One of many people’s fears when going on a first date is what to talk about when they get there. There is nothing worse than arriving on the date and exhausting everything to talk about in the first 5 minutes and then avoiding eye contact for the rest of the evening. Suppose you are nervous or anxious about the date. In that case, going armed with a list of conversation starters should help to ease these fears because you are taking control of the situation and have several options to ensure that the conversation flows.
A conversation starter needs to be something natural and matched to the situation. It is usually done by way of a leading question which allows your date to give their views and opinions rather than a one-word answer. Pay attention to what the person is saying and see if you can ask more leading questions based on what they are saying or give your view and opinion. Remember that this is a date and not a debating society. If you vehemently disagree with your date’s point of view, you could be spending the next 90 minutes in deathly uncomfortable silence!
Current Events
If you don’t already, make sure you browse through some news sites to overview the latest events. Knowing what’s going on in the world makes you sound intelligent and gives you exciting things to talk about. You might want to check the latest celebrity and entertainment gossip pages if you are a man. If you are a girl, you might want to check the latest tech news – yes, these are stereotypes, but it’s also light-hearted information that the opposite sex may be interested in!
Travel
People nearly always have exciting travel stories, which can quickly pass the time. If you went backpacking around Europe, tell them about some funny stories that happened or ask them where they’d like to go if they could go anywhere in the world. If you are lucky, you might have both been to the same foreign city so you can compare your experiences.
Weekend Activities
Most of us tend to waste our weekends, but that’s not to say we don’t have plans or dreams of doing something fun and crazy every once in a while. Maybe you went on a hot air balloon ride or went trekking in the wilderness a few weeks back. Things you’ve done in the past beyond the ordinary can make for interesting conversations and help make you seem more attractive to the opposite sex.
What Do You Do?
Although it’s a bit clichéd, asking your date what they do is one way to get the conversation started, and it allows you to tell them more about you, such as how you got the job, whether you had to relocate, what you would rather be doing, etc. Talking about your actual job can be tedious, so don’t get into specifics of what you do unless your date asks.
However, one thing to be aware of is the situation where you are barraging your date with endless questions and making them feel like they are in an interrogation interview.
Sincerely,
High-Priestess Doris