10 Questions To Slice Through First-Date Ice

10 Questions To Slice Through First-Date Ice
By Barbara and Michael Jonas
Special to Yahoo! Personals


Who is most likely to make you laugh?

It isn't a difficult question, however it does require some thought. Now, imagine someone asking you this on your next "first date." Wouldn't it stimulate just the kind of conversation that would help you get to know each other? Not to mention helping you get over the awkwardness of a first meeting!

Dating is partly a process of discovery -- about your potential partner -- and yourself. And while it's fun, it can sometimes seem daunting in the beginning. What you need is some thoughtful conversation and some interesting questions to get things started and help you get to know each other -- something that can bring "play" into the experience.

Sounds great, but how do you make this happen?

One way is to use something like our dating/conversation game, "To Know You…Better." We created the game to help couples overcome their self-consciousness when talking about themselves. "Who is most likely to make you laugh?" is one of the question cards from that game. Answering it might offer insight into your date's character and yours, too (or maybe just your sense of humor). The answer could lead you two into all kinds of conversational directions.


Fun without pressure
Below you'll find ten questions from the game, nothing contentious or embarrassing. The questions encourage two people to have fun "playing" without any pressure. (Yes, dating is also about exploring serious issues -- children, religion, politics, etc., however before you get to those subjects, it's important to find a comfortable way to talk with each other.) Sharing interesting things about each other will lead to the next date, and another opportunity to get to know each other better.

Print out the questions and separate them into individual cards. You can either pre-select the cards you want to "play" or take them all with you and decide how many you want to answer when you're actually on your date.

You can introduce this by saying something like, "I have a suggestion --- there's a dating game, 'To Know You…Better,' and I have some cards from it. Let's give it a try!"


Could span several dates
If you get a positive response, then offer to flip a coin to see who goes first. With these cards, you both answer the same questions. If any card starts a conversation that takes the rest of the date to explore, go with it, and just save the remaining cards for your next date.

But if your date says that he or she is not really interested in using the cards, you still can simply ask one of the questions…and let the conversation flow from there!

You can introduce this by saying something like, "I have a suggestion --- there's a dating game, 'To Know You…Better,' and I have some cards from it. Let's give it a try!"


Print and cut out these cards to try on your next date:

Barbara and Michael Jonas, named "One of America's Most Romantic Couples" by People magazine, are the authors of "The Book of Love Laughter & Romance" and creators of "]To Know You…Better" and other Time for Two games, gifts and getaways..