Gibbs reflective cycle: a worked example

The six stages of Gibbs reflective cycle, what each one is for, and a full worked example.

What the Gibbs reflective cycle is

Graham Gibbs set out a six-stage cycle in 1988 to help people learn from an experience rather than simply record it. It walks you from what happened, through how you felt and what you made of it, to what you would do differently next time. It is popular because it is structured enough to stop a reflection wandering, but open enough to suit almost any profession.

The six stages are: Description, Feelings, Evaluation, Analysis, Conclusion, and Action Plan.

The six stages, one at a time

Description: what actually happened. Keep it factual. Who was there, what you did, what the outcome was.
Feelings: what you were thinking and feeling at the time, and afterwards. You do not have to justify them, only notice them.
Evaluation: what went well and what went less well. Be honest about both.
Analysis: why it went the way it did. This is the heart of the reflection. Bring in what you know, guidance, or feedback to make sense of it.
Conclusion: what you have learned, and what else you could have done.
Action plan: what you will do differently, or keep doing, next time you meet a similar situation.

A worked example

Description: A patient became distressed when I explained a change to their medication. I had a full clinic and gave the information quickly before moving on.

Feelings: I felt rushed and then guilty when I saw how worried they were. I worried I had not done my job properly.

Evaluation: The information I gave was accurate, which was good. What went less well was the pace and the lack of space for questions.

Analysis: Looking back, the distress came less from the change itself and more from feeling hurried. Clear information delivered without room to absorb it can raise anxiety rather than settle it.

Conclusion: Being correct is not the same as being understood. I could have paused, checked their understanding, and invited questions.

Action plan: Next time I will slow down at the point of giving difficult information, check understanding in the patient’s own words, and offer a written note or a follow-up if time is short.

Common mistakes

Spending most of the words on Description and rushing the Analysis, which is where the learning is.
Writing what you think an assessor wants rather than what actually happened.
Ending without a concrete action, so nothing changes.

Turn a spoken reflection into a Gibbs reflection

You do not have to write against each heading from a blank page. With ReflectReady you say what happened in your own words, and it sorts your own sentences under the Gibbs headings for you to read, edit and keep. It never writes the reflection for you. It is free to try.

Sources: University of Cambridge: Reflective Practice Toolkit.