How do you discuss non-functional requirements without sounding rehearsed?

i often feel like i'm sounding rehearsed when discussing non-functional requirements (NFRs) at the start of a system design interview. bringing up availability, latency, consistency, and scalability feels robotic and forced, even though they're critical. how do you naturally weave NFR discussions into the conversation? is it better to explicitly ask the interviewer about their priorities for these, or to make assumptions based on the problem and justify them? i want to demonstrate a strong understanding of these requirements without it feeling like i'm just ticking boxes.