Overview
A connection circle arranges the key elements of a situation around a circle and draws arrows showing what influences what. Once the arrows are in, feedback loops become visible — chains that curl back on themselves — and those loops, not any single element, are usually what drives the system’s behaviour.
It is a fast, low-tech way to shift from linear cause-and-effect thinking to seeing circular causality: A raises B, B raises C, C feeds back into A. Spot the loop and you understand why the system accelerates, oscillates, or stubbornly resists change.
When to use it
A situation has many interacting parts and you need to see the loops, not just the list.
How to use it
List the key elements
Choose the handful of variables that matter, and place them around a circle.
Draw influence arrows
Connect elements that affect each other, arrow pointing from cause to effect.
Label each link
Note whether an increase in one raises or lowers the other.
Find the loops
Trace arrows that return to their start — those closed chains are the feedback loops.
Interpret the behaviour
Reinforcing loops explain growth or collapse; balancing loops explain stability or oscillation.
Worked example
Mapping user growth: signups → content → search traffic → more signups — a reinforcing loop that explains the product’s takeoff. A second loop — growth → server load → slow site → fewer signups — explains the ceiling. Seeing both loops tells the team to invest in capacity before the balancing loop bites.
Common pitfalls
- Including too many elements, so the diagram becomes an unreadable web.
- Drawing arrows without noting direction of effect, which hides loop behaviour.
- Confusing correlation with influence when placing arrows.
Frequently asked questions
How many elements should I include?
Five to ten. Enough to capture the system, few enough to read the loops.
What am I looking for?
Closed loops — chains of arrows that return to their starting element — because they drive the dynamics.
How is it different from a concept map?
Connection circles focus specifically on influence and feedback loops, not general relationships.