by Jane Allyson

Created on: September 09, 2008

First dates can be an extremely daunting experience. One of the first things that we worry about is making a fool of ourselves and not finding enough to talk about. From personal experience, one of the worse things that can happen is to be taken out for a lovely meal and then "dry up" in the conversation department. Never rely on your date to have plenty to talk about because they may be relying on you to do the same thing!

So what on earth do you find to talk about? The next worse thing to being struck dumb is getting an attack of verbal diarrhea and making a complete idiot of yourself as you desperately mouth a load of drivel just so you don't have to suffer those embarrassing pockets of silence.

One way to break the ice and get positive communication under way is to give your date a quick call about an hour before you are due to meet. It will put her mind at ease about any fears about being "stood up" and it will flatter her to think that you are looking forward to meeting her. It will also help to get the ball rolling in the conversation department and help to avoid the initial first few minutes of awkwardness when meeting up.

One important factor to help the evening be a successful one is to keep your intake of alcohol to a minimum. This will enable you to concentrate properly on what is being said and you are less likely to speak impulsively about something that you may regret at a later stage.

Turn off your mobile phone. Breaking off your conversation and talking on the phone in front of her is incredibly rude and she will be embarrassed.

Getting a conversation rolling is fairly easy if you stick to non invasive questions. Does your date have any particular interests? Does she have any hobbies? What is she really good at? Can she roller skate? Or ice skate? And what about bowling? Does she enjoy strolls in the countryside? Or walks by the river? The replies gleaned from these types of questions may give you a clue where your next meeting can be held at a later date and it will help to give you a good idea about how well suited you may be as a couple.

Keep questions very generalized and non intrusive. If it goes well, she may decide to fill you in on more personal details later.

She may want to know how long you have been single and get a rough idea of the type of relationship you may be looking for, but nothing heavier than that. Never discuss sex on a first date, even if she raises the subject first.

She is interested in you, so it is fine to talk about your

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