Synonyms for “talk” include: confab, divulge, articulate, confer and confide.

Don’t ask me why I started going down this rabbit hole, but here’s what it got me thinking – those words are so much more interesting and descriptive than “talk.” It’s amazing how swapping one word for another can change the entire feel of the interaction.

So, what if we did that for the phrase small talk?

What if, instead of thinking it as chit chat, we think about it as a connection point?

What if we characterize it as a deliberate interaction?

I suspect that when we do that, we also become more intentional about the message we’re sending and the relationships we’re building. These sports topics can help with all of that this week.

I don't know about you, but my weekend included a parade. One that I was in! (Thank you to the Apple Blossom festival for asking me to be part of their big weekend of festivities.)

I was prepared for the smiling and waving - elbow, elbow, wrist, wrist. But I was little surprised by the amount of conversation that takes place on the parade route. The was a lot of small talk with folks as the car slowly made it's way down the two-mile parade route. Most of the small talk was about the Mariners or the fact that it was raining during the parade. Easy enough conversation starters since most people know me from Mariners TV broadcasts and the rain was a huge talking point for everyone. 

Sometimes small talk isn't that easy or obvious, which is when these sports topics could come in handy. 

I see sports connections and conversations everywhere – including the kitchen.

This week I’m launching a new season of I Cook, You Measure. If you haven’t heard about the show or watched an episode here’s what you should know – it’s part cooking instruction, part entertainment and all about connecting over food and wine. I cook with athletes and we talk sports, but mostly we’re just human beings eating and laughing together. It’s a show that could be a conversation starter for you, your family and your friends. You can find every episode of the show online and look for a new one dropping Thursday. Make sure to like and subscribe.

Here are a few other sports topics you can use this week.

You know that realization that you should have followed up and meant to send a note weeks, maybe even months, ago? We’ve all been there and then been in a position of trying to figure out what to say to get back on the radar without things being too awkward.

Here are my suggestions:

1. State the obvious. There’s no need to lie or to make up an excuse. Be honest in saying that it’s taken longer than you intended to follow up.
2. Use sports. Hockey and basketball playoffs are underway. That means we’re nearing the end of those seasons giving you a timeline to reference and create natural follow up opportunities. It might sound something like this: 

"It hit me while watching the NHL playoffs that we haven’t connected since the Winter Classic back in January. It’s taken me far longer than I intended to reach out. I’d love to get coffee on the books before we get to the Finals.”

Here are a few other sports topics you can use to spark a conversation this week.

I don't spend a lot of time watching golf, but I do spend a fair amount of time reading golf headlines and stories.

In fact, it's how I've determined I'm currently a fan of Scottie Scheffler (which isn't too hard since he's the top-ranked golfer in the world.) You know what else? Reading headlines has given me enough information to engage in plenty of conversations with my golf-loving friends and colleagues. 

The moral of the story is - all you need are a few headlines like the ones listed in this week's list of sports conversation starters. 

The solar eclipse is making headlines this week, but I don’t expect to see anything but clouds Monday. I live in the Seattle area where cloudy, drizzly weather is common and highlights how unreliable (and boring) the weather is as a conversation starter. And yet it’s still the fallback for many people in small talk.

Level up those interactions and your conversation skills by having a handful of topics at the ready including these sports notes making headlines this week.

Sports is a great way to start a conversation – no foolin’!

You don’t have to stick to sports. Go ahead and think outside the box scores by talking about a sports adjacent topic. Top of mind for me are travel plans, favorite ballpark foods and best college memories. The topics listed below can help you springboard into all of those topics – no April Fools!

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: