Diagnosing Robotic CIRCLES Delivery

Diagnosis: Mechanical Recitation

Rigidity Score: 9/10 - Classic step-by-step framework announcement

Problems identified:

• “C is for Clarify” - Announcing mnemonic letter
• “I is for Identify users” - Announcing step name
• “R is for Report” - Announcing next step
• Sequential numbering feeling (“First”, “Next”, “Then”)
• Sounds like reading from a checklist rather than thinking through a problem

Why this fails: You’re narrating your process instead of demonstrating thinking. The interviewer doesn’t care that you know CIRCLES - they care about your product insights and reasoning.

Natural Rewrite (Same Content)

“Let me make sure I understand the scope first. By ‘elderly,’ are we talking 65+? And what fitness level baseline - active seniors who already exercise, or people who’ve been mostly sedentary?

[Assuming interviewer clarifies]

Great. So I’m thinking about the 65+ age group here. Within that segment, there are really two different user types: active seniors who want to maintain their fitness, and previously sedentary folks who are starting late or restarting after injury.

Their main concern, especially for the less active group, is safety - they need workouts that won’t cause injury and are appropriate for their fitness level and any mobility limitations…”

What changed:

• ❌ “First, C is for Clarify” → ✅ “Let me make sure I understand the scope”
• ❌ “Next, I is for Identify users” → ✅ “I’m thinking about two user types”
• ❌ “Then R is for Report” → ✅ “Their main concern is”

You’re still using CIRCLES - you’re just internalizing it instead of announcing it. The content is identical, but the delivery sounds like natural thinking, not checklist recitation.

Key Fixes for Your Delivery

1. Stop announcing framework letters

• Never say “C is for…”, “I is for…”, “R is for…”
• The interviewer doesn’t need to know your internal framework

2. Eliminate step transitions

• Replace “First… Next… Then…” with natural conversational flow
• Just move into your next point without announcing it

3. Use conversational openers

• “Let me think about…” instead of “I is for Identify”
• “Their main challenge is…” instead of “R is for Report”
• “So I’m thinking about…” instead of announcing segments

Framework as internal guide, not external script. You still hit all the CIRCLES steps - you just don’t announce them.