Our Blog Posts will help you reach your full potential in becoming a confident conversationalist. New topics each week.
Super Bowl conversations dominate small talk for a couple weeks following the big game. They game itself will get plenty of mentions during the upcoming NFL Combine, as the Draft gets underway, when mini camps start and when Training Camps open in July.
The long and the short of it is, the Super Bowl generates a lot of conversation. Sports fans and sports media focus on the outcome, matchups, coaching decisions and stats, but you can use a number of talking points to join conversations. You can even spin off new ideas that spark business conversations.
Here are 5 Super Bowl takeaways to help you think Outside the Box Scores with sports talk:Â
Just a reminder, no one needs to talk as much as Tony Romo. Take a break. Be okay with a pause or even a little silence in conversations this week.
When you're ready to re-engage these sports topics make great talking points this week:
The informational interview. A well-intentioned idea thatâs often poorly executed.
It makes sense to talk someone who already works in an industry or position youâd like to be in. A conversation with someone who has âbeen there are done thatâ can be helpful in planning your own successÂ
I know how valuable those conversations can be because Iâve counted on informational interviews throughout my career as a sports broadcaster and business owner.
These days Iâm frequently asked to participate in informational interviews. As someone whoâs benefited from them I want to help others and provide valuable information. Â
But the information you get is only as good as the questions you ask.
Iâm happy to answer a wide range of questions, but what I really want to do is provide helpful insight and perspective. I want you to feel mor...
For years the first question people asked about my job as a sideline reporter was âWhat is it like in the locker room?â
Over the years that question has been supplanted by a new No. 1: âHow do you know what to say?â
Hereâs the short answer, I always go in with a game plan. I canât be at a loss for words in my job. You donât want to be at a loss for words in conversations because it creates awkward interactions and missed opportunities.
Each week I write the list of sports conversation starters with you in mind. Theyâre straightforward with a little context and nugget of information that you can add to a conversation. Which means youâll know exactly what to say in small talk this week.
And just like every week there are a number of topics to choose from:
How do you lead a team?
How do you captivate an audience and mobilize your message?Â
How do you build culture?Â
How do you develop trust?Â
These are all questions that were discussed in great detail during hiring season in the NFL. They're the important, big questions that you ask when hiring a head coach or GM. They're critical for finding the right fit and winning games. And not a single one of those questions can be answered with a stat or a win-loss record.
They can't even be answered by looking at a resume. Those questions get answered in interviews because they all come down to communication skills.Â
If communication skills weren't the differentiating factor every team would have wanted to hire exact same coach and they wouldn't have needed an interview to make their decision.Â
Your skillset is important. Your results are a factor. Your communication skills are the differentiator.Â
Your resume serves a purpose, but it's not likely to close the deal. Make sure the people y...
Super Bowl prop bets are a favorite conversation starter for me leading up to the big game. For as much as I enjoy talking about the game itself, the prop bets take the conversation in an entirely different direction.
If youâre not familiar with a prop bet its side wager on parts of the game that have nothing to do with the final outcome. For example, you could place a bet on who will be the Super Bowl MVP, the first song performed at halftime, the length of the National Anthem or whether the coin toss will be heads or tails.
Itâs the questions around the coin toss that can lead to interesting conversations with colleagues and reveal their approach to things like project management and productivity.Â
I realize it might sound like a stretch, (after all, how much strategy comes into play when making a decision with 50-50 odds?) but the conversation is less about heads or tails and more about what happens next.Â
On game day the team that wins the coin toss can choose to take the ba...
I totally play favorites when it comes to sports. If youâre a fan I guarantee you do too.
I donât share the same affinity for every team, every sport or even every conversation starter.
Iâm sure you have favorites too whether weâre talking about the Super Bowl matchup or this list of sports conversation starters. And hereâs the most important part, itâs not about being right or wrong itâs about being proactive in the conversation and offering up a piece of information that creates a productive interaction.
There are plenty of sports headlines to talk about. This time of year I will always lean toward football because it really does create the most opportunities with the most amount of people, but any of these topics will work this week.
Sports fans once again made television history by watching Kansas City defeat Buffalo in the divisional playoff game.
More than 50 million people tuned into the game making it the most-watched divisional playoff game in NFL history and the first divisional playoff game to top 50 million viewers.Â
Kansas City won the game and advanced to the AFC Championship game for a sixth straight year, but two of the biggest storylines and talking points among fans had nothing to do with stats from the game.
There are absolutely football fans â like me - who lean tow...
Last week I read an article about journaling and loved the idea of this journal prompt: What story-worthy experience happened yesterday?
Essentially itâs a different way of asking, âDid you do anything interesting yesterday?â Â
As a journal prompt itâs a great question. As a conversation starter itâs probably a non-starter. So is every other weirdo, off the wall, out of left field question. Catching people off guard in small talk doesnât lead to conversation. It leads to confusion and an awkward interaction.
Hereâs what I recommend -ask a question you know theyâll have an immediate answer to. Something like âDid you watch the playoff games?â âDid you see who won the golf tournament?â
Even if the answer is âNoâ the follow up is much easier than trying to redirect a conversation that was sidetracked before it got started â especially if you brush up on these sports topics making news this week.
Youâve set goals.
Youâre targeting professional milestones.
Youâve crafted a plan for success.
Does it include ways to be more visible at work with your managers and even your colleagues? Â
Your work and the effort you put in at work are only part of being successful. Increasing your visibility directly impacts your compensation and opportunities to advance your career.Â
Letting your work speak for itself leaves a lot of room for interpretation and quite honestly results in a lot of missed opportunities every single day.
Standing out at work doesnât require you to take on more work. Itâs not about being the first one to the office and the last one to leave (or log off.) It doesnât mean you have to brag about everything youâre working on.
Your visibility at work comes down to - being strategic and intentional in your interactions. Here are three tangible ways you can stand out every day:Â
 1. Do what you say youâre going to do. Itâs the simplest way to build trust. You can do...
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