Graham Gibbs' Reflective Cycle

A reflection is a powerful process of awareness.

When we reflect about a situation, it provides us understanding, direction and insightful learning opportunities to work and act on.

A reflection strengthen our self-awareness and by default our self-leadership, empowering us to practice gratitude as we also realize how much we do and are exposed to while we keep trying.

Those small little things that can many times, be unseen are those daily small victories that can enrich our life and at the same time provide a big deal of will power to keep growing proud about ourselves but at the same time with an empathic humble approach.

American sociologist and psychologist, Professor Graham Gibbs, developed in 1988 one of the most famous models of reflection and published it in his book Leaning by Doing.

This powerful reflective cycle tool has the following 6 stages that guides us to pick up the learning highlights from situations with the purpose to evolve:

1. Describe the situation
   Ask yourself: “who? (Was involved), what? (happen), when? Why? (You were there)”
   
   
2. Explore your feelings
   Ask yourself: “What did you feel before, during and after the situation?”
   
   
3. Evaluate what was good and was not so good in the situation
   Ask yourself: “What was positive and what was negative in the situation?”
   
   
4. Analyze your evaluation
   Ask yourself: “Why was x negative and why was y positive?”
   
   
5. Make conclusions about what happened
   Ask yourself: “What did I learn? How could this situation have been a more positive one for all people involved?”
   
   
6. Action plan
   This is the moment you plan how you can do instead differently in coming situations to get a better outcome.
   Ask yourself: “How can I develop x skill? How can I make sure to act according to what I learned today?”