How to own your first date

You'll have many new and exciting experiences throughout your life, but if there's one that most despise, it's the dreaded first date.

Bookmark this page for future occasions where you need to comfort your companion into speaking with random, fun facts.

First date icebreakers

We are always here to help with some useful tips & tricks. In the following lines we are giving you ideas for engaging topics to kickstart conversations on a first date. 

Childhood memories

Everyone has one or more exciting stories from their childhood that they can share. This can be anything interesting, unusual, or relevant to the current conversation. Feel free to share these little nuggets of information. They may pull a chuckle or a smile from your date.

Share your interests

What are the things that make you feel most alive? Think about these things, and don't be afraid to share them. The idea behind a first date is to get to know one another and see if there are any potential similarities or chances of a second date.

Fun facts about you

If you're unsure what to discuss, you can prepare some fun facts about yourself and allow your partner to share theirs. Use guidelines like 'one of my favourite things to do is…' or 'If I could have any superpower, it would be…'

This is a fun way to learn more about your partner and share more about yourself. These facts can include anything from your mentor to the things you're really good at doing.

Did You Know? - Conversation Fillers

Okay, you've talked about a few things, but the conversation has reached a dead end. Try spitting some fun and random facts before you're stuck with that deadly awkward silence phase.

We suggest you take out a notebook and write these down:

• Lips are 100 times more sensitive than the tips of your fingers.
• Printer ink is more expensive than human blood – crazy, right?!
• If a cockroach touches a human, it runs to safety and cleans itself. – Okay, this is funny. Worth remembering.
• The Chinese organise mass pillow fights for any workers or students under pressure looking to blow off stress.
• If you put a finger in your ear and scratch, it sounds like Pacman. (Try it)
• Japan has a vending machine that gives random girls' phone numbers. (Imagine that! This might lead to some interesting conversation.)
• It's not possible to dream and snore at the same time.
• The oldest living creature on the planet was found in 2006 by scientists. It's a 507-year-old clam born 7 years after Columbus discovered America. The sad thing is that they killed it when they opened it to determine its age. I guess sometimes curiosity isn't a good thing.
• If you live to age 78, it would mean you have spent around 3 months of your life waiting, 5 years eating, and 4 years cleaning.
• If you're looking for something strange, this one might be for you: The X (Twitter) account @HalfPics posts photos of random things perfectly cut in half. This includes everything from food to bugs, machines, human body parts and more.
• Bald Eagles don't sound the same in real life as they do on TV. They dub over the call of a redtail hawk. In reality, the bald eagle sounds more like a seagull.
• It's only the female mosquito that bites humans for blood. The males drink nectar like butterflies.
• Dolphins are different from humans, who must decide when to breathe. The sad thing is that many captive dolphins hold their breath until they eventually die of suffocation. Which is considered dolphin suicide.
• A horse's teeth take up more space in their skull than their brain.
• With a fox couple, only the male stays loyal for the rest of his life. If the vixen dies, he will remain single for the duration of his life. The vixen, on the other hand, will go off to find another mate.

Things you should never share on a first date

Only some things should be shared on the first date. Here are a few basics to steer clear of for a while.

Slow your roll

Keep calm even if your date looks like a fairytale prince or princess. Keep that information to yourself, or share it with your close friends afterwards. Coming on too strong might scare them away before you even get a chance to connect properly.

The ex-red flag

Weird questions

You may be an open book, ready to answer anything and everything thrown your way, but only some are the same. This is a first date, a get-to-know-one-another meeting, not an interrogation.

So please don't make it feel that way. If you're considering asking about salary or how your date's parents might perceive you, stop. These are not first-date questions and might make you seem slightly crazy.

Don't comment on their food

Nothing is more off-putting than someone who makes unwanted comments about the food you order. You know what you like to eat and should be allowed to enjoy it without worrying about free, unasked-for commentary. If you're not a fan of your date’s meal, keep that to yourself. Let them enjoy their food without exclamations of disgust or displeasure.

Remember…

It takes time to get to know someone and build a connection. If you're lucky, you might click instantly and chat without needing any social cues. But many times, depending on personalities, it could take some extra help. Be friendly, be yourself, and dazzle them with your knowledge of the weird and wonderful.