Conversation on a date

To take the pressure off the date and to guarantee that the chat flows freely, you can prepare a loose plan of what you'd like to talk about. You'll probably find that you don't need it, but as any tightrope walker will admit, the experience is a lot more comfortable with a safety net.
So prepare yourself a conversational beginning, middle and an end:
You could ask questions about the menu, food or wine they enjoy, your journey there, their work, whether they enjoy it.
What shall we have to drink? Do you fancy wine with the meal? Let's check out the menu! Is there anything on the menu you haven't tried but have been curious about?Where do you live? Did it take long to get here? What sort of work do you do? Do you enjoy it?
You could ask questions about hobbies, travel or anything they've mentioned previously that could be expanded on:
Do you have any hobbies? Have you travelled much? Where have you been? Are you going away this year? What country would you most like to go to and why?
You could also throw in an offbeat question to lighten the mood, something like: "If you could cook for any three people from history, who would they be?". If this peps up the conversation, you could also ask: "What would you cook for them?".
At this point things will be coming to a climax, so if a second date has not been secured or has not come up, a good question to ask is:
What was the last film you saw? Anything on at the moment you would like to see? (and it doesn't matter if you've already seen it, simply say: "Oh I'd love to see that") And if they're interested they should say something along the lines of: "Well I am thinking of going to see it next week you are more than welcome to join me."
Don't worry too much about having to see the film again. The fact is you have secured a second date and when next week comes you can always say "I'm not in a cinema mood. Do you fancy going for a drink instead?"
Five tips for success
Have a few questions and conversation topics prepared in advance.
Listen to your date with genuine interest.
Ask questions - talk about the food you're eating, share the conversation.
Be positive and remember you're selling yourself on the first date.
And finally, you've worked hard to get this date so think happy and enjoy yourself!