Several hours of hiking yesterday confirmed what I already knew. I prefer hiking up a mountain to hiking down.

I know it’s supposed to be easier, but my footing feels uncertain and unsteady on the downhill side. And maybe there’s a little something to the fact that I like the challenge of racing to the top.

I don’t want the same challenges in conversations. I want to make interactions easy and make it easier for people to talk to me. That’s why I rely on this exact list of sports conversation starters to get the ball rolling in small talk. Which one will you use most this week?

The key to effective small talk is finding common ground. And guess what? Sports works every. single. time.

Before you object and start to overthink this, take this question at face value.

“Did you watch any college hoops this weekend?”

There are two answers: Yes or No. I personally don’t care what the answer is I’m just looking for a clue as to what comes next. If you watched basketball we can talk hoops. If you didn’t, you’ll tell me. You might tell me you watched something different or that you weren’t home to watch sports at all which opens the door to another question and possible small talk topic.

And there you have it. One sports question gets you to a more engaging and productive interaction. That’s the power of using sports to find common ground in small talk. These topics could be useful this week:

It's taken far too long for me to update all the things, but you can now find every episode of I Cook, You Measure along with the ingredients lists and wine pairings right here on the website. 

Catch up on episodes you've missed, find a couple fun facts about each show and use the ingredients list to recreate the dishes on your own. 

And did you know there's even more on YouTube? 

We record about an hour of footage and conversation for each episode and not everything makes the final edits, but nothing lands on the cutting room floor. The stories and laughs are just too good not to share. We call them "Bonus Bites." 

There are some fun nuggets, lots of personality and some good insights shared in the Bonus Bites episodes for each show. Dig in and let me know what you think. 

And get ready for the announcement about Season 4. It was shot on location in Arizona during Spring Training so we'll have your baseball fix soon!

Controversy isn’t usually my thing, especially to start off the week, but this hot take is relevant to your career and conversations this week.

The 40-yard dash is a terrible way to predict the success of NFL players.

And yet sports fans are going to be talking about the fastest 40-time in Combine history this week. (It’s the first item on our list of sports conversation starters.) The drill is for show and entertainment purposes. It does not directly translate to football because at no time will any player ever line up during a game and run unimpeded in a straight line for 40 yards. It’s part of the evaluation process, but it’s not the number one predictor of success.

This is where conversations can get interesting this week and give you a chance to think outside the box scores, as I like to say. You can focus on the record-setting number or you can lead into a bigger conversation about how you evaluate talent on your team at work and what activities truly show your value. If you d...

The 40-yard dash produces some of the best highlights of the NFL Combine. 

It's the most-talked about drill but it's not necessarily a good representation of an athlete's value or skillset. When you see the highlights or hear someone talking about the Combine consider how you can spin the conversation toward business topics. For example:

• Are you evaluating talent based on the entertainment factor or the value factor?
• What's the drill that best showcases your skillset? 
• What skillset is missing from your team?
• What does your next best employee look like?

Here are a few other things to consider when Thinking Outside the Box Scores:

The conversation you need this week might not be the one you expect. In fact, it might be a conversation so small you almost overlook it or skip it altogether.

Small talk is the building block for relationships. It’s also why I say  the conversation that changes your career or your life isn’t the one you think. It’s the not “big” conversation regarding a new job, raise or promotion it’s the one that started the relationship in the first place. It's the interaction that opened the door. The small talk you’re tempted to overlook.

Instead of skipping it use these sports topics to engage with others this week.

Conversations come easy to me. They always have. (Just ask every teacher who commented on my report cards.) 

Sports talk has always been a natural conversation starter for me and it comes with the territory as a sports broadcaster. I often tell people sports fits my personality and sports broadcasting fits my skillet.

I am ultra competitive. I am also passionate about effective communication and winning in small moments - both of which are part of my day-to-day job in locker rooms and how I got into sports broadcasting in the first place.

People were not exactly jumping to give women jobs in sports when I graduated college. I learned quickly I had just a few seconds to make a great impression and land my message. It's why I started using Success Statements and why I've been talking about them ever since. 

Success Statements have helped me get a foot in the door, given me a way to advocate for myself and allowed me to effortless stay on the radar of key decision makers. I feel go...

Interviews in Spring Training are the norm this time of year and essentially the questions I formulate are a set of conversation starters. It’s questions like:

• What’s the meal you know you can make without screwing it up?
• What’s the nickname your teammates and coaches gave you in Little League?

Nearly every answer comes with a story and I’m frequently caught off guard by unexpected responses. While I never know what I’m going to get, it is my reminder to not make assumptions.

It’s the same reminder I’m going to offer you this week. Don’t assume women don’t like sports or that all men love sports. Don’t assume you can predict your colleagues’ answers. Don’t assume you understand where someone is coming from.

Keep an open mind and enjoy the twists and turns small talk can bring. These sports topics can help you get the conversation going.

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: 

1. If you’re talking about the success of the Kansas City Chiefs more than your own success, we’ve got problems. The final outcome of the game is a huge talking point and their recent success is impressive. However, if you spend more time this week talking about what the Chiefs did than what you’re doing, you’re missing obvious opportunities to
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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: