Situation-Behavior-Impact Feedback
Deliver hard feedback as an undeniable subjective observation, not a verdict
- Difficulty
- Easy
- Time to result
- ~days to results
- Steps
- 3
- Confidence
- 90%
A three-part structure for delivering feedback that can actually be heard and acted on: name the specific situation, describe the observable behavior, then share the impact it had on you. Because impact is framed as your subjective experience rather than an objective claim, it can't be argued away — which is what starts a productive conversation.
Origin
Costello learned this from Intuit's manager training program; the Situation-Behavior-Impact (SBI) model originates from the Center for Creative Leadership.
Core principles
- 01Feedback fails when it's about being right or transmitting the 'correct' information to the other person.
- 02Feedback works when it shares the impact of the person's choices on you.
- 03Impact framed as subjective ('what you experienced', not 'what the camera recorded') is inherently valid and therefore hard to reject.
How to run it
- 1
State the situation
Anchor the feedback to a specific moment — 'on Tuesday in that meeting at three o'clock' — so it's concrete and not a vague generalization.
- 2
Describe the behavior
Name the specific observable action without interpretation — 'you interrupted me while I was saying this thing.'
- 3
Share the impact on you
Say how it affected you — 'it made me feel like you weren't listening.' Frame it explicitly as your subjective experience, which makes it true and valuable and cannot be debated away.
Pro tip It doesn't matter what the impact is; because it's a subjective observation, it's what you experienced and therefore it's true and gets the conversation started.
In the wild
Costello uses the format for the hardest feedback — 'God forbid what someone wears to the office' or how someone communicates — because the SBI framing is formalized enough that people can engage with it rather than get defensive.
→ The feedback gets internalized and acted upon, setting teammates up for growth; Costello says she still uses the format today.
Common mistakes
Treating feedback as delivering the 'right' information
Framing feedback as being right or correcting the other person triggers debate; sharing subjective impact keeps it undeniable and opens a conversation.
Avoiding feedback entirely as a manager
If you don't say what you mean in a way that can be internalized, you fail to set up your team for growth or career success.
Is it for you?
Best for
Managers who need to deliver difficult or sensitive feedback in a way that's actionable rather than defensive
Not ideal for
Purely factual/technical corrections where subjective impact framing adds unnecessary weight
From the transcript
“I'm gonna convey this feedback as situation Behavior impact like the situation is like on Tuesday in that meeting at three o'clock Behavior uh you…”
“it's a subjective observation it's not what the camera recorded it's what you experienced and therefore it is true and valuable feedback”
From the episode
How to ask the right questions, project confidence, and win over skeptics
Paige Costello (Asana, Intercom, Intuit)