It’s not how you start… it’s how you finish.

I’ve heard Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll use that phrase countless time over the last 13 seasons. It’s part of his philosophy. A fast start, scoring first, having the lead at halftime can make it easier to win the game, but ultimately it comes down to how the fourth quarter is played.

I couldn’t help but thinking of that phrase during the final week of the baseball regular season. Given the hype, the fast starts and the obvious dominance of a few teams, there’s no way it should have come down to the final two games of the season to determine playoff spots. But it did. Because it’s not how you start, it’s how you finish.

When we think outside the box scores, that phrase leads us toward Q4 goals and 2024 planning.

What do you need to finish strong?

Maybe it’s more resources, but it could also be more stamina. Or perhaps it’s fewer weekly meetings so you can create larger...

Reality TV rarely grabs my attention – unless it’s sports.

If you want something truly unscripted, emotional and dramatic give sports a try. I promise the final week of regular season MLB games will deliver. There’s still division title on the line and Wild Card spots up for grabs.

Just like in a reality series, you don’t have to watch the whole episode (game) to find out what happens. You can watch the highlights or ask a fan to fill in the blanks for you.

Baseball is at the top of my list this week, but here is a list of topics you can work into small talk this week.

Conversations are a gift of time.

That thought struck me following a conversation with Seahawks GM John Schneider who was raving about a meeting that lasted 2 ½ hours. The information gathered in that meeting was important and useful but he kept coming back to the gift of time - “Can you believe he took 2 ½ hours out of his day to talk to me?”

Your conversations don’t need to last 2 ½ hours. And small talk doesn’t have to be a waste of time. It can be a gift of time.

You can use these sports topics to get the ball rolling in those conversations.

I was wrong. I didn't expect that outcome. 

That's a fairly normal thing to say in a sports conversation. In fact, that conversation is fairly easy and straightforward based on the final score and the stats. 

Admitting you're wrong in a business conversation can be more difficult or uncomfortable. Practicing that kind of vulnerability helps. Sports small talk is a form of practice. It's just one of the ways small talk can be useful in bigger business conversations. 

Speaking of, here's a list of sports topics making news this week. 

You don’t have to be a football fan to appreciate one of the most impressive stats from the weekend games. 546 pushups. That was the total number completed by the Oregon Ducks mascot as a result of the Ducks 81-7 win over Portland State. (In case you’re not familiar with this particular tradition, the mascot does pushups following each Oregon score.)

It’s a sports adjacent topic that can definitely spark some conversation this week – and maybe cause you to rethink your workout strategy.

If you’d prefer more traditional sports talk choose one of the talking points from the list below.

Did you see the game last night?

I know it seems forward and maybe a little out of place if you’re unsure the person you’re talking to is a sports fan. But trust me a yes/no sports question really is the best way to strike up a conversation.

It’s also the first step in using sports talk in networking and relationship building. Whether you’re growing your network, prospecting new clients or getting to know new colleagues the key to building relationships and establishing rapport is making consistent connections.

Sports talk can help you do that, and a Yes/No question like “Did you see the game last night?” narrow the focus and give you a starting point. I personally don’t care what the answer is, I just want a direction to take the conversation and craft my follow up interaction.

The next interaction might be about sports, or maybe the conversation branches out. That can happen if  you keep an open mind.

It’s not all about sports,...

Looking at my weekly schedule and to-do list is a little daunting this time of year. I bet that’s true for you as everyone settles into a more “normal” routine following summer schedules and vacations.

I know it’s easy to focus on everything you have to do and start eliminating the non-essential conversations  like small talk. But it might be worthwhile to remember small talk helps build rapport and relationships that can help you get  more done. In addition, small talk can last for seconds not minutes.

Keep it short and sweet and keep that top of mind when talking about these sports topics this week.

If you, like Julie Andrews, believe the beginning is the very best place to start then this is the very best time to become a football fan or at the very least joining football conversations. (And thank you for indulging my Sound of Music reference.)

The start of every sports season is a good place to start but football season gives you the greatest opportunity to leverage sports conversations and build relationships with football fans.

That’s because football, NFL in particular, is the most popular sport among sports fans in the United States by a wide margin based on yearly Gallup surveys. As a result, you don’t have to go far to find a headline and jump into the conversations.

I find those points compelling, but here are a few others to boost your confidence in becoming a football fan at the beginning of the season. 

It’s a natural starting point. Every team starts with a 0-0 record in Week 1. It doesn’t matter if you watched the preseason games or...

A lot of sports talk focuses on the “Big 4” of football, baseball, basketball and hockey because they tend to be the most popular, most talked about and watched sports throughout the year.  

But you can be a fan of whatever sport you want.

I always chuckle at the folks who tell me they’re not sports fans but then say they love playing tennis and watching soccer. Don’t overlook or downplay your sports interests. Bring them up in conversation. And if soccer and tennis happen to be on your radar – there are a couple topics in this list of conversation starters you can use this week.  

When I think about connecting or networking I’m usually focused on who I need to meet or my objectives for building relationships. But sometimes its helpful to look at the other side of the conversation and consider the person you’re talking to might want to connect over something specific – like a favorite player, sport, team or city.

Giving people an opening to talk about something they’re interested in they’ll open up and make meaningful connections.

These sports conversation starters can help with that this week.