Gibb's Reflective Cycle- it's Advantages & Disadvantages

Gibbs reflective cycle 

Gibbs's reflective cycle consists of 6 distinct stages which help an individual to reflect on the experience gained in professional life. The Gibbs reflective model consists of six steps in circular motion. The circular motion of the reflection cycle depicts the process of learning from experience. The model has six steps which need to be followed for presenting self-reflection in professional life. 

The three steps at the beginning of the cycle focus on analyzing what happened to the individual during the experience gained.  The last three steps focus on the steps to improve future experiences in similar situations by learning from the previous experiences gained. 

Step 1 Description: 

In this stage, the individual describes the situation faced by them. The writer provides complete details about the situation and events without any conclusion. The first stage is crucial as it helps set the scene and provides the context of the experience gained by the individual.  Some of the questions involved in the description step are 

• What happened?
• Where and when did the event happen?
• Why was the author there?
• What did the author do?
• How did people react to the situation?
• What happened after the event?

Step 2 Feelings 

In this stage, the writer shares their experiences during the event. In this stage, it is crucial. To describe the feelings and not judge the event based on the feelings. Some of the crucial questions which are asked in this stage are 

• What was the experience of the author and after the conclusion of the event?
• How did other people involved in the situation react during the event?
• What does the author feel about the event now?
• What do other people feel about the event now?

Step 3 Evaluation

During this stage, the author evaluates the experience gained during the event. The author provides information regarding the objectives decided and things which did not go as per plan. During this stage, the author needs to be honest, which can help gain fundamental knowledge from the experience gained. Some of the crucial steps which are answered during this stage are

• What are the good things in the experience?
• What are the things which could have been better during the event?
• How was the situation resolved after the event? 
• Do the author's contributions are positive or negative?
• Is the contribution made by others positive or negative?

Step 4 Analysis 

During this stage, the author analyzes the factors that contributed positively and negatively during the event. In this stage, the author evaluates the different options which can be taken by the author in the future during similar situations. In this stage, the author can take the help of different academic tools and models, which can help in formulating strategies for the future.  For instance, if the author faced any problem during the presentation process due to the need for proper structure. Then, the author can take the help of different tools for improving the presentation work in the future. 

Step 5 conclusion

After analyzing various options during the situation, the writer needs to conclude the future. The creation of a conclusion helps in answering the following questions.

• What are the different tools and steps that can be used by the author in future in cases facing the same situation? Are these skills available with the author, or do they need to be developed in future?
• What different steps will the author take in the future?
• How does the author reduce the negative impacts in future in similar situations?
• What different steps can be taken by the author to make the event more positive for others involved in the process?

Step 6 Action Plan

During this stage, the author makes an action plan based on the conclusion and how the author will position himself for similar situations in the future. It has become essential for the author to make the necessary changes and commit to the action plan for facing challenging situations more quickly. 

Advantages of Gibbs reflective cycle 

The Gibbs reflective cycle is essential as it helps the individual evaluate the experience gained and take the required action, which helps better handle the same situation in the future.  Some of the other significant benefits of using the Gibbs reflective cycle are

• The model is considered very easy to use and understand.
• It helps the individual learn from each experience gained over a while from different events. 
• Continuous usage of Gibbs's reflective cycle helps the author develop more accurate and balanced judgment in difficult situations. 

Disadvantages of using Gibbs reflective cycle 

• The cycle is considered more as a reactive model rather than a proactive model used for improving the skills of the individual.
• The reflection made during the Gibbs reflective cycle can be considered superficial due to the need for more references regarding critical thinking, analyzing the different situations and referencing the assumptions made by the author. Also, the author analyzes the situation from a different perspective. 
• Also, the Gibbs reflective cycle lacks profound analysis questions regarding the event or experiences.
• The Gibbs reflective cycle is solely based on the experiences shared by the individual. However, it can be difficult for some individuals to share their experiences and feelings, which can result in making the Gibbs reflective cycle ineffective for personal reflection. 
• To improve the results gained by the Gibbs reflective cycle, it becomes necessary to take the help of an expert of the cycle or coach guiding every step. This makes it difficult for each individual to use the Gibbs reflective cycle independently.