Gibbs Reflective Cycle [6 Stages + Examples]

Have you ever heard the word Reflective Practice? If yes, then what exactly is it? Think of this as an essential skill that contributes to your personal and professional development. These reflective practices are used in education, healthcare, and management. Well, there are many types of it. One of the frameworks that stands out the most is Gibbs Reflective Style. Yup! That’s right! It was discovered by Graham Gibbs in 1988. Gibbs’s cycle offers a structured framework where pupils can engage in reflection and learn from their experiences.

Moreover, there are six different stages of this cycle. Do you want to know what they are? Then, read our blog! Here, we will explore the six Gibbs Reflective Cycle stages with examples for better understanding. So, come on! Stop scrolling and read our blog! You are going to find it informative. Let’s go!

Stage 1: Description

Here comes the first stage of the Gibbs Reflective Cycle. Here, you have to describe the experience. Think of it as a foundation that sets the context for reflection. Hence, the description should be in detail. Moreover, when delving into this, you must focus on what happened. Also, you have to avoid making judgments and conclusions. Let’s look at its example:

Example

Imagine you are a nurse who went through a challenging shift. You encountered an incident where it became difficult to manage a patient. You will tell the time, place, people involved, and what happened in detail. For instance, You will say: During my morning shift in the emergency department, a 55-year-old female patient became angry when I told her to wait for her turn. She started yelling and throwing stuff at the staff.

See? That’s what the description is in Gibbs’s Reflective style. Now, let’s move to the next point!

Stage 2: Feelings

Stage two of Gibbs cycle is reflecting on your emotional feelings after experiencing something. Here, you acknowledge both positive and negative feelings without judging yourself. The reason for this? It helps in understanding the impact. Here is an example of this:

Example

Continuing the previous experience, you will reflect on: I got scared when she started yelling. Moreover, it was frustrating to see grown women behaving like this. I wanted to help her but couldn’t calm her down. On the other hand, when security came to the rescue, it was a bit of relief.

Here, you can see the emotions reflecting your experience. Now, let’s move to the next stage. Before that, if you are working on this stage and feel stuck, connect with EssayRoo services. They have expert writers who will help you in the reflection process. Moreover, you can learn about Gibbs reflective cycle in detail.

Stage 3: Evaluation

As the name suggests, it includes evaluating how your experience was. Whether it is good or bad? The purpose is to identify what went right and where you were wrong. Furthermore, it offers a balanced perspective. Let’s see its example:

Example

You can evaluate the situation by saying, If I look on the positive side, I was able to calm myself and call for help. This helped in making sure everyone was safe. However, it was hard for me to tackle the situation.

Stage 4: Analysis

Here comes stage four of Gibbs’s reflective style. Think of it as a way to dive deep into the situation and see why things happened. Here, you must consider factors like how different actions might change the outcome. The example includes:

Example

You can analyse the situation by looking from different angles, the patient’s anger was because of anxiety about waiting in line for results. Moreover, my authoritative approach made her feel more threatened. Thus, if I had used an empathetic tone, the outcomes could be different.

Stage 5: Conclusion

Yup! That’s right! In this Gibbs reflective cycle stage, you have to conclude the experience. Here, you should summarise your learnings and tell what things you could have done differently. Here is how you can conclude your experience:

Example

Your learnings can be like this: I learned that staying calm in situations like these is vital. Furthermore, I learned the importance of communicating while managing patient behaviour. In the future, if situations like these arise, then I will look into the patient’s concerns before anything else.

Stage 6: Action Plan

Here comes the last Gibbs reflective style stage. Here, come up with an action plan for the future. The plan must have previous insights and reflections. Furthermore, outlining the specific steps to improve practice is vital. If you need help creating an action plan, connect with the Australian Nursing Essay Writers. They have experts who will help you in creating a plan for this. Now, come on! Let’s have a look at an example:

Example

Your plan can include: I will attend training sessions to learn about conflict resolution tips. Moreover, I will learn how to become an active listener.

Conclusion

Gibbs’s reflective style is a vital tool for developing personal and professional growth. It has six stages, including, Description, Feelings, Evaluation, Analysis, Conclusion, and Action Plan. By using them, you gain valuable insights from your experiences. Furthermore, it allows you to enhance your practices. Be it healthcare, education, or personal life, think of this cycle as a framework for reflection.