March Madness gives you an advantage in small talk and relationship building for the next three weeks.

Spring Training can be a reminder about getting the right folks on your team and in your corner.

Sports is more than stats and scores… if you allow it to be. With that in mind here are sports topics worth using in small talk this week

Each week I encourage you to utilize opportunities in small talk. This week I’m encouraged by a conversation that took place 10 years ago…

Friday I spoke a conference and the name of one our afternoon speakers looked very familiar. I couldn’t place it until she gave me a hug and said thank you for taking the time to talk to her several years earlier at the same conference. That interaction and the couple follow up emails and conversations led to finding her perfect job in sports. 

Talking to aspiring broadcasters is something I do frequently, but I don’t always hear the follow up success stories and get the reminder that conversations matter – even the ones you might have forgotten about or are no longer top of mind. I don’t remember the specifics of that conversation 10 years ago but I am positive it started with small talk at the conference. Small talk set the tone for our interactions and laid the foundation for bigger conversations that...

Change management in real time.

That’s what we’re seeing across Major League Baseball as a result of new rule changes that include a pitch clock. That means that for the first time ever the game will be timed at the big league level.

There are a couple of things I want point out:

1. Regardless as to if you’re a baseball fan, change is something we are all forced to deal with from time to time.
2. This is a perfect example of a parallel between sports and business. You don’t have to talk about baseball. You can use baseball to springboard into bigger topics about adapting and reacting to change.

The baseball rule changes are a popular topic at the moment, but if you’d like additional headlines for small talk this week check out the full list below.

I’m generally baffled and surprised by the topics that get characterized as “conversation starters.” I think what most blogs, news organizations, feeds, etc. mean to say is, “Here’s something interesting to talk about among friends.”

Big topics that include hot-button issues and require a deep-dive aren’t good conversation starters in a business setting. When you weed through the remaining options after removing: money, religion, politics and sex you’re left with the weather – boring! And sports – Bingo!

Now might be a good time to mention that 113 million people watched the Super Bowl between the Chiefs and the Eagles last week making it the third most-watched television show all-time. (In case you’re wondering, the top two broadcasts are also Super Bowls.)

Sports works in small talk and as a productive conversation starter. Use these topics to get the ball rolling this week.

It doesn’t get much better than this, at least in terms of conversation starters. The Super Bowl had a little something for everyone, whether it was the game itself, the half time show or the food you indulged in.

Chances are there’s at least one element of the Super Bowl you are interested in talking about, and guess what? There are millions of people who are not only willing to talk about the game, but really want to talk about the game. Every year the Super Bowl is one of the highest rated programs on live TV. Use that to your advantage in small talk this week and while you’re at it, use the rest of these sports topics too.

According to a recent study done at the University of Kansas quality conversation makes our days better. Interestingly enough, the definition of “quality conversation” in their research ranges from joking around to catching up and valuing others and their opinions.

Here’s what I found interesting, they didn’t specify how long a conversation needed to be in order to improve connection and overall well-being.

That means the length of the conversation doesn’t determine the quality of the conversation.

To me that reinforces the fact small talk can count as quality conversation IF and WHEN we’re intentional about it. You can make it a meaningful exchange by preparing and having something to say. Here are a few sports headlines that can help with quick, quality interactions this week.

The Super Bowl matchup is set. There’s a huge NBA milestone on the horizon and there are a handful of topics you can use in small talk this week. Sports is more than stats and scores, you’ve read this from me before, but you may or may not have seen the most recent Thinking Outside the Box Scores video that could be really useful this week because of LeBron James and I’m launching my new cooking show I Cook, You Measure on Friday.

Sports talk and sports conversations come in many different forms. Find one that works for you and use these talking points as conversation starters this week.

Our work relationships are far more important than we give them credit for.

That’s one of the key findings in a recently published book on the scientific study of happiness. The authors also note that it can be difficult and awkward to form relationships because the modern workplace is maximized for efficiency and the ability to work independently. There’s also the fact that many conversation topics are off limits and taboo.

So, what can you do to build relationships that lead to more satisfying relationships at work? Start with small talk. Sports small talk in particular could be the entry point you’re looking for with so many topics you can’t (or shouldn’t) talk about at work.

You don’t have to care about the outcome of a game to engage in a short worthwhile conversation with a colleague. You can learn a lot about the people you work with in every interaction even if it’s just a conversation about one of these sports topics making...

All it takes is a Sunday of watching football to realize how judgy I am. I’m not proud of it, but I did find myself making unfair judgements about teams, players, coaches and fans based on what I saw on TV. (As a point of reference, I’m an NFL sideline reporter and rarely have an entire Sunday to watch football but the Seahawks played Saturday and lost so I had a day on the couch to watch football.)

I’ve spent 20+ years in locker rooms and I love my guys, but I can understand why opposing fans might not feel the same way about all the players I’ve covered. I also know from personal experience that getting to know players (i.e. people) on a personal level makes a huge difference. Being willing to engage and cultivate a relationship is the difference between being skeptical and becoming a full-blown fan. 

Let me sum up this personal revelation by saying this – you choose the relationships you have with the people around you. You can choose to get to...

Football is too violent for some people. Baseball is slow for others. Hockey doesn’t make sense to one group of fans while basketball and soccer has never been an interest to others.

You don’t have to share the same opinion about sports as everyone else, but you should consider respecting others for their opinion. You might think the conversation is just about sports, but it’s also a chance to practice conversation skills (and maybe empathy) that’s needed in business conversations. You don’t have to agree but try to talk (and listen) to other sports fans this week using these sports conversation starters.