Topics of Conversation on Your First Date

You are on your date, sitting in front of your date, you ordered something to drink, and now what? The rule of thumb to maintaining conversation is to do one of two things: End every statement with a question, or give room for your date to pick up from where you left off. Equally important: Learn to pick up a cue. If your date says, "Hmm, I love this coffee." Don't be an idiot and just say, "Yeah." Say something like, "Yeah, have you tried their Brazillian blend though?" Or "I loved the way the director shot that film." Don't say, "Me too," instead, "Have you seen his other films?" As you can see, it is quite simple to keep a conversation going, but, what if you don't even know what to talk about. Here are a few safe topics of conversations you can open up with:

The Weather
"The sun's been vicious for the last 5 days. Do you think there's going to be a drought or an earthquake?"

Movies
"Have you watched the new Angelina Jolie / Shia LaBeouf / Liv Tyler movie?"

Books
"Who's your favorite author? When was the last time she published a book?"

Travel
"Did you travel? Where and when?" or "I've got vacation leave coming up in a couple of months. Any suggestions where I can go?"

Work
"So what exactly does your work entail? Do you have to work on weekends?" or "What do you do for a living?"

Sports
"Nice tan you have. Do you play sports?" or "You look well-toned. What kind of work-out do you do?"

Hobbies
"So when you're not working or hanging out with your friends, what do you like doing? Got any hobbies?"

The most important thing about asking these first date questions is that they allow your date to talk about him or her self and teach you more about the person sitting in front of you. You should however stay away from topics such as: Politics, Religion, Racism, Sexual orientations and preferences, Mutual acquaintances, if either of you are no longer on good terms with those persons. You could still agree with some of the topics listed and have a great time talking. Just beware that a clash of opinions could result, voices may rise, and someone's drink might end up on someone's face. Save the debates for when you're one of the four things: 1.) Great friends 2.) Boyfriend/Girlfriend 3.) Married 4.) On opposite teams of a debate. It would be safer if you just talk about those topics on some other time.

You now know the topics to discuss and how to maintain the conversation. What else do we need to include? Well, just don't forget to give your date a compliment. Every person likes to be flattered, especially on first dates when the self-confidence is very low and you are both feeling very nervous. Complimenting your date may break the ice, make the other person feel more confident and comfortable and also add some bonus points to your date’s opinion about you. Make sure that your compliments are personal, honest and convincing, and not a cheesy sentence you cite from an Italian movie, which will only make you loose your credibility and your charm.