First dates can be wonderful things, where it could potentially be your last first date ever as you and your date could go on a to have a long and loving relationship together. However, first dates can also be incredibly nerve-wracking, where both of you are far too nervous to know what to say and it ends up being incredibly awkward.
Well, first dates don’t need to be like this, especially when you follow our top tips on how to make sure the conversation is always flowing between you. Which means, before you know it, you’ll be halfway through the date, learning about each other and having a wonderful time. You might even be thinking about arranging for a second date!
1: Tell Them You’re Nervous
If you’re feeling nervous, there’s a good chance your date is too – so be open about it! Chances are, by both admitting you’re feeling nervous, you’ll both instantly relax as that pressure of acting confident is gone.
Once you’ve got that out the way, you can then concentrate on getting to know each other instead.
2: Read Up on Current Events Before the Date
There’s a good chance your date might ask you about current events, such as the trailer for a big new movie or some gossip about someone famous. To stand a chance of knowing what they’re on about, it’s a good idea to read up on the news before your date. It may even help you to ask a few questions if you’re feeling stuck too.
Just beware, you may wish to avoid big political topics, as this can cause friction over opposing views. Save these conversations for a few dates down the line.
3: Compliment on Your Dates Appearance
The likelihood is, you’ve both spent a substantial amount of time planning and getting ready for your date. So, it’s only polite to comment on something you like about what they’re wearing or how they’ve done their hair.
Not only will this give them a boost of confidence, it might lead on to a funny story about a disaster they had with a previous outfit or something that might have happened at their hairdressers.
4: You Can Ask About Their Job
A lot of people might advise you to avoid asking about people’s careers, as it might show you’re more interested in their earning potential. The thing is, though, our jobs are a major part of our lives so it’s daft not to ask what each other does. In fact, you might have a long conversation about each other’s jobs and what you like or dislike about them.
What you do want to avoid though, is leading questions about money such as salary, what they pay for rent or what kind of car they have. As these may give the wrong impression.
5: Try Not to Delve Too Deeply into Past Relationships
It’s pretty common to ask about past relationships on a first date. The key to this, though, is not asking too much about ex-partners and what went wrong in that relationship. After all, the end of a relationship can be pretty messy and not something you want to talk over so soon. Whereas, finding out whether or not they’ve had a serious relationship before or how long they’ve been single for is perfectly acceptable.
6: Think About Some Questions to Ask Your Date
It’s always a good idea to have a bank of questions in your head just in case there’s an awkward point when neither of you knows what to say. Think about questions that will tell you a bit about your date but are also light-hearted and easy going – this is only a first date after all so it should be fun!
Such questions could be:
- What’s Something That You Wish You Could Learn or Be Better At?
- What’s Been Your Favourite Holiday So Far?
- What’s Your Favourite Music/Movie/Book/Hobby?
- What’s the Most Random Thing You Own?
The key is to pick open questions that could lead on to a natural conversation from that question.
7: Make Sure You Listen!
It’s extremely important that you always really listen to what your date is saying. This can be difficult on a first date, especially when you’re nervous and your mind is jumping from one thing to another. However, you need to take a deep breath and really pay attention. As, it’s likely that by listening you’ll have follow up questions to what they are saying or you might have your own experience to add, which all leads to a natural conversation where neither of you are worried about what to say next.
8: Remember to Smile and Laugh
If there’s one easy way to ensure a first date conversation goes well, it’s to remember to smile and laugh. Yes, it might be a scary situation where you can feel pressure for that date to go well, but there’s also something very relaxing about a date that is smiling happily at you as you chat.
Indeed, if you smile your date is likely to smile back at you, instantly making you both feel a lot better about each other and more likely to enjoy your date together. It could even be the reason you both choose to arrange date number two!