HOW TO USE REFLECTION MODELS
Reflection Models are most effective when revisiting specific situations or circumstances where an individual may feel that the outcome was not ideal. The individual may feel that their contribution to the outcome could have been better or that their influence could have been more significant. Often the situation may have involved some level of emotional discomfort.
Reflection Models provide guiding steps which an employee can follow to dissect and analyse the contributing factors including one’s own feelings and emotions.
However the effectiveness of reflection models relies on the individual being thorough, objective and honest when they capture the feelings, emotions, and other contributing factors to the situation being assessed. A superficial, dishonest or incomplete assessment will not provide adequate opportunity for learning and self improvement to occur.
USING GIBBS’ MODEL
We will now use Gibbs Model to conduct a self reflective assessment. Before you undertake this exercise it would be helpful to watch the following short You Tube video.
To prepare you will need a pen and paper (or computer, laptop etc)and 30min of uninterrupted time.
You will also need to have a previous situation in mind that you will use as the focus of your reflection. Choose one when you:
- Felt emotionally challenged;
- Were unhappy with the outcome;
- Experienced conflict with another person; or
- Any work situation you were involved in that you wished had a better outcome.
Follow the six steps of Gibbs Model using the prompting questions to capture relevant information. Make sure you dedicate sufficient time to complete each step fully and honestly.
1. Description
- What happened?
Give a concise, factual account. Provide relevant details, aims of exercise and what actually happened. Aim to put the reader in the picture.
2. Feelings
- What were your feelings and thoughts at the time?
It is important, although often difficult, to be honest about these.
Identify and examine your reactions:
- How can you explain your feelings? What was affecting them?
- Did they change? Why?
- How did they affect your actions and thoughts at the time?
- Looking back, have your views on this changed?
3. Evaluation
Look at the judgements you made at the time about how things were going.
- What was positive? Negative?
- What made you think this?
Try to stand back from the experience to gain a sense of how it went.
- What made you think something was good or bad?
Examine your own judgements and what contributed to them.
- How do you feel about them now?
4. Analysis
In this section of the reflection, you need to examine the experience in depth, and start to theorise about key aspects. Try to identify an overarching issue, or key aspect of the experience that affected it profoundly, which needs to be examined for the future. For example, an aspect of communication or time management might have played a central part in the outcome.
- How was it flawed this time? In what way? Why?
- How should it work in this situation?
- What ideas or theories are you aware of which look at this?
- Does theory about this aspect help you make more sense of what happened?
- Could you use theory to improve this aspect in the future?
In this section, you need to fully examine and make sense of factors affecting the situation, and exploring ways to change and develop these.
5. Conclusion
Sum up the key things learned through the reflective process, the main factors affecting the situation, and what to improve. This section might include naming specific skills that need developing, or aspects of organisation to improve. You might identify new knowledge or training which is needed.
6. Action Plan
This should be a practical section.
- What could you do differently next time and how could you prepare for this?
- What areas need developing or planning?
- What resources do you need, and where would they be found?
- What steps will be taken first?
Taken from website.
What is the outcome?
The outcome of the Gibbs reflective process should be a clearer understanding of what happened in the specific situation and why. And more importantly, what the individual can do to be better prepared (emotionally and cognitively) for when a similar situation arises.
OTHER REFLECTIVE PRACTICES
Using Reflective Models, such as Gibbs Model, is very good for analysing specific circumstances that have a finite beginning an end.
However self reflection can be an ongoing practice where an individual routinely reflects on periods of time, or regular activities such as important meetings or events.
This ongoing collection of thoughts, feelings and observations is known as reflective journal writing. Reflective journal writing is another tool to help individuals achieve heightened self awareness, improve their EQ and enhance their overall work performance and leadership capabilities.
The following videos provide a very good introduction to journal writing and how to undertake effective reflective writing:
