal and more actionable.

Example: "In yesterday’s team meeting (Situation), when you interrupted colleagues (Behavior), it created a tense atmosphere and some felt they couldn’t express their ideas (Impact)."

BI Model (Behavior-Impact)

Description: A streamlined version of the SBI model, focusing only on the Behavior and its Impact, omitting the specific situation.

Advantage: It’s useful for ongoing behaviors that have been observed multiple times and emphasizes the effects of these behaviors.

Example: "When you deliver your reports ahead of deadlines (Behavior), it greatly assists in our planning and sets a positive pace for the team (Impact)."

STOP-START-CONTINUE Model

Description: This method involves discussing behaviors or actions the employee should stop, which they should start, and which they should continue doing.

Advantage: It covers a comprehensive range of feedback, from negative to positive, in a structured manner.

Example: "Stop postponing the weekly check-ins, start organizing your task list at the beginning of the week for better productivity, and continue with your detailed project updates."

Feedforward

Description: Instead of focusing on past behaviors, feedforward looks to future development. You suggest actions the employee can take going forward to improve.

Advantage: It’s particularly positive and forward-looking, focusing on future potential rather than past mistakes.

Example: "For the next project, consider involving the marketing team earlier in the planning stage to leverage their insights for better outcomes."

360-Degree Feedback

Description: This approach involves collecting feedback from an employee’s supervisors, peers, subordinates, and sometimes clients.

Advantage: It provides a comprehensive view of an employee's performance from multiple perspectives.

Example: In this method, the feedback is compiled from various sources and usually presented in a summarized form to the employee.

Direct Feedback

Description: Direct feedback is straightforward and focuses on specific behaviors without the framing techniques used in other methods.

Advantage: It’s clear, time-efficient, and leaves little room for misunderstanding.

Example: "Your report on the client feedback was comprehensive and provided valuable insights. In future reports, please include actionable recommendations as well."

Motivational Interviewing

Description: This method involves asking open-ended questions, affirming the employee’s strengths, listening reflectively, and summarizing the conversation to guide the employee to self-reflect and find their motivation to change.

Advantage: It empowers employees to take ownership of their improvement and solutions.

Example: "What changes do you think could make the most impact on your productivity? How can we leverage your strengths to meet this challenge?"

Each of these methods has its place and can be effective in different scenarios. Choosing the right method depends on the specific situation, the relationship between the feedback giver and the receiver, and the receiver’s openness to feedback.