FROM RAMBLING TO PRECISION: HOW I TAMED RAMBLING IN 7 STRATEGIC STEPS

7 strategies I used to cut down the rambling:
(and get straight to the point)

1. Cheat Sheets

Keep notes handy to jog my memory on certain stories, especially for common interview questions.

2. STAR Storytelling

Organize answers using STAR (Situation, Task, Action, Result) to ensure clarity and relevance.

3. Adopt the ‘Rule of Three’

Limit my points to three when responding. Our brains typically grasp three items most effectively.

Example: “Three pivotal experiences that shaped my professional journey were X, Y, and Z…”

4. Embrace the Pause

Allow moments of silence between my thoughts, understanding it’s OK not to fill every second with words.

5. Minute Mastery

Ensure my answers are between 60–90 seconds to stay concise and relevant.

6. Regular Practice

Practice by recording myself (I recommend video to see your body language, hand gestures, etc.)

7. Pre-Plan Key Messages

Before any interview, I’d identify core attributes or experiences I want the interviewer to remember.

Example: For a marketing role, I’d prepare my talk track for 1) Campaign management 2) ROI-driven strategies 3) Cross-channel integration

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Long-winded responses can cause the interviewer to disengage & lose interest.

They don’t have a lot of time with you so they’re looking for the most precise, relevant information to determine if you can do the job.

Once you start doing this, your interview game will change for the better.

I’ve included an interview response using the STAR framework below.

📌 STAR interview response example:

Question: Can you share a time when you encountered an obstacle at work and how you handled it?

Answer: In the middle of the pandemic, we had to finish a new credit payments system project for a client due in 48 hours, we were down 2 people on the team, and if we didn’t finish they wouldn’t be able to serve millions of people struggling from Covid-19 that needed to pay rent on the first of the month. I leveraged my relationships to find 2 contractors we previously worked with to quickly plug the existing gaps in our project which resulted in on-time completion and enabled financial support for over 20 million people from 2020–2021.

STAR Breakdown:

S (Situation): needed to finish a new credit payments system project and down 2 people on the team
T (Task/Your Responsibility): the project needed to be completed in 48 hours so that millions of people could pay rent using this new system.
A (Action): Leveraged relationships to quickly find & hire 2 contractors that were able to work on the project.
R (Result): The project was completed on time which resulted in financial support for 20 million people.