Small talk, like every other conversation these days, can feel like a challenge. 

Maybe it’s hard for you to talk, or hear someone talking, while wearing a mask. Maybe it’s because every topic has the potential to become politicized.

I know that small talk can build relationships, but I also know sometimes you just need to take a break and avoid extra interactions.

Even if you don’t plan to use these topics in small talk, read through them to build your sports knowledge base.

Everything is subject to change, including your decisions. 

Don't talk yourself out of making a decision because you're afraid it's going to change. 

It probably will. Leaders change decisions based on new data and new situations. Here's what they don't do - change the process they use to make their decisions.

Steve Singh, Managing Director at Madrona Venture Group, explains how leaders should approach the decision making process in times of uncertainty and crisis. 

I can only imagine how different and oddly familiar it will be to walk into a ballpark today for the first time in more than four months.

Everything about the way I do my job as a sports broadcaster is different. I’m guessing you can say the same thing about your job and the changes you’ve experienced since March.

Here’s one thing that hasn’t changed – our need and desire to connect with people. It might not be in person, it might require masks, it might not be in your preferred setting, but connection is important.

Small talk is part of connecting. Sports can (and I’d argue, should be) part of your small talk conversations. Use these headlines to get the ball rolling in those conversations this week.  

*NOTE: This article is not a commentary on masks, social distancing or other COVID-19 protocols. Please follow the guidelines established by your local and regional authorities.

I’m a sports broadcaster and professional speaker and I hate “thumbnail audiences.” 

I’d rather be talking to myself.

If you knew me as a kid (or realized how much I talk to myself during the day) this might not come as a surprise.

But here’s what came as a surprise to me: it’s 100 times easier to be on live TV in front of hundreds of thousands of people I can’t see than present to a thumbnail audience.

I’d rather be talking to myself.

I’ll admit there is value in using technology to connect. Virtual presentations are the norm these days out of necessity, but you might want to reconsider the impact of those messages. For those struggling to keynote with thumbnail audiences on Zoom, Microsoft Teams or WebEx there’s a reason for that. For those...

If there’s a three-day weekend on the horizon, but you’re working from home does it feel any different?

Here’s one way to break out the norm – tune into the Nathan’s Hot Dog Eating competition July 4. This annual tradition will take place, but like everything else will look a little different. There won’t be an audience. The competition will take place inside, which means competitors get the advantage of air conditioning, and that might be the edge Joey Chestnut needs to break his own record of 74 hot dogs in 10 minutes. The 12-time champion thinks eating 77 hot dogs is a possibility this year.   

If that doesn’t sound exciting to you, maybe these other conversation starters will float your boat.

Choosing not to make a decision is still a decision. 

Even if you made that decision because you were waiting for more information to make the "real" decision. 

Waiting for more information isn't always the best course of action, especially when dealing with the uncertainty caused by a pandemic. The best leaders take action and create options and flexibility. That's as true now as it was when the pandemic started. 

I think it's great advice, but I'm a little biased since it comes from my dad. He knows what he's talking about a number of years in the C-suite. 

Usually sports conversations are my outlet. A chance to talk about something other than news. An opportunity to be entertained, and a chance to build relationships with sports fans.

In fact, that’s how I’ve encouraged people to use sports small talk for more than a decade. 

As a sports broadcaster those conversations are also part of my job, and increasingly more stressful because it forces me to consider what happens if sports don’t return. For me sports conversations are less of an outlet and more like a huge reason for concern and worry.

I’ve heard a lot of people say there are bigger things to deal with than sports, and there is truth to that, but there’s also the other side of the coin – without sports a lot of jobs are lost.

Here’s why I’m saying this: there’s more than one point of view to consider. In every conversation. Be careful about being shortsighted in the way you approach small talk.

Just a few...

Maybe it’s just me, but there’s nothing like a series of 30-second sprints in the middle of a three-mile run to hammer home just how long 30-seconds is. It doesn’t sound like much time, but it’s more than enough to leave my legs feeling like Jell-O and make me gasp for air.

That same 30-seconds is all it takes to further a business relationship and engage in productive small talk.

Conversations don’t have to be lengthy to make an impact.

Short and sweet can do the trick. Try these sports topics making headlines this week to get the ball rolling.

A remote work environment doesn't change the preferred communication style of the people working remotely. 

A remote environment does change your ability to read the room to figure out if you've landed your message. 

It's tricky without audience feedback and engagement. 

Here's what you need to do when preparing presentations, trainings and most messaging with your virtual team, account for two main types of people: data-driven and connection-driven.  

Communicating in a way that people want to hear, or are able to hear, that message increases the likelihood of landing your message in a way that sparks action. 

The video explains more.  

“Are you talking to yourself again?”

I’ve lost track of the number of times my husband has asked that question during quarantine.

It’s something I do when problem-solving or trying to remember something. I usually ignore him because there’s no pretending I’m not carrying on a full-blown conversation with myself.

But there is something I won’t ignore anymore the use of certain phrases that should be canned from how we describe what’s happening right now – unprecedented and new normal.

My background as a TV producer leads to me believe emails have been sent from executive producers to writers and producers across the country telling them not to use those words or phrases. (That happens occasionally when words get overused and lose their meaning or aren’t providing an actual description of anything.)

Let’s be honest, by this point we recognize we have all experienced something unexpected that will reshape the way we do...