Speed dating might be the fastest form of dating out there, but 3 or 4 minutes can still be a painfully long time if you have nothing to say to the person sitting opposite you. If you're worried that you won't know what to talk about, we hope this list of conversation starters will give you some ideas.

Keep in mind that the aim is not to find out everything about your date but to glean clues as to their habits and personality, so you can tell whether the two of you are likely to be compatible. Also, the more creative your questions, the better. After a dozen 'dates', everyone gets tired of talking about their job, the weather or how many times they've speed-dated before...

• What's your favourite kind of food?
• Do you have any pets?
• Describe your ideal holiday.
• What's your favourite movie?
• What sort of music do you like?
• Do you enjoy sport?
• What do you like to do on your days off?
• What's your favourite item of clothing?
• If you were an animal, what would you be?
• Which cartoon character are you most like?
• If someone wrote a book about you, what would the title be?
• Do you have any unusual talents?
• Who has been the biggest influence on your life?
• If you could live anywhere in the world, where would it be?
• What's the scariest thing you've ever done?
• What's your favourite time of day?
• Do you have any bad habits?
• What's the best thing about you?
• If you didn't have to worry about money, what would you spend your time doing?
• What was the happiest day of your life?