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...

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:

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.