By Team Sirf Coffee
Meeting a stranger on a first date can evoke many emotions – excitement, anticipation and sometimes, even stress. Right from what you’re going to wear and what you should order (and everything in between), there’s just so much to process. We get it.
The best kinda first date is fun, interactive and free flowing (we can assure you that awkward silence is often the number one killer of promising dates).
All you need to do, is master these all-too-easy icebreakers.
What’s next on your bucket list?
If someone gave us a nickel for every time we met a client who “loves to travel” (often said with heaving emotion) we’d be listed on the Exchange already. We all want to be with people who have a sense of adventure (big or small) and the zest to try something new.
What shows do you love to binge-watch?
We live in times where a Netflix account holds as much importance as a gym membership. So much to watch, so little time. Sci-fi, romantic, thriller, documentaries, drama, action – their taste in shows can tell you much about people.
What’s your biggest dream?
‘A farm with a yoga retreat in the hills.’
‘To finish the book I started three months ago’.
‘Starring in the next Black Panther franchise’.
It’s always nice to know about someone’s personal hopes and dreams.
What are you most excited about at your job?
If their answer is “when I leave for home”, then that tells you a great deal about their current frame of mind for most of the day. Unless someone is working at this office for pure survival, you really don’t want someone who is perennially disgruntled with their stagnating professional growth.
If you were marooned on an island, and could have a meal with anyone (dead or alive), who would it be?
An interesting one, this. It can tell you so much about your date’s affinity towards personalities. A starry-eyed celebrity crush, bestselling crime author, Nobel Prize winning scientist or a hunky sportsman – what kind of person makes them tick?
What’s your go-to drink?
It’s not a bad idea to discuss what you both enjoy (and don’t) when it comes to your preferred spirit. As long as your date isn’t an alcoholic who can’t hold his/her drinks, this can also be a nice second date idea – hit up a microbrewery that he was raving about or try a fancy single malt tasting together.
Who would you give a kidney for, to watch live?
Adele, Benedict Cumberbatch, Queen Bey or a TED Talk with Elon Musk? This will help you to quickly gauge if you have a connection or not. Maybe they’re not a live gig kinda person at all (definitely not our type then)
If you could take an all-expenses paid trip tomorrow, where would it be?
Asking what kinds of vacations your date likes to take will help you understand their personality type. Fantasizing about the world opens a whole new window of conversation and is a great bonding exercise. Do they dream of seeing gorillas in the wild in Rwanda, or prefer to laze on a private island in the Maldives? Either way, studies say that almost 18% of couples that discussed travel went on a second date, compared to only 9% of couples that talked about movies.
What’s the funniest / most weird first date you’ve ever been on?
What is the ultimate purpose of bad dates? They make for great party conversation! Whether we admit it or not, we’re always interested in those stories (also, in some way, you want them to tell you so that you don’t end up doing the same thing). You can totally dive into this territory and joke around, unless that leads to your date bitching them out or saying really nasty things. We’d probably wave a red flag right about…there.
What’s the most memorable meal you’ve ever had?
A $400 Wagyu steak? Your grandma’s khichdi? New York’s best pizza? (Psst…Di Fara, under the Brooklyn Bridge). You’ll discover how particular your date is about his food, how adventurous his or her palate is, and if you share a love (or hatred) for pickled gherkins.
So you see, it’s really not that hard to ace your first date. Be yourself, make your date feel comfortable, and not like they have to respond to a scripted interview. Stay engaged. Make eye contact (and remember to blink!). Be a good listener. Balance the conversation so that you’re not the only one doing all the talking. If the relationship culminates into something meaningful, you’ll have plenty of time to touch upon the heavy duty stuff anyway.
And if it’s going well, you’re always welcome to use our favourite question of all time.
Can I get you another drink?
