First dates can be a bit daunting, with many men over-thinking things even before he ever leaves his place to meet up with the girl he’s taking out. While it’s important to be excited, putting too much pressure on a first date can lead to an awful experience for both of you. For that reason, we’re here to help avoid some traps.

Now that you’ve got the girl to accept your invite for a first date, it’s important to play things as cool as possible, avoid texting too much before the two of you even meet. Likewise, it’s a first date, so don’t think you’ve got to impress this girl with a steak and wine dinner that’s going to cost you $200. After all, if the night bombs, you may never see this girl again, so why spend so much on a complete stranger?

Once you decide on the place and what you’re going to wear, here are some things you can do to make the night memorable — and how to, just maybe, have it end with something more than just a kiss.

Stay calm

Whether you met this girl in person or online, no matter how pretty she looks or how outgoing she might be, it’s important to stay calm and be yourself. Remember, girls love confidence, so stop worrying about what you look like or how she feels about you, if you maintain your charming ways, she’ll totally be into you. Take control of the date and make her want to extend things beyond just dinner.

Make her laugh

Outside of confidence, want to know what girls love? Humor. It’s great to be all serious and talk about work and all that good stuff, but it’s totally fine to bring up last weekend’s drunken shenanigans with your buddies — as long as it doesn’t involve meeting/sleeping with some other girl. Tell some corny jokes and make her smile, will you!

Own the conversation

Along the lines of confidence, a man who can carry a conversation and keep things interesting will have more success in a first date than those who come across as shy or timid. That’s not rocket science, so make sure to bring your best gab and lead the convo to make her feel comfortable and entertained. Remember, she’s probably just as nervous as you are on a first date (if not more), so it’s the man’s responsibility to take charge.

Compliment her

If you don’t say the words, “you look pretty,” or something like, “wow, your smile is amazing,” you’re definitely doing something wrong. Girls want to feel pretty, and you know damn well that she spent a good hour or so getting ready to meet you for the first time, so tell her how much you appreciate the effort. Even if you’re not into her, there’s nothing wrong with just being nice.

Pay the full tab and walk her to her car

First off, no matter how things went, a guy should always pay for a first date. If you think otherwise, you have no business dating — OK, we’re kind of joking, but you get the point. After you’ve paid, and assuming you’re not going home together, be the gentleman your mom raised you to be and walk your date to her car. The small talk before she drives away can be a bit awkward, but you’ll get a good feel of how she felt about the first date by the way she says goodbye, either giving you a kiss, a hug or a simple goodbye. It’s at this moment that you can decide if a second date is in the works or not.