The more clarity you can provide in a conversation the easier the interaction becomes. Clarity can also help make a conversation more meaningful, especially when it comes to small talk.

Those are the conversations we often try to shortcut. We’re lazy in the questions we ask (Think: How are you?) We hope the person we’re talking with says something interesting or we’re avoiding the exchange altogether.

Despite what you might have been taught, open-ended questions create overwhelm and confusion. (Again, think: How are you?) If you want a better answer try something like:

• What's been the best part of your morning?
• How do you feel about the project deadline?
• How do you think the Seahawks will do this year?  

Those questions have a specific answer. There’s no guesswork involved for the person answering. As a result, you’ll get a better answer, the conversation will be easier and more meaningful.

Give it a try with these sports conversation topics this...

Sports talk doesn’t have to be about sports. Sometimes sports is just the entry point to a topic that’s more entertaining or relevant to you. In other words, you don’t have to take sports so literally.

There’s a great example this week right at the top of the list with the Hall of Fame. Maybe Cooperstown and the baseball Hall of Fame is of interest to you, if it’s not use that note as a jumping off point for something more fun that everyone can talk about perhaps a made-up Hall of Fame you would qualify for. Maybe something like Cheese Eating Hall of Fame or the Dog Walking Hall of Fame.

Is it silly? Sure. Can everyone contribute to that kind of conversation? Yes. That’s the point of sports talk and small talk, being able to converse and find ways to connect.

And with that, here’s the full list of sports conversation starters for your week.

“Do you know who won?”

I had already seen the alert cross my phone. I knew Rory McIlroy won the Scottish Open. My husband had not so he happily spent a few hours watching the tape-delayed tournament broadcast.

I didn’t ruin it or spoil the outcome because a.) that would have been rude and b.) because I knew it wouldn’t take long for him to see the end of the tournament.

And that’s one of the reasons sports is a great conversation starter. Sports fans don’t wait weeks or days for an outcome. They don’t binge an entire season at one time. There’s no such thing as a spoiler alert after you pass the 12-hour threshold. The viewing habits of sports fans work to your advantage in small talk.

Here are a few topics you can use to spark those conversations this week.

I had a chance to visit family over the weekend including my sports-loving niece and nephew. Both play sports and watch sports, but for very different reasons.

“Layla is there for the win. Teddy is there for the snacks and socializing.” That’s how my sister-in-law describes their approach to sports it and it totally matches their personalities.

You know what else? A lot of sports fans take different approaches to fandom. It all comes down to personal preference and personalities. That means your conversations about sports can range from talking about the outcome, to the city a game is being played in, and the best food to eat when you’re at a game. Don’t limit yourself but do start with these sports conversation starters this week.

Yes, I really did include competitive eating in this week’s list of sports conversation starters. It’s part of Fourth of July activities and traditions. So is bocce, horseshoes, croquet and lawn darts (or Jarts if you’re of a certain age.) All of it is sports to some degree.

Here’s how I define sports – a physical activity done with a level of competition. For me that could include everything from emptying the dishwasher (yes, I really do race the clock) to running sprint intervals during my workout.

This is a reminder to take a broader view of sports on a holiday weekend when there are plenty of options for participating, watching and talking about sports. If you’d rather not talk about losing the family cornhole tournament to your brother for a second straight year, here are a few topics you can use when joining small talk this week.

In baseball hitters (and managers) talk about the importance of not giving away at bats. In other words, they don’t want to give in to a pitcher. They want to stay competitive. Even if the end result is a strikeout, a competitive at-bat is still a measure of success.

I don’t usually go the “inside baseball” route in this weekly note, but when I think about small talk I don’t want to give away my opportunity. I want to find a way to engage, connect and walk away with a measure of success.

My goal is that these sports conversation starters give you a measure of success in small talk this week as well.

Every week for the last 15 years I've posted a list of what I thought were Sports Conversation Starters...but I might have gotten it wrong. It might be better to categorize them as "Conversation Joiners." 

You don't have to start the conversation to participate in one. My goal is to always give you one or two tidbits you can contribute to a conversation. So thank you Laura for sending me a note with the phrase #ConvoJoiners because that's exactly what these are. 

Out of habit I'll probably still call them conversation starters, but however you think of them I hope this list makes the thought of small talk less intimidating and more interesting. 

I forgot how awesome it is to be a fan.

That might sound weird, but cheering is not only discouraged it’s not allowed where I sit or stand for games. I am doing a job. Emotion isn’t part of that. But twice in the last three days, I was able to be a fan. I attended WNBA Seattle Storm games. I cheered, yelled and remembered how good it felt to do all those things.

Sometimes sports fans want to talk to their feelings sometimes they just want to yell. I encourage you to embrace all of the emotions and the conversations that sports bring your way this week. Here are a few conversation starters to get things going. 

Have you ever found yourself trapped in a conversation you didn’t care about? Me too!

Just last week I was part of a conversation that didn’t interest me because it was the only conversation topic available. Don’t make the same mistake I did, be prepared to bring something to the conversation. These sports topics could work this week. 

This weekly list of sports conversation starters isn’t just to spark sports small talk, it’s to provide a springboard to talk about whatever you’d like.

Here’s how it works:

     Step 1: Pick one of the topics listed, let’s say Brooks Koepka winning the PGA Championship.

     Step 2: Include a second possible conversation topic along with your sports note.

It might sound like this:

“I saw Brooks Koepka won the PGA Championship. I didn’t spend a lot of time watching because we spent most of the weekend looking at houses. Did you watch much of it?”

Sports started the conversation and gave you a way to casually introduce something else you were interested in talking about.

It’s one more way to use sports to your advantage in conversations. Here are topics you can use this week.