When you chat online, the universal quality everyone looks for in an online chat partner is a sense of humour.

Katie Holmes says of fiance Tom Cruise: "He makes me laugh like I've never laughed before."

Laughter has a way of making magic on a date, but dating nerves could easily make the giggles dry up.

However, if you take a few tips from professionals, you don't have to worry about a lack of laughter.

Stand-up comedian Dan Allen says that when you show your date that you are able to laugh at your mistakes, you show them that you don't take yourself too seriously.

Instead of obsessing about making a fool of yourself, use the callback technique to make fun of yourself.

"One time I accidentally mispronounced 'Pinot Grigio' as 'Peanut Gringo', much to the amusement of my date (and our waiter)," he tells Happen magazine.

"Then, throughout the evening, I occasionally inserted intentional mispronunciations, like 'Fill-ette migg-non' into the conversation. It showed that I could make fun of myself and be creative at the same time."

He warned that the callback technique should not be overused. Limit yourself to three times a night, because after that, the joke gets old.

"There's a fine line between hilarious and just reminding your date you messed up," he says.

? Adfero Ltd