Emailed Question:
Hi there
What are some good stuff to ask out / talk about when you hit a blank when chatting with a girl on a date?
Sometimes it’s better to say anything than to say nothing at all…
Maybe list a few “different” / interesting questions / topics…
Thanks a lot for all the advice!
Jakes

ANSWER:
Jakes,
Great question.
Hitting that blank is very common…and most of the time…un-avoidable. Sometimes it can be very very awkward…
The important thing to remember is to stay calm. Don’t freak out. When you’re nervous, your nervous thoughts make that awkward silence feel like an eternity….
The beauty of the awkward silence is this:
She feels awkward too!
Most guys start thinking something must be wrong if there is a little bit of silence.
There’s not….trust me.
A minute or two of silence is no biggie.

Here are some tips that I like to keep in mind:
Before your date…think of different scenarios that will be able to start up a conversation just incase you run into awkward silence.
For example, chances are she’s going to be wearing some piece of jewlery…right?
If you hit awkward silence…pick out a piece of jewlery or an item of clothing that she’s wearing and say something to the effect of -
“Hey i like that bracelet…where did you get it??”
Chances are, this will be enough to get her to tell you a story about where she got her bracelet…or how she picked out her shirt..etc etc…
Like I mentioned in earlier tips…Girls LOVE talking about themselves…so LET them..
Ask questions…
Then reply to her answers with stories about yourself….
Perhaps have a story about where you got your necklace…or your shirt..
Make a couple of jokes..
Tell her you saw a bum wearing the shirt you have on now…and you bought it from him for 5 bucks…
Get her laughing a little.
A couple of jokes…and a little bit of laughter eases the tension and gets the conversation rolling.

Think of a few “safety topics” before your date to talk about for when you run into silence.
Good Topics:
Siblings
Movies
Whether or not she likes sports
Music
TV
Hobbies

Bad Topics:
Sex
War
Drugs
Your longest Keg Stand at last weekend’s Frat Party
Your Ex..

Hope this helps, buddy.