Imagine...you are on your first date...obviously you are seeing this person personally for the first time. After saying "Hello! Nice to meet you.", how do you feel? There is complete silence between you both. Isn't it? Its not new for you but this situation is quite common. There is nothing worse when meeting someone for the first time then that awkward silence after greeting each other. On first dates conversation can be uncomfortably slow at times. You don't know much about the person, you have no history with them and above all the nervousness and tension due to such situation brings things downright awkward.

Come out of it and be a great conversation starter. Now you will be wondering what is this conversation starter??? A great conversation starter is a question or statement that elicits more than a yes, no, or any other one-word response. It also causes the potential conversation partner to think, at least a little bit. But first before we go ahead in suggesting you the perfect conversation starters, we would like to bring in front couple of facts and things we all need to know and understand about socializing on dates.

The most important thing we need to know is that people like to talk about themselves! Most of us would rather talk about our life than listen to someone else talk about theirs. Is it not true? It's just the human nature and there is nothing wrong in it. With that in mind try to focus your conversation on the other person and listen to them patiently.

Keep all the conversation positive and never bring up negative things like death. Also its better to avoid controversial subjects like religion, politics, and abortion until you get to know the person better.

Try desperately to keep away from all conversations like, "So, what do you do?" or, "Where are you from?" This you may know later on, on the second or third date but it may make you seem dull and unoriginal. And this is not what you want?

Here are some good conversation starters that focus the conversation on the other person:

		"You look really nice, where did you get ....(item in question)?" - This will give the person a chance to think and talk about it and tell you the details plus s/he would be happy at the compliment.
		"Have you seen any movie recently? How did you like it?" - They will definitely like to talk about the movie s/he liked and can talk in detail.
		"What kind of music you like?" - This is an opportunity for her/him to share the interest which might be interested for you too.
		"What interesting things did you do this weekend (week)?" - Another opportunity to talk about the fun things being done and people usually love sharing the fun part with everybody.
		"What do you normally do for fun?" - Obviously getting a chance to talk about hobby and one is passionate talking about it.
		"Do you have any pets?" - Start up of a lively conversation because people love their pets and love talking about them even more. If they don't have any pets then just move on to something else. Or, you could ask, Really? Why not?"
		"Have you ever....?" - Ask about something that you are knowledgeable about or enjoy doing. This is a good way to find out if you have common ground. If they do have that interest in common with you then you can talk about it a little and then move onto something else.
		"Do you like sports?" - Both men and women are passionate about sports and all enthusiasts enjoy talking about them. May be you both enjoy the same sport and then why not buy tickets and go to a game for your next date?
		"Have you ever been to....?" - Ask them if they have ever been to a local hotspot that you enjoy. Maybe it's a club, restaurant, or amusement park. If s/he hasn't been there, then this is another great way to get a second date.

All of these conversation starters and many more are simple ways of keeping the conversation flowing and best means to find out more about each other. Be sure to listen to your date carefully and with concentration so that you can ask follow-up questions while learning new things. Plus it will have a good impression on your date, you being attentive and curious to know about the other.

Remember, your date wants to respect you -- don't make it hard for them!