I bet your brackets are busted… and I’m willing to bet that’s a good thing, at least when it comes to conversations and thinking outside the box scores.

No one wants to be wrong, but in a low-stakes activity like an NCAA bracket it’s actually a good reminder. You might have done all the research, watched a ton of games and made the most educated guesses of your entire friend group – but you can’t control the outcome of games. That fact alone is worth thinking outside the box scores for this week.

In addition, things that don’t go according to plan often make the best stories and conversation starters. I’m rarely intrigued by the story that starts “Everything went according to plan…”

Just a couple things to keep in mind during small talk this week. If you want more than a busted bracket to talk about, here are a few other sports topics making headlines.

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:

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...

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.

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.

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:

For years the first question people asked about my job as a sideline reporter was “What is it like in the locker room?”

Over the years that question has been supplanted by a new No. 1: “How do you know what to say?”

Here’s the short answer, I always go in with a game plan. I can’t be at a loss for words in my job. You don’t 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. They’re straightforward with a little context and nugget of information that you can add to a conversation. Which means you’ll know exactly what to say in small talk this week.

And just like every week there are a number of topics to choose from:

I totally play favorites when it comes to sports. If you’re a fan I guarantee you do too.

I don’t share the same affinity for every team, every sport or even every conversation starter.

I’m sure you have favorites too whether we’re talking about the Super Bowl matchup or this list of sports conversation starters. And here’s the most important part, it’s not about being right or wrong it’s 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. 

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.

• Some sports fans just liked the drama. (The outcome was decided in the final two minutes of the game.)
• Many Buffalo fans commiserated in another heart-breaking playoff loss. (Google “Buffalo Bills wide right” and you’ll know what I mean.)
• Other fans were entertained by seeing Taylor Swift and Jason Kelce celebrating and cheering together in a suite. (I’m sure you’ve heard by now that T-Swift is dating Jason’s brother Travis.) 

There are...