Every sports story can take on a business application if you’re willing to think outside the box scores. Whether you’re looking for an example of perseverance (like at the French Open) or a conversation about tight competition in the marketplace (like in the Stanley Cup Finals) there’s a direct sports correlation which can help spark conversations that are needed in business.

Of course, there’s also just the sports topics themselves. Here are a few you might hear in conversations this week.

Memorial Day weekend marks the unofficial start to summer and always includes the Indy 500. This year Alex Palou won in front of a packed grandstand and chugged a bottle of milk in Victory Circle. (In case you’re wondering, drivers can choose fat-free, 2% or whole milk before the race.) It’s a unique celebration and one that makes a fun conversation starter on a holiday weekend.

Here are a couple options:

• Would you rather chug a glass of milk or grape juice with dinner?
• What has to be included in celebration that involves food?

You can also stick to sports and use any of these topics to get the conversation going.

You know what to do. I don't need to remind you of the importance of small talk during the week. I do feel like these sports topics will make it easier. 

You know what to do. I don't need to remind you of the importance of small talk during the week. I do feel like these sports topics will make it easier. 

The amount of joy I felt was odd but noticeable.

I was out for a run yesterday and nearly every person I passed waved or said “Hi.”  A tiny gesture. A brief encounter. And yet I couldn’t stop smiling.

Small interactions can create an outsized impact whether you’re saying hi or using one of the sports topics to strike up a conversation this week.

I listened to a training session in which the trainer recommended using the weather as the best small talk topic. He even went so far as to say, “Everyone responds when I ask about the weather.” Here’s what I would say to that – people give lazy responses to lazy questions.

When I’m trying to build a relationship I rarely care about the weather. I’d rather offer a topic that gives me multiple ways to follow up and actually build a relationship. Sports is always my go-to and the conversation sounds something like this:

“How are you?”

“I’m great and I’m fascinated by the NHL playoffs after Winnipeg needed double overtime to advance.”

On the surface you might thinking this is awkward but I promise it’s no more awkward than trying to pretend like I care about the weather. You just have to think one step ahead in the conversation and know where you would go from the starting point.

And with that, here are a few sports topics making news this week.

I took a few pages of notes while covering the NFL Draft this weekend. Most of the notes were on players drafted by the Seattle Seahawks. Some of the notes were related to the draft profiles of players. Those descriptions included words like: nimble, twitchy, explosive, aggressive, non-stop motor, and my personal favorite - "physical in phone booth fist-fights."

Given the lack of phone booths these days that description might be antiquated, but it certainly paints a picture (for those of us who remember phone booths) and it offers a great reminder of how small changes influence a conversation. A descriptive phrase sets a whole new interaction in motion. A thoughtful question gets small talk going in a more productive direction. 

Whether you're talking about the NFL Draft or some of the other sports headlines, these topics can help you get the conversation started. 

My grandma accused me of cheating. 

We were playing Skip-Bo and she (jokingly, I think) accused me of stacking the deck in order to win. For the record, I did not.. AND it got me thinking about the best ways to stack the deck in every day fashion. Preparing for conversations is one of the best way I can think of to make sure I'm set up to win. It's one of the reasons I publish these conversation starters every week. 

Stack the cards in your favor by making sure you have something to talk about. 

In sports, the smallest adjustments can lead to the best results. It's rare that you see high-performing athletes completely overhaul their technique. It's far more likely they're experimenting with small changes that make them more efficient and effective.

The same can be true in our conversations at work. Small adjustments can lead to the best results including in small talk. Instead of starting the conversation with "How was your weekend?" asking "What was the best part of your weekend?" or "What's the most exciting thing you have on the schedule this week?" can take the conversation in a different (maybe more efficient, productive or interesting) direction. 

If you really want to switch things up you can incorporate these sports topics making headlines this week. 

During baseball season I spend more time talking to people I don't know or people I don't see often than any other time of the year. It's because I'm asked to interview opposing players and chat with coaches and broadcasters who come into town once a year. 

It can be nerve-wracking sometimes, even for someone who's outgoing and typically at ease striking up a conversation. I speak from experience, and I know it's much less nerve-wracking when I'm prepared. Whether it's having my questions ready to go, or a small talk topic at the ready, preparation makes it easier. 

A few minutes looking at these sports headlines can have the same effect on your conversations this week too.