The first thirty seconds
Dear The Opening,
Nobody falls in love in thirty seconds. But most people decide in thirty seconds whether they want the next four and a half minutes. That is long enough to matter.
Here is what that window actually asks of you: nothing impressive. Just present. Just willing.
What to do with your hands
Put them somewhere visible and leave them there. The camera sees more than you think. Hands that fidget read as nervous. Hands that are still read as calm, even when you are not.
What to say before you say anything clever
Say hello. Say their name. That is it. Two words, and you have already done something most people forget: you have told them you know who they are, and you are glad they showed up.
The name is the part that matters. Hearing your own name from a stranger is the fastest way to feel like you are not a stranger anymore.
What to do if it starts awkwardly
It will, a little. That is fine. Awkward openings are not a sign that the date is going badly; they are a sign that both of you are human and slightly nervous, which is exactly the right way to be at the start of a first date.
Say something true. "I've been looking forward to this" is true, or it should be. "I don't quite know how to start one of these" is also true, and funnier.
The first thing you say does not have to be the best thing you say. It just has to be something.
Start. The rest follows.