Use the C-O-I-N method to structure your feedback

About 6 months ago I wrote about the S-B-I method of structuring your feedback. While the method has stood the test of time and is a great was to communicate your feedback to someone, I would like to also introduce you to another method, the C-O-I-N method. 

The C-O-I-N method of structuring feedback has 1 distinct advancement over the S-B-I method and that is ‘N’. Let’s look at this in more detail. 

The C-O-I-N method of giving feedback is a simple and effective framework for giving structured feedback. Broken down, C-O-I-N stands for Context, Observation, Impact and Next steps. 

Here is the explanation with an example:

C: Context - Explain the context / situation where the behaviour was observed. Be specific. For example: “I wanted to talk to you about your presentation on the marketing campaign yesterday.” 

O: Observation - Describe the behaviour that you observed. Be specific. For example: “I noticed you didn't include any data or metrics to support your claims about the campaign's reach.” 

I: Impact - Explain the impact of the behaviour observed. For example: “The lack of data made it difficult for the audience to fully understand the effectiveness of the campaign.” 

N: Next steps - Provide them with an action plan that can help them overcome the behaviour. For example: “Moving forward, including some key metrics in future presentations would be helpful. What resources do you think would be helpful to find this data?”   

Remember that feedback is an essential tool for personal and professional development. It allows individuals, like you and me, to identify areas for improvement and make positive changes.    

Research has shown that structured feedback is more likely to be accepted and acted upon than unstructured feedback. This is because structured feedback is clear, specific, and actionable. It also helps to reduce defensiveness and foster a more open and productive conversation. 

So the next time you need to give feedback, try the C-O-I-N method of structuring your feedback.