10. Choose the location carefully

Picking where you want to go for your first date can be a minefield. Going to a gig or the cinema can be enjoyable but the noise means that you don’t get much time to chat and get to know each other. A formal dinner date can be intimidating and if you don’t get on, you have to get through the starter, main course and dessert! A more casual dining experience or a few drinks are ideal locations for the first time you go out.

9. Dress to impress

It’s important to make an effort on the first date. Wash your hair, have a shave (if you’re a guy!) and pick a nice outfit. If you look good, you’ll feel good and this will radiate and make you seem more confident, even if you’re a nervous-wreck inside!

8. Put away your phone

In this day and age, we all spend a considerable amount of time using our mobile phones, but it’s important to make sure you’re not using it at the wrong time! Checking your phone during a date will make you seem disinterested, even if you’re not. You may want to text your best friend to let them know how brilliant/awful the date is going, but don’t. If you must use your phone, wait until they go to the bathroom!

7. Don’t talk about the future!

You might want to settle down and get married in the next six months, but the first date is not the time to say this. Make sure that a date is about having a fun time and getting to know someone, not an interview to find a prospective spouse.

6. Be yourself

You shouldn’t try to be something you’re not to impress the other person and this will always backfire. If you’ve embellished yourself a little on the first date, it’ll be obvious on the subsequent dates so those white lies that you think are harmless may come back to haunt you. However, although you need to be yourself you should keep an eye on exactly how much you’re telling the other person…

5. Don’t reveal too much about yourself

There are some things which people just don’t want to hear on a first date. Anything about exes is a definite no-go, and if you have any major emotional baggage the first time you go out is not really the perfect time to mention it. Of course, if the date does turn into a relationship, you will talk about these things eventually.

4. Think about conversation in advance

There’s nothing worse than awkward silences, so be prepared for this eventuality! Think of a couple of subjects to talk about in case conversation doesn’t flow on its own to avoid the uncomfortable moments where you can’t think of anything to say.

3. Pay attention

You’ve gone on a date with someone because you want to get to know them better, so make sure that you’re listening when they talk about themselves. This also includes making sure your body language shows you’re listening by making eye contact, nodding and smiling.

2. Don’t drink too much!

You might be nervous and want some Dutch courage, but getting so drunk that you can’t talk or stand up is never going to make a good impression.

1. Enjoy yourself!

A date is meant to be fun, so stop worrying and just have a good time. Don’t let nerves get in the way of having an enjoyable experience and even if it doesn’t go exactly according to plan, there are plenty more fish in the sea!