Your first date with a woman can take a lot of time to overcome your shyness and get to know each other. One way to break the awkward silence is to strike up a conversation with her. However, what exactly should we talk about? Are there any topics that we are not supposed to discuss with a prospective partner?

You don’t need to be an expert conversationalist when following these tips. All you have to do is to take note of the following and you will be just fine.

Avoid talking about her past – Never ask about past lovers on a first date. In fact, this should be avoided until she initiates the topic herself. Remember that your lady date may have been hurt from her previous relationship or may still be in love with her ex. At the same time, you also prefer to start with a clean slate. That is why becoming chummy and comforting her about past mistakes may not the be wisest strategy on the first date.

Discuss about siblings – A safe topic of conversation is asking about siblings (brothers and sisters, just don’t ask if her sisters are cute). Asking about her parents could backfire, especially if they are divorced or separated when she was at a young age. Talking about her sisters and brothers usually trigger good feelings and score player points for you since you are showing a caring side and an interest in her family life.

Ask about her travel experience – A tricky way to spark a girl’s interest is by asking about her past travel destinations and where she intends on visiting in the future. If she mentions a spot that she always wanted to visit, consider offering her to take her there with you, provided that you share insights about each other’s cultural background and your openness to new adventures.

Talk about foods you like – If the date is taking place at a restaurant or bar, talking about the kind of food and drinks each of you prefers. Not only can you gauge whether or not you share culinary preferences, but the potential topics are endless and provide you with a safe topic of conversation.

Discuss about career plans – Asking a girl about her past education and whether she intend on returning to school can be a double-edged sword. She may love to go on and on about her numerous academic achievements, but at the same time she might break down and admit that her current job has absolutely nothing to do with what she studied. Either way, you could just reassure and encourage her with an abundance of compliments (not too much though).

Talk about her work – If both of you are ages away from college, then try talking about work and career goals. Do not let her go into the mundane details about how fed up she is with her life. However, people like to brag about their work, no matter how routine it is.

Ask about her friends – Even if you don’t know them, she would gladly tell you about her circle of friends, how much they mean to her and where she met them, as well as all of the things they did together. Listen intently on this one, as you might get important details about her. If you manage to meet her friends several dates afterwards (considering that the two of you are still an item), they are usually the best source to unearth the skeletons in her closet.

Ask about her hobbies and interests – Is she into roller blading? Stamp collecting? Cross-stitching? Dancing? How about sports? What kind of music does she like? These types of non-intrusive personal questions determine how much of a bond exist between the two of you. Besides, this could gain you some insights to follow-up questions.

Talk about activities you could do together – This is a great topic if she is having a good time and her body language is positive. Look ahead and talk about other things that you could do together in the future. Of course, you don’t want to go too far ahead and scare her off. However, if she is enjoying herself, chances are that she would be

Keep talking – Ask her a lot of questions, but remember to listen to her answers and form new questions around those. Don’t forget to have your say as well.